- A class destroyer (1913)
The A class as designated in 1913 was a heterogeneous group of
torpedo boat destroyer s (TBDs) built for theRoyal Navy in the mid-1890s. Some 42 vessels were constructed to the individual designs of their builders to meetAdmiralty specifications, the only uniting feature being a specified top speed of 27 knots. In fact the initial six vessels were generally differentiated by a slightly lower speed and were often referred to as "26-knotters" to distinguish them from the following batch of thirty-six vessels; all surviving "27-knotter" vessels were classified by the Admiralty as the A class in 1913 to provide some system to the naming of HM destroyers. All of the "26-knotters" and most of the "27-knotters" had been lost or scrapped before the 1913 classification (and so - strictly speaking - never survived to become 'A' class), but for convenience all 42 ships are listed below. The number of funnels varied from one to four. All vessels had a distinctive "turtleback"forecastle that was intended to clear water from the bow, but actually tended to dig the bow in to anything of a sea, resulting in a very wet conning position.They generally displaced around 260 tons and had a length of around 200 feet. All were powered by triple expansion steam engines and had coal-fired
water-tube boiler s (although initially, some had "locomotive type"fire-tube boiler s in lieu). Armament was generally one QF 12 pounder on a bandstand on the forecastle, up to five QF 6 pounder and 2 single tubes for 14 inchtorpedo es. The "Daring" and "Havock" class ships initially had a third tube in the bow, fixed to fire straight ahead, but this was found to weigh down the bows and it was possible for the ship to run over its own torpedo when moving at high speed, as such they were later removed and this feature was not repeated in later vessels.hips
The 26-knotter group (ordered under the 1892-93 Programme)
originally "Daring" class; both built by J. I. Thornycroft, Chiswick.
*"Daring", launched25 November 1893 , sold for breaking up10 April 1912 .
*"Decoy", launched7 February 1894 , sunk in collision with "Arun"13 August 1904 .originally "Havock" class; both built byYarrow Shipbuilders Ltd ,Poplar .
*"Havock", launched12 August 1893 , sold for breaking up14 May 1912 .
*"Hornet", launched3 December 1893 , sold for breaking up12 October 1909 .originally "Ferret" class; both built by Laird Brothers, Birkenhead.
*"Ferret", launched9 December 1893 , dismantled 1910 and sunk as target 1911.
*"Lynx", launched24 January 1894 , sold for breaking up10 April 1912 .The 27-knotter group (ordered under the 1893-94 Programme)Initially six TBDs (the Thornycroft and Yarrow vessels below) were ordered under the 1893-94 Estimates, but a series of follow-up orders raised the programme to thirty-six vessels.
originally "Ardent" class; all built by
J I Thornycroft ,Chiswick .
*"Ardent", launched16 October 1894 , sold for breaking up10 October 1911 .
*"Boxer", launched28 November 1894 , lost in collision with SS "St Patrick" in the Channel8 February 1918 .
*"Bruiser", launched27 February 1895 , sold for breaking up26 May 1914 .originally "Charger" class; all built by Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd, Poplar.
*"Charger", launched15 September 1894 , sold for breaking up14 May 1912 .
*"Dasher", launched28 November 1894 , sold for breaking up14 May 1912 .
*"Hasty", launched16 June 1894 , sold for breaking up9 July 1912 . originally "Banshee" class; all built by Laird Brothers,Birkenhead
*"Banshee", launched17 November 1894 , sold for breaking up10 April 1912 .
*"Contest", launched1 December 1894 , sold for breaking up11 July 1911 .
*"Dragon", launched15 December 1894 , sold for breaking up9 July 1912 .originally "Conflict" class; all built byJ S White ,Cowes
*"Conflict", launched13 December 1894 , sold for breaking up20 May 1920 .
*"Teazer", launched9 February 1895 , sold for breaking up9 July 1912 .
*"Wizard", launched27 February 1895 , sold for breaking up20 May 1920 .originally "Fervent" class; both built byHanna, Donald & Wilson ,Paisley .
*"Fervent", launched20 March 1895 , sold for breaking up20 May 1920 .
*"Zephyr", launched10 May 1895 , sold for breaking up20 May 1920 .originally "Handy" class; all built by Fairfield,Govan
*"Handy", launched9 March 1895 , sold for breaking up1916 at Hong Kong.
*"Hart", launched27 March 1895 , sold for breaking up1912 at Hong Kong.
*"Hunter", launched28 December 1895 , sold for breaking up10 April 1912 .originally "Hardy" class; both built by WilliamDoxford ,Sunderland .
*"Hardy", launched16 December 1895 , sold for breaking up11 July 1911 .
*"Haughty", launched18 September 1895 , sold for breaking up10 April 1912 .originally "Janus" class; all built by Palmers,Jarrow .
*"Janus", launched12 March 1895 , sold for breaking up1914 at Hong Kong.
*"Lightning", launched10 April 1895 , sunk, probably by mine,30 June 1915 .
*"Porcupine", launched19 September 1895 , sold for breaking up29 April 1920 . originally "Sunfish" class; all built by Hawthorn,Newcastle upon Tyne .
*"Sunfish", launched9 August 1895 , sold for breaking up7 June 1920 .
*"Opposum", launched4 October 1895 , sold for breaking up29 July 1920 .
*"Ranger", launched28 May 1895 , sold for breaking up20 July 1920 .ex-"Rocket" class; all built by J & G Thomson (later to becomeJohn Brown and Company ),Clydebank .
*"Rocket", launched14 August 1894 , sold for breaking up10 April 1912 .
*"Shark", launched22 September 1894 , sold for breaking up11 July 1911 .
*"Surly", launched10 November 1894 , sold for breaking up23 March 1920 .originally "Salmon" class; both built by Earle,Kingston upon Hull .
*"Salmon", launched15 January 1895 , sold for breaking up14 May 1912 .
*"Snapper", launched30 January 1895 , sold for breaking up14 May 1912 . originally "Sturgeon" class; all built by Naval Construction and Armament Company (later to become Vickers and eventuallyVickers Armstrong ),Barrow in Furness .
*"Sturgeon", launched21 July 1894 , sold for breaking up14 May 1912 .
*"Starfish", launched26 January 1895 , sold for breaking up15 May 1912 .
*"Skate", launched13 March 1895 , sold for breaking up9 April 1907 . originally "Swordfish" class; both built by Armstrong Mitchell and Company (later part of Vickers Armstrong), Elswick,Newcastle upon Tyne
*"Swordfish", launched7 June 1895 , sold for breaking up11 October 1910 .
*"Spitfire", launched27 February 1895 , sold for breaking up10 April 1912 .originally "Zebra" class; built byThames Iron Works ,Bow Creek
*"Zebra", launched13 December 1895 , sold for breaking up30 July 1914 .Bibliography
*"Destroyers of the Royal Navy, 1893-1981", Maurice Cocker, 1983, Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-1075-7.
*"The First Destroyers", David Lyon, 1996, Chatham Publishing. ISBN 1-86176-005-1.
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