Express 1902
|
Name |
No |
Yard No |
Builder |
Laid down |
Launched |
Comp |
Fate |
|
Express |
D84, D80, D34 | 629 |
Laird, Birkenhead |
1.12.1896 |
11.12.1897 |
2/1902 |
sold 3.1921 |
|
Displacement normal, t |
465 |
|
Displacement full, t |
540 |
|
Length, m |
73.0 oa 71.6 pp |
|
Breadth, m |
7.22 |
|
Draught, m |
3.12 |
|
No of shafts |
2 |
|
Machinery |
2 4-cyl VTE, 4 Normand boilers |
|
Power, h. p. |
9250 |
|
Max speed, kts |
31 |
|
Fuel, t |
coal 130 |
|
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 |
74 |
Project history:
As part of the 1896/97 programme the Admiralty decided
to order three vessels with the unprecedented contract speed of 33kts. This was
mainly a reaction to the 31kts of the French torpedo boat
Forban on trial in 1895. In fact that was an exceptional result as
none of her immediate sisters reached anything like that speed. In the event,
the requirement for 33kts proved too ambitious. The
vessels built, with exactly the same armament as the 30-knotters, on longer and
more expensive hulls and with more powerful and therefore more expensive
machinery, completely failed to make the desired speed. The first two
both spent years running acceptance trials testing various propeller
shapes and other devices in a vain attempt to reach 33kts, though Thornycroft's
Albatross came quite close.
After their final acceptance it was
realised that all they had proved to be were rather
more expensive 30-knotters, and so they were not kept
apart as a separate class.
Express began her trials in 1898,
was badly damaged during their course, and tried many different variants of
propeller shape without real success. Her appearance was unusual because she had
'reverse sheer' (in other words the upper deck was higher amidships than at the
ends). Early in her career she had a very poor reputation for reliability,
breaking down when she was called on to do any speed.
Modernizations: None.
Naval service: No significant events.
Express
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