Cobra 1901
|
Name |
No |
Yard No |
Builder |
Laid down |
Launched |
Comp |
Fate |
|
Cobra |
Armstrong, Elswick |
1898 |
28.6.1899 |
1901 |
foundered 18.9.1901 |
|
Displacement normal, t |
375 |
|
Displacement full, t |
490 |
|
Length, m |
68.2 oa 65.2 pp |
|
Breadth, m |
6.28 |
|
Draught, m |
2.13 |
|
No of shafts |
4 (triple screws) |
|
Machinery |
4 Parsons steam turbines, 4 Yarrow boilers |
|
Power, h. p. |
11500 |
|
Max speed, kts |
30 |
|
Fuel, t |
coal 106 |
|
Endurance, nm(kts) |
3000(10) |
|
Armament |
1 x 1 - 76/40 12pdr 12cwt QF Mk I, 5 x 1 - 57/40 6pdr Hotchkiss Mk I, 2 x 1 - 450 TT (4) |
|
Complement |
62 |
Project history:
The 33-knotters had been failures, but already by the time these were running
their trials a new form of machinery had appeared which would prove the answer
to higher speed requirements. In 1897 Parsons' Turbinia had made her
spectacular appearance at the Jubilee Review at Spithead, and shown that the
steam turbine was a workable device. In fact Director of Naval Construction had
known about Parsons' trials for some time before, and had followed them with
interest. It was not therefore surprising that a turbine-powered destroyer
should be ordered from Parsons on 4.3.1898. Soon afterwards Armstrong began a
turbine destroyer 'on spec' at their Elswick yard which would be taken over by
the Admiralty before completion.
Initial results with these vessels were encouraging, but both
were lost almost immediately. Fortunately in neither case did the turbines have
anything to do with the loss. To fill the
need for further testing the Velox, building 'on spec', was purchased.
All of these three turbine destroyers were 30-knotters in all respects including
armament (except their machinery).
Cobra was purchased in 1900 from Armstrong. She had run her first trials as
early as July 1899, but had then suffered damage in a collision. Three
propellers were fitted to each shaft. Construction was lighter than was normal
for Royal Navy destroyers, and may help to explain her loss on her delivery
voyage. This loss is still something of a mystery, is Cobra suddenly
broke in two and sank in heavy weather off the Yorkshire coast. The Court
Martial certainly attributed the loss to structural weakness, but the survivors
reported feeling an impact before she split, and though no wreckage was
subsequently found in the area it still remains a distinct possibility that
hitting a mast or spar from a wreck initiated the break.
Her loss caused a Committee to be set up to enquire into the
strength of destroyers which cleared the 30-knotters of the suspicion that they
might founder from structural weakness.
Modernizations: None.
Naval service: 18.9.1901 on passage from Tyne to Chatham (she had to receive TTs there) Cobra was broken in two and sank by unknown cause. 67 men from 79 were lost.
Cobra
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