HMS Decoy (1894)
_Q_021146.jpg) HMS Decoy | |
| Career (UK) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | HMS Decoy |
| Builder: |
John I. Thornycroft & Company, Chiswick |
| Cost: | c.£36,000 |
| Yard number: | 288 |
| Laid down: | July 1892 |
| Launched: | 7 February 1894 |
| Completed: | June 1895 |
| Fate: | Sunk in collision, 13 August 1904 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Class and type: | Daring-class torpedo boat destroyer |
| Displacement: | 260 long tons (264 t) light 287.8 long tons (292 t) full load |
| Length: | 185 ft (56 m) oa |
| Beam: | 19 ft (5.8 m) |
| Draught: | 7 ft (2.1 m) |
| Installed power: | 4,200 hp (3,100 kW) |
| Propulsion: |
|
| Speed: | 27 kn (31 mph; 50 km/h) |
| Crew: | 46-53 |
| Armament: |
|
HMS Decoy was a Daring-class torpedo boat destroyer which served with the Royal Navy in home waters. She was launched in 1895 and sunk in a collision with HMS Arun in 1903.
Construction
She was built by John I. Thornycroft & Company at Chiswick and was launched on 7 February 1894.[2]
Although fitted with multiple torpedo tubes, her bow tube proved useless in practice as — while running at high attack speeds — the ship was prone to overtake its own torpedo. The clumsy tube also reduced living quarters and made the bridge very prone to flooding.
Service
She served as instructional tender to the Cambridge, gunnery school ship, until August 1901.[3] Lieutenant C. Asser was appointed in command in February 1902, when she was based at Plymouth.[4]
Fate
Decoy was lost in a collision with HMS Arun off the Scilly Islands on 13 August 1904[5] while taking part in night exercises.[6] One man was killed while the remaining 40 members of the crew were rescued by Arun and Sturgeon.[6]
Courts martial regarding the sinking were subsequently assembled aboard the battleship Conqueror. The first, on 22 August,[7] attributed blame on the commander of Arun. The second, an appeal, was held on 30 August,[8] and dismissed the charge of neglect but confirmed the charge of hazarding both vessels.
Notes
- ↑ British "18-inch torpedoes" were 450mm (17.72 inches) in diameter.
References
- ↑ Lyon (1996), pp.40-41.
- ↑ The Times (London), Thursday, 8 February 1894, p.4
- ↑ "Naval & Military intelligence" The Times (London). Friday, 16 August 1901. (36535), p. 6.
- ↑ "Naval & Military intelligence" The Times (London). Thursday, 20 February 1902. (36696), p. 10.
- ↑ The Times (London), Wednesday, 15 August 1904, p.5
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Kemp, Paul (1999). The Admiralty Regrets British Warship Losses of the 20th Century. Sutton Publishing Ltd. pp. p1. ISBN 0-7509-1567-6.
- ↑ The Times (London), Thursday, 23 August 1904, p.9
- ↑ The Times (London), Friday, 31 August 1904, p.4
Publications
- Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8. OCLC 67375475.
- Lyon, David (1996). The First Destroyers. ISBN 1-84067-364-8.
- Captain T.D. Manning (1961). The British Destroyer. Putnam and Co.
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