D-class destroyer (1913)

For other classes of the same name, see D-class destroyer.

300px HMS Fame
Class overview
Builders:	John I. Thornycroft & Company
Preceded by:	A class
Succeeded by:	River class (E class)
Built:	1895–1899
In commission:	1896–1921
Completed:	10
General characteristics
Type:	Torpedo boat destroyer
Displacement:	355 to 370 tons at full load
Length:	210 ft (64 m)
Beam:	19 ft 9 in (6.02 m)
Draught:	7 ft 8 in (2.34 m)
Propulsion:	Triple expansion steam engines Coal-fired water-tube boilers 5,700 ihp (Stag, 5,800 ihp)
Speed:	30 kn (56 km/h)
Armament:	1 × QF 12-pounder 12 cwt gun 5 × QF 6 pounder 8 cwt gun 2 × 18-inch (450-mm) torpedo tubes

The D class as they were known from 1913 was a fairly homogeneous group of torpedo boat destroyers (TBDs) built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1890s. They were all constructed to the individual designs of their builder, John I. Thornycroft & Company of Chiswick, to meet Admiralty specifications. The uniting feature of the class was a top speed of 30 knots (56 km/h) and they all had two funnels. In 1913 the nine surviving "30 knotter" vessels with two funnels (all ten had been built by Thornycroft, but Ariel was lost before their renaming as "D" class) were retrospectively classified by the Admiralty as the "D" class to provide some system to the naming of HM destroyers. In the same way those with three funnels were classified as the "C" class and those with four funnels as the "B" class. All these 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 were better constructed than their A-class forebears (the "26 knotter" and "27 knotter" groups), but still were poor seaboats unable to reach top speed in anything but perfect conditions.

They generally displaced 355 to 370 tons and had a length of 210 ft (64 m). All were powered by triple expansion steam engines for 5,700 indicated horsepower (4,300 kW) and had coal-fired water-tube boilers, except for the final vessel (Stag) in which the engine power was slightly raised to 5,800 ihp (4,300 kW). Armament was one QF 12 pounder on a bandstand on the forecastle, five QF 6 pounder (two sided abreast the conning tower, two sided between the funnels and one on the quarterdeck) and 2 single tubes for 18-inch (450-mm) torpedoes.

Due to the successful development of their previous 26 and 27 knot torpedo boat destroyers, John I Thornycroft & Company developed their two funnel design for the 1894/95 – 1897/98 building programs. The ships were considered an incremental improvement to the previous 27-knot design of the 1893/94 program. This design would be used for all follow-on turtleback ships under the 30-knot specification. The 30 knot torpedo boat destroyers built by Thornycroft were referred to as two funnel – 30 knot ships and were not assigned a class name at the time.

They featured a large fore-bridge, mast halfway between bridge and fore funnel, turtleback cut-away bow, large round stern, both torpedo tubes on centerline aft of second funnel and two funnels. They had a Thornycroft stern with the rudder not visible. They had dual rudders which made them very responsive to the helm.

Ships

All ten of the "D" class were built by Thornycroft at Chiswick, in four batches.

• First group (ordered 10 May 1895 under 1894-95 programme);
  • Desperate
  • Fame
  • Foam
  • Mallard - ordered 30 May vice 10 May
• Second group (ordered 23 January 1895 under 1895-96 programme) - identical with the preceding group;
  • Angler
  • Ariel
• Third group (ordered 21 April 1896 under 1896-97 programme) - modified from the previous six vessels;
  • Coquette
  • Cygnet
  • Cynthia
• Last group (ordered 7 September 1897 under 1897-98 programme) - with slightly enhanced engine power;
  • Stag

Key dates and fates

Name	Yard number	Laid down	Launched	Completed	Fate
Desperate	305	1 July 1895	15 February 1896	February 1897	Sold for scrap 20 May 1920, to Ward, Milford Haven
Fame	306	4 July 1895	15 April 1896	June 1897	Sold for scrap 31 August 1921, at Hong Kong.
Foam	307	16 July 1895	8 October 1896	July 1897	Sold for scrap 26 May 1914, at Chatham
Mallard	308	13 September 1895	19 November 1896	October 1897	Sold for scrap 10 February 1920, to South Alloa Shipbreaking Co.
Angler	313	21 December 1896	2 February 1897	July 1898	Sold for scrap 20 May 1920, to Ward, Milford Haven
Ariel	314	23 April 1896	5 March 1897	October 1898	Wrecked at Malta 19 April 1907
Coquette	319	8 June 1896	25 November 1897	January 1899	Mined and sunk in the North Sea, 7 March 1916
Cygnet	320	25 September 1896	3 September 1898	February 1900	Sold for scrap 29 April 1920, to Ward, Rainham
Cynthia	321	16 July 1896	8 January 1898	June 1899	Sold for scrap 29 April 1920, to Ward, Rainham
Stag	334	16 April 1898	18 November 1899	September 1900	Sold for scrap 17 March 1921, to Ward, Grays

See also

A sister-ship built for the Imperial German Navy as flotilla leader for torpedo boats, called Torpedo-Divisionsboot.

Name	Yard number	Laid down	Launched	Completed	Fate
SMS D 10		1896	24 March 1898	13 October 1898	Sold for scrap 28 July 1922, broken in Wilhelmshaven

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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