R-class destroyer (1916)

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The first R class were a class of 62 destroyers built between 1916 and 1917 for the Royal Navy. They were an improvement, specifically in the area of fuel economy, of the earlier Admiralty M-class destroyers. The most important difference was that the Admiralty R class had two shafts and geared turbines, compared with the three shafts and direct turbines of the Admiralty M class, but in appearance the R class could be distinguished from its predecessors by having the after 4-inch gun mounted in a bandstand. The Admiralty ordered the first two of this class of ships in May 1915. Another seventeen were ordered in July 1915, a further eight in December 1915, and a final twenty-three in March 1916 (of which eleven were to a slightly modified design).

HMS Skate
HMS Skate in 1942
Class overview
NameR class
Operators
Preceded byAdmiralty M class
Succeeded by
Built1916–1917
In commission1916–1957
Completed62
Lost8
Preserved1 (HMS Radiant, transferred to Royal Siamese Navy in 1920 and renamed Phra Ruang, survives as hulk
General characteristics
TypeDestroyer
Displacement
Length276 ft (84.1 m)
Beam26 ft 9 in (8.15 m)
Draught9 ft 10 in (3.00 m)
Propulsion
Speed36 knots (41.4 mph; 66.7 km/h)
Range3,440 nmi (6,370 km) at 15 kn (28 km/h)
Complement82
Armament

As well as these fifty ships to the standard 'Admiralty' design, twelve more R class were designed and built by the two specialist builders Yarrow Shipbuilders and John I. Thornycroft & Company to their own separate designs. Three were ordered from Thornycroft and four from Yarrow in July 1915, and two from Thornycroft and three from Yarrow in December 1915.

They were the last three-funnelled destroyers ordered by the Royal Navy (although HMS Bristol commissioned in 1973 had three funnels, these were not all on the centreline). All of these ships saw extensive service in World War I. Some saw service as minelayers. Eight R-class ships were sunk during the war and all but two of the surviving ships were scrapped in the 1920s and 1930s. One Admiralty R-class vessel, HMS Skate, survived to see service in World War II as a convoy escort, making her the oldest destroyer to see wartime service with the Royal Navy. A second, HMS Radiant was transferred to the Royal Siamese Navy as Phra Ruang in September 1920.

Ships in class

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The ships of this class were ordered under the 5th through 8th War Emergency Programmes through which the government funded the United Kingdom's increased ship production during World War I. The first two prototypes of this class were ordered in May 1915 as part of the 5th War Programme and larger numbers followed, as summarized in the following table:

War Programme Ordered Admiralty R Admiralty Modified R Thornycroft R Yarrow R
5 May 1915 2 - - -
6 July 1915 17 - 3 4
7 December 1915 8 - 2 -
8 March 1916 12 11 - 3

Admiralty R-class destroyers

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Name Pennant Builder Laid down Launched Commissioned Disposed Status Ref
5th War Programme order in May 1915 (2 ships)
Radstock D94, H64, G76, G79, G81 Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson 6 September 1915 8 June 1916 20 September 1916 29 April 1927 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Raider D95, G41, G81, G82, G86 Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson October 1915 17 July 1916 October 1916 29 April 1927 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
6th War Programme order in July 1915 (17 ships)
 
Romola G15, G18, G53, G83 John Brown & Company, Clydebank 25 August 1915 14 May 1916 17 August 1916 13 March 1930 Scrapped [citation needed]
Rowena D84, F45, H85, G81, G90 John Brown & Company, Clydebank 25 August 1915 1 July 1916 29 September 1916 27 January 1937 Scrapped [citation needed]
Restless G85, G88 John Brown & Company, Clydebank 22 September 1915 12 August 1916 21 October 1916 23 November 1936 Scrapped [citation needed]
Rigorous G86, G90 John Brown & Company, Clydebank 22 September 1915 30 September 1916 30 November 1916 5 November 1926 Scrapped [citation needed]
Rocket G43, G82, G88, H76 William Denny and Brothers, Dumbarton 28 September 1915 2 July 1916 7 October 1916 16 December 1926 Scrapped [citation needed]
Rob Roy William Denny and Brothers, Dumbarton 15 October 1915 29 August 1916 15 December 1916 13 July 1926 Scrapped [citation needed]
Redgauntlet F51, F58, F97, FA4 William Denny and Brothers, Dumbarton 28 September 1915 23 November 1916 7 February 1917 July 1927 Scrapped [citation needed]
Redoubt F56, F57 William Doxford & Sons, Sunderland 28 October 1916 13 July 1926 Scrapped [citation needed]
Recruit William Doxford & Sons, Sunderland 9 December 1916 April 1917 9 August 1917 Sunk by submarine [1]
Sable G44, G91, H93 J. Samuel White, Cowes 26 June 1916 30 November 1916 August 1927 Scrapped [citation needed]
Setter F55, G98 J. Samuel White, Cowes 18 August 1916 12 February 1917 17 May 1917 Sunk after collision [citation needed]
Salmon (renamed Sable) F18, G93, G94, H36, H58 Harland and Wolff, Govan 27 August 1915 7 October 1916 20 December 1916 28 January 1937 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Sylph D93, F54, F68, G69, H0A Harland and Wolff, Govan 30 August 1916 15 November 1916 10 February 1917 16 December 1926 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Sarpedon F15, G14, G19, G21, G82 R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Hebburn on Tyne 27 September 1915 1 June 1916 2 September 1916 23 July 1926 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Sorceress G68, G93, G94, H66 Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Wallsend-on-Tyne 13 November 1915 29 August 1916 4 December 1916 29 April 1927 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Sturgeon F47, F49, G17 Alexander Stephen and Sons, Linthouse, Govan 10 November 1915 11 January 1917 26 February 1917 16 December 1926 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Sceptre F60, F79 Alexander Stephen and Sons, Linthouse, Govan 10 November 1915 18 April 1917 26 May 1917 1926 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
7th War Programme order in December 1915 (8 ships)
 
Satyr F51, F59, G52, H78 William Beardmore and Company, Dalmuir April 1916 27 December 1916 2 February 1917 16 December 1926 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Sharpshooter F48, F61 William Beardmore and Company, Dalmuir May 1916 27 February 1917 2 April 1917 29 April 1927 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Simoom John Brown & Company, Clydebank 23 May 1916 30 October 1916 22 December 1916 23 January 1917 Sunk by torpedo boat [citation needed]
Skate John Brown & Company, Clydebank 12 January 1916 11 January 1917 19 February 1917 1947 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Skilful Harland and Wolff, Govan 3 February 1917 13 July 1926 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Springbok Harland and Wolff, Govan 27 January 1916 9 March 1917 30 April 1917 16 December 1926 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Starfish F60, F64, G50, H70 R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Hebburn on Tyne 27 September 1916 21 April 1928 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Stork F65, F66, G60, H90 R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Hebburn on Tyne 10 April 1916 25 November 1916 1 February 1917 7 October 1927 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
8th War Programme order in March 1916 (12 ships)
Tancred F12, F85, G07, G08, G79, H67 William Beardmore and Company, Dalmuir 5 November 1916 30 June 1917 1 September 1917 17 May 1928 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Tarpon F22, F65, F72, F79, H97 John Brown & Company, Clydebank 12 April 1916 10 March 1917 April 1917 4 August 1927 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Telemachus F23, F66, F81, F86, H98 John Brown & Company, Clydebank 12 April 1916 21 April 1917 June 1917 July 1927 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Tempest Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company 26 January 1917 April 1917 January 1937 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Tenacious F96, G02, G61, H1A Harland and Wolff, Govan; J. Samuel White, Cowes 25 July 1916 21 March 1917 12 August 1917 26 June 1928 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Tetrarch F74, F87, G54, H59 Harland and Wolff, Govan; J. Samuel White, Cowes 26 July 1916 20 April 1917 2 June 1917 28 July 1934 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Thisbe F75, F82, G80, H72 R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Hebburn on Tyne June 1916 8 March 1917 6 June 1917 31 August 1936 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Thruster F74, F76, G81, H73 R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Hebburn on Tyne 2 June 1916 10 January 1917 30 March 1917 16 March 1937 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Tormentor Alexander Stephen and Sons, Linthouse, Govan 22 May 1917 19 November 1929 Sold for scrap; sunk in transit [citation needed]
Tornado Alexander Stephen and Sons, Linthouse, Govan 4 August 1917 November 1917 23 December 1917 Sunk by mines [citation needed]
Torrent Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Wallsend-on-Tyne 26 November 1916 February 1917 23 December 1917 Sunk by mines [citation needed]
Torrid Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Wallsend-on-Tyne 19 July 1916 10 February 1917 5 May 1917 27 January 1937 Sunk by mines [citation needed]

Admiralty Modified R-class destroyers

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The remaining eleven ships ordered in March 1916 were of the Admiralty Modified R class with a slightly increased breadth of 27 ft, a draught of 11 ft, and a tonnage of 1,085. These ships had two funnels.

Name Pennant Builder Laid down Launched Commissioned Disposed Status Ref
8th War Programme order in March 1916 (11 ships)
 
Trenchant G78, G96 J. Samuel White, Cowes 23 December 1916 30 April 1917 15 November 1928 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Tristram F11, F25, F89 J. Samuel White, Cowes 23 September 1916 24 February 1917 30 June 1917 9 May 1921 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Tirade F07, F81, G80, HA7 Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Greenock 1 May 1916 21 April 1917 30 June 1917 15 November 1921 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Tower Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Wallsend-on-Tyne September 1916 5 April 1917 17 May 1928 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Ulster F01, F17, F91, H09 William Beardmore and Company, Dalmuir 10 October 1917 21 November 1917 21 April 1928 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Ulysses William Doxford & Sons, Sunderland 24 March 1917 29 October 1918 Sunk following collision [citation needed]
Umpire F02, F26, F94, H10 William Doxford & Sons, Sunderland 9 June 1917 August 1917 7 January 1930 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Undine F03, G79, G97, H61 Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company 23 September 1916 22 March 1917 26 May 1917 28 September 1927 Sold for scrap; sunk in transit [citation needed]
Urchin F04, F99, H62 Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company 7 June 1917 August 1917 7 January 1930 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Ursa F05, F10, H63 Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company 23 July 1917 16 October 1917 13 July 1926 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Ursula F01, F84, F88, H11 Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Greenock 22 September 1916 21 April 1917 26 September 1917 19 November 1929 Sold for scrap [citation needed]

Thornycroft R-class ships

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Name Pennant Builder Laid down Launched Commissioned Disposed Status Ref
6th War Programme order in July 1915 (3 ships)
Rosalind D87, G64, G89, G95 John I. Thornycroft & Company, Woolston October 1915 14 October 1916 December 1916 13 July 1926 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Radiant John I. Thornycroft & Company, Woolston 25 November 1916 February 1917 21 June 1920 Sold to Thailand as Phra Ruang [citation needed]
Retriever John I. Thornycroft & Company, Woolston 15 January 1917 26 July 1927 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
7th War Programme order in December 1915 (2 ships)
Taurus D82, F39, F70, F71, H30 John I. Thornycroft & Company, Woolston March 1916 10 March 1917 May 1917 18 February 1930 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Teazer D83, F40, F71, F93, H17 John I. Thornycroft & Company, Woolston March 1916 21 April 1917 July 1917 6 February 1931 Sold for scrap [citation needed]

Only a single R-class destroyer was passed on from the Royal Navy for service in another service:

Name Former name Operator Service entry Service exit Status Ref
Phra Ruang ex-Radiant Royal Thai Navy September 1920 1957 Stricken [citation needed]

Yarrow R-class ships

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These seven ships built by Yarrow Shipbuilders were sometimes classified as the Yarrow Later M-class destroyer. These ships had two funnels.

Name Pennant Builder Laid down Launched Commissioned Disposed Status Ref
6th War Programme order in July 1915 (4 ships)
Sabrina Yarrow Shipbuilders August 1915 24 July 1916 September 1916 5 November 1926 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Strongbow Yarrow Shipbuilders 30 September 1916 November 1916 17 October 1917 Sunk by cruisers [citation needed]
Surprise Yarrow Shipbuilders 25 November 1916 February 1917 23 December 1917 Sunk by mines [citation needed]
Sybille Yarrow Shipbuilders August 1915 5 February 1917 February 1917 5 November 1926 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
8th War Programme order in March 1916 (3 ships)
Truculent Yarrow Shipbuilders March 1916 24 March 1917 May 1917 29 April 1927 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Tyrant Yarrow Shipbuilders March 1916 19 May 1917 July 1917 April 1938 Sold for scrap [citation needed]
Ulleswater Yarrow Shipbuilders 1916 4 August 1917 15 August 1918 Sunk by submarine [citation needed]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Kemp, Paul (1999). The Admiralty Regrets: British Warship Losses of the 20th Century. Sutton Publishing Ltd. p. 55. ISBN 0-7509-1567-6. OCLC 46471901.

Bibliography

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