River class destroyer
Encyclopedia
The River-class (re-designated in 1913 as the E-class) destroyer was a heterogeneous class of torpedo boat destroyer (TBD) built to assorted builders' designs for the Royal Navy
at the turn of the 20th century, which saw extensive service in World War I. All the ships were named after British rivers, and as such were the first Royal Navy destroyer class to be named systematically (see the article naming conventions for destroyers of the Royal Navy
for more details).
and a balanced armament of guns and torpedo
es. This was a departure from previous British designs that had a low "turtle-back" forecastle, which, although intended to clear the bows, caused them to dig in to the sea, resulting in a very wet conning position. As a result of this, and with a general increase in size and more solid construction, the Rivers became the first truly ocean going and useful torpedo boat destroyer
s (TBD) in Royal Navy service.
Despite making only 25 knots (previous classes had made 27 to 30 knots (58.8 km/h) under the most favourable conditions), the increased seaworthiness meant that they could maintain this speed into a sea and that they remained workable and fightable at the same time. Notwithstanding a variety of design differences, all ships had either two broad funnels or two pairs of narrow funnels. The armament was improved over earlier classes to four QF 12 pounder guns
, one carried on a bandstand on the forecastle, two sited abreast the wheelhouse at main deck level and the fourth gun aft. The torpedo tubes were carried singly, one between the funnels and one aft.
All ships were coal fired and had triple expansion steam engines, except Eden, Stour and Test which were powered by steam turbine
s. The Eden had three propellers on each of her two shafts, to transmit the power at the high revolutions of the direct drive turbines, a feature of the earlier Turbinia
.
All ships surviving the war were sold out of service by late 1920.
Originally Derwent type; all built by Hawthorn Leslie, Hebburn, Newcastle upon Tyne.
Originally Erne type; all built by Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company
, Jarrow
.
Originally Ribble type; all built by Yarrow Shipbuilders
, Poplar, London
.
Originally Foyle type; all built by Laird Brothers (from 1903 Cammell Laird
), Birkenhead
.
Originally Kennet type; all built by J I Thornycroft, Chiswick
.
Originally Ness type; both built by J. Samuel White
, Cowes
.
Originally Stour type
; both built 1905 by Cammell Laird and Company, Birkenhead, on speculation, and purchased by the Royal Navy December 1909.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
at the turn of the 20th century, which saw extensive service in World War I. All the ships were named after British rivers, and as such were the first Royal Navy destroyer class to be named systematically (see the article naming conventions for destroyers of the Royal Navy
Naming conventions for destroyers of the Royal Navy
The first Torpedo Boat Destroyer in the Royal Navy was HMS Havock of 1893. From 1906, the term "Torpedo Boat Destroyer" began to appear in the shortened form "Destroyer" when referring to Destroyer Flotillas...
for more details).
Design
Like their predecessors - the "turtle-back" destroyers of the 1890s - they were built to the designs of their individual builders, and thus there were considerable variations. But in the River group of designs can be seen the genesis of the "true destroyer", with the typical weatherly raised forecastleForecastle
Forecastle refers to the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters...
and a balanced armament of guns and torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
es. This was a departure from previous British designs that had a low "turtle-back" forecastle, which, although intended to clear the bows, caused them to dig in to the sea, resulting in a very wet conning position. As a result of this, and with a general increase in size and more solid construction, the Rivers became the first truly ocean going and useful torpedo boat destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s (TBD) in Royal Navy service.
Despite making only 25 knots (previous classes had made 27 to 30 knots (58.8 km/h) under the most favourable conditions), the increased seaworthiness meant that they could maintain this speed into a sea and that they remained workable and fightable at the same time. Notwithstanding a variety of design differences, all ships had either two broad funnels or two pairs of narrow funnels. The armament was improved over earlier classes to four QF 12 pounder guns
QF 12 pounder 12 cwt naval gun
The QF 12 pounder 12 cwt gun was a common calibre naval gun introduced in 1894 and used until the middle of the 20th century. It was produced by Armstrong Whitworth, Elswick and used on Royal Navy warships, and exported to allied countries...
, one carried on a bandstand on the forecastle, two sited abreast the wheelhouse at main deck level and the fourth gun aft. The torpedo tubes were carried singly, one between the funnels and one aft.
All ships were coal fired and had triple expansion steam engines, except Eden, Stour and Test which were powered by steam turbine
Steam turbine
A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it into rotary motion. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884....
s. The Eden had three propellers on each of her two shafts, to transmit the power at the high revolutions of the direct drive turbines, a feature of the earlier Turbinia
Turbinia
Turbinia was the first steam turbine-powered steamship. Built as an experimental vessel in 1894, and easily the fastest ship in the world at that time, Turbinia was demonstrated dramatically at the Spithead Navy Review in 1897 and set the standard for the next generation of steamships, the...
.
All ships surviving the war were sold out of service by late 1920.
Ships
Thirty-four ships were ordered - ten ships under the 1901-02 Programme, eight ships under the 1902-03 Programme (with one extra purchased when Palmers built it on speculation), and fifteen ships under the 1903-04 Programme; two additional vessels (also built on speculation) were purchased in 1909.Originally Derwent type; all built by Hawthorn Leslie, Hebburn, Newcastle upon Tyne.
- DerwentHMS Derwent (1903)HMS Derwent was a River-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was the second ship named after one of the UK's River Derwents to serve in the Royal Navy.-Pennant Numbers:-Construction:...
— launched 14 February 1903, mined and sunk off Le HavreLe HavreLe Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
2 May 1917. - EdenHMS Eden (1903)HMS Eden was a named after one of the United Kingdom's River Edens. She was the second and last ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name.-Pennant numbers:-Construction:...
— launched 13 March 1903, rammed and sunk by SS FranceSS France (1912)The SS France was a French ocean liner which sailed for the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, colloquially known as CGT or the "French Line". She was the only French liner to have the famous Four stackers, she was later dubbed the Versailles of the Atlantic, a reference to her décor which...
in English ChannelEnglish ChannelThe English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
18 June 1916. - WaveneyHMS Waveney (1903)HMS Waveney was a River-class destroyer named after the River Waveney. She was the first ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name.-Construction:...
— launched 15 March 1903, sold for breaking up 10 February 1920. - BoyneHMS Boyne (1904)HMS Boyne was a River-class destroyer named after the River Boyne. She was the fifth Royal Navy ship to bear the name.-Construction:She was built by Hawthorn Leslie and launched in 1904. She featured flush funnel tops, as did others of her class...
— launched 12 September 1904, sold for breaking up 30 August 1919. - DoonHMS Doon (1904)HMS Doon was a River-class destroyer named after the River Doon, and the only ship of the Royal Navy ever to bear the name.-Pennant Numbers:-Construction:...
— launched 8 November 1904, sold for breaking up 27 June 1919. - KaleHMS Kale (1904)HMS Kale was a River-class destroyer named after the Scottish River Kale. She was the first ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name.-Construction:...
— launched 8 November 1904, mined and sunk in North SeaNorth SeaIn the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
27 March 1918.
Originally Erne type; all built by Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company
Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company
Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company Limited, often referred to simply as Palmers, was a British shipbuilding company. The Company was based in Jarrow, in Northeast England and also had operations in Hebburn and Willington Quay on the River Tyne....
, Jarrow
Jarrow
Jarrow is a town in Tyne and Wear, England, located on the River Tyne, with a population of 27,526. From the middle of the 19th century until 1935, Jarrow was a centre for shipbuilding, and was the starting point of the Jarrow March against unemployment in 1936.-Foundation:The Angles re-occupied...
.
- Erne — launched 14 January 1903, wrecked off Rattray HeadRattray HeadRattray Head is a headland in Buchan, Aberdeenshire, on the north east coast Scotland. To north lies Strathbeg Bay and Rattray Bay is to its south...
6 February 1915. - Ettrick — launched 28 February 1903, sold for breaking up 27 May 1919.
- Exe — launched 27 April 1903, sold for breaking up 10 February 1920.
- Cherwell — launched 23 July 1903, sold for breaking up 23 June 1919.
- Dee — launched 10 September 1903, sold for breaking up 23 July 1919.
- Rother — launched 5 January 1904, sold for breaking up 23 June 1919.
- Swale — launched 20 April 1905, sold for breaking up 23 June 1919.
- Ure — launched 25 October 1904, sold for breaking up 27 May 1919.
- Wear — launched 21 January 1905, sold for breaking up 4 November 1919.
Originally Ribble type; all built by Yarrow Shipbuilders
Yarrow Shipbuilders
Yarrow Limited , often styled as simply Yarrows, was a major shipbuilding firm based in the Scotstoun district of Glasgow on the River Clyde...
, Poplar, London
Poplar, London
Poplar is a historic, mainly residential area of the East End of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is about east of Charing Cross. Historically a hamlet in the parish of Stepney, Middlesex, in 1817 Poplar became a civil parish. In 1855 the Poplar District of the Metropolis was...
.
- Ribble — launched 19 March 1904, sold for breaking up 29 July 1920.
- Teviot — launched 7 November 1903, sold for breaking up 23 June 1919.
- Usk — launched 25 July 1903, sold for breaking up 29 July 1920.
- WellandHMS Welland (1904)HMS Welland was a British that saw service in World War I. She was launched in 1904, and sold for scrap in 1920.-Construction:The River class were a heterogeneous class of torpedo boat destroyers to various builders' designs...
— launched 14 April 1904, sold for breaking up 30 June 1920. - Gala — launched 7 January 1905, collided with HMS AttentiveHMS Attentive (1904)HMS Attentive was an Adventure class scout cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Armstrong Whitworth at their yards at Elswick, Tyne and Wear and launched on 24 November 1904...
and sank 27 April 1908 off Harwich. - Garry — launched 21 March 1905, sold for breaking up 22 October 1919.
Originally Foyle type; all built by Laird Brothers (from 1903 Cammell Laird
Cammell Laird
Cammell Laird, one of the most famous names in British shipbuilding during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, came about following the merger of Laird, Son & Co. of Birkenhead and Johnson Cammell & Co. of Sheffield at the turn of the twentieth century.- Founding of the business :The Company...
), Birkenhead
Birkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
.
- Foyle — launched 25 February 1903, mined and sunk in Straits of Dover 15 March 1917.
- Itchen — launched 17 March 1903, torpedoed and sank by U-boatU-boatU-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
U-99SM U-99SM U-99 was one of the 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I.U-99 was engaged in the naval warfare and took part in the First Battle of the Atlantic.- Operations :...
in the North SeaNorth SeaIn the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
6 July 1917. - Arun — launched 29 April 1903, sold for breaking up 30 June 1920.
- Blackwater — launched 25 July 1903, sunk in collision with SS Hero 6 April 1909 off Dungeness.
- Liffey — launched 23 September 1904, sold for breaking up 23 June 1919.
- Moy — launched 10 November 1904, sold for breaking up 27 May 1919.
- Ouse — launched 7 January 1905, sold for breaking up 22 October 1919.
Originally Kennet type; all built by J I Thornycroft, Chiswick
Chiswick
Chiswick is a large suburb of west London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located on a meander of the River Thames, west of Charing Cross and is one of 35 major centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, with...
.
- Kennet — laid down 5 December 1902, launched 4 December 1903, and completed in January 1905; sold for breaking up 11 December 1919.
- Jed — laid down 27 February 1903, launched 16 February 1904, and completed in January 1905; sold for breaking up 29 July 1920.
- Chelmer — laid down 11 February 1904, launched 8 December 1904, and completed in June 1905; sold for breaking up 30 June 1920.
- ColneHMS Colne (1905)HMS Colne was a River-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was built by John I. Thornycroft & Company, of Chiswick and launched on 21 May 1905. She was one of the Kennet subtype built by Thornycroft. She served in the Gallipoli Campaign during the First World War. She was sold in 1919....
— laid down 21 March 1904, launched 21 May 1905, and completed in July 1905; sold for breaking up 4 November 1919.
Originally Ness type; both built by J. Samuel White
J. Samuel White
J. Samuel White was a British shipbuilding firm based in Cowes, taking its name from John Samuel White . It came to prominence during the Victorian era...
, Cowes
Cowes
Cowes is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east Bank...
.
- Ness — launched 5 January 1905, sold for breaking up 27 May 1919.
- Nith — launched 7 March 1905, sold for breaking up 23 June 1919.
Originally Stour type
Stour class destroyer
Two Stour class destroyers served with the Royal Navy. They were built by Cammell Laird in 1905 and purchased by the Admiralty in 1909 to replace losses. HMS Stour and HMS Test displaced 570 tons, were 220 feet long and their Normand boilers generated 7,000 HP to produce 26 knots. They were...
; both built 1905 by Cammell Laird and Company, Birkenhead, on speculation, and purchased by the Royal Navy December 1909.
- StourHMS Stour (1905)HMS Stour was a River-class destroyer and the only ship of the Royal Navy ever to bear the name.-Construction:Built on speculation at Birkenhead by Cammell Laird and Company, she was launched on 3 June 1905, but was not purchased for the Royal Navy until 1909...
— launched 3 June 1905, sold for breaking up 30 August 1919. - TestHMS Test (1905)HMS Test was a River-class destroyer named after the River Test. She was the first ship of the name to serve in the Royal Navy.-Construction:...
— launched 6 May 1905, sold for breaking up 30 August 1919.
See also
- River classRiver classSeveral classes of ships have been called River class:Destroyers of the Royal Navy built in the early 20th century that served in World War I....
— for a list of other ship classes named after rivers