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ROYAL NAVY (UNITED KINGDOM)

TORPEDO SHIPS

Laird 26-knotters, 1893 order destroyers (1895)

Lynx 1897

Name No Yard No Builder Laid down Launched Comp Fate
Ferret   596 Laird, Birkenhead 7.1893 9.12.1893 3.1895 test vessel 12.1908
Lynx   597 Laird, Birkenhead 7.1893 24.1.1894 8.1895 sold 4.1912

 

Displacement normal, t

300

Displacement full, t

350

Length, m

60.1 oa 59.4 pp

Breadth, m

6.04

Draught, m

2.74

No of shafts

2

Machinery

2 3-cyl VTE, 4 Normand boilers

Power, h. p.

4475

Max speed, kts

27.2

Fuel, t

coal 58

Endurance, nm(kts) 1155(11)

Armament

1 x 1 - 76/40 12pdr 12cwt QF Mk I, 3 x 1 - 57/40 6pdr Hotchkiss Mk I, 1 - 450 TT (bow aw), 2 x 1 - 450 TT

Complement

46

Project history: The first 5 destroyers were 26-knotters with an armament of 3-450mm TT (one fixed bow tube, two single deck tubes), 1 76mm and 3 57mm. This was the armament carried, but provision was made for landing the two deck tubes and replacing them by an extra 2 57mm if they were to be used entirely for anti-torpedo boat work. All these destroyers had twin shafts and triple expansion engines, though the Thornycroft boats had a special four cylinder triple expansion design.

    Whilst not specializing in building torpedo boats, Laird had already had some success in building torpedo vessels and were a logical choice to follow Thornycroft and Yarrow in laying down destroyers. They produced a four funnelled design with French-designed (Normand) boilers.

Modernizations: 1900, both: - 1 - 450 TT (without spare torpedoes)

1902, Lynx; 1906, Ferret: - 2 x 1 - 450 TT; + 2 x 1 - 57/40 6pdr Hotchkiss Mk I

Naval service: In 1907 Ferret was surveyed and found to be worn out, in December 1908 she was used in experiments, charging boom defences before being dismantled at Chatham in 1910. In 1911 she was sunk as a target. Lynx was used for tests since 1902.

Lynx

Ferret

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