HMS Fame (1896)

Career
Name: HMS Fame
Ordered: 10 May 1895[1]
Builder: John I Thornycroft, Chiswick
Cost: £54,724[1]
Yard number: 306
Laid down: 4 July 1895
Launched: 15 April 1896
Commissioned: June 1897
Out of service: Laid up in reserve 1919
Identification: Pennant number: D26
Honours and
awards:		 China 1900
Fate: Sold for breaking at Hong Kong, 31 August 1921
General characteristics [1]
Class and type:Two funnel, 30 knot destroyer
Displacement:272 t (268 long tons) standard
352 t (346 long tons) full load
Length:210 ft (64 m) o/a
Beam:19 ft 6 in (5.94 m)
Draught:5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Installed power:5,700 shp (4,300 kW)
Propulsion:3 × water tube boilers

2 × vertical triple-expansion steam engines

2 shafts
Speed:30 kn (56 km/h)
Range:80 tons coal
1,310 nmi (2,430 km) at 11 kn (20 km/h)
Complement:65 officers and men
Armament:
  • 1 × QF 12-pounder 12 cwt Mark I L/40 naval gun on a P Mark I low angle mount
  • 5 × QF 6-pdr 8 cwt L/40 gun on a Mark I* low angle mount
  • 2 × single tubes for 18-inch (450mm) torpedoes
Service record
Part of: China Station - 1897
Operations: Boxer Rebellion 1899
First World War 1914–1918

HMS Fame was a two funnel, 30 knot destroyer of the Royal Navy, ordered under the 1894 – 1895 Naval Estimates. She was launched in 1896, served in Chinese waters for the whole of her life and was sold at Hong Kong in 1921.

Design and construction

HMS Fame was one of three "thirty-knotter" torpedo boat destroyers ordered for the Royal Navy from John I Thornycroft on 10 May 1895 under the 1894–1895 shipbuilding programme.[1][lower-alpha 1] As with other early Royal Navy destroyers, the detailed design was left to the builder, with the Admiralty laying down only broad requirements.[2][3] These requirements included reaching a speed of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) during sea trials and an armament of a single QF 12 pounder 12 cwt (3 in (76 mm) calibre) gun, backed up by five 6-pounder guns, and two 18-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes. An arched turtleback[lower-alpha 2] forecastle was to be fitted.[5][6]

Thornycroft's design had three water-tube boilers feeding two four-cylinder triple-expansion steam engines, rated at 5,700 indicated horsepower (4,300 kW), and had two funnels.[1][7] The ship was 210 feet (64.01 m) long overall and 208 feet (63.40 m) at the waterline, with a beam of 19 feet 6 inches (5.94 m) and a draught of 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m). Displacement was 272 long tons (276 t) light and 352 long tons (358 t) full load,[1] while crew was 63 officers and men.[8]

Fame was laid down as yard number 306 on 4 July 1895 at Thornycroft's shipyard at Chiswick on the River Thames and was launched on 15 April 1896.[1] During sea trials Fame reached 30.021 knots (55.599 km/h; 34.548 mph) over the measured mile and 30.17 kilometres (18.75 mi) over a three hour run.[9] She had her armament fitted at Portsmouth, was completed and was accepted by the Royal Navy in June 1897.

Pre-war

On 26 June 1897 she was present at the Royal Naval Review at Spithead in celebration of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.[10] In the second half of 1897 she was deployed to the China Station and remained there for the rest of her service life.[10]

On 17 June 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion in China, she was involved in operations against the Taku forts and Chinese destroyers. The battle of the Taku Forts resulted in the capture of four Chinese destroyers including Hai Lung (later renamed HMS Taku).[10] She was awarded the battle honour "China 1900" for her participation in operations during the Chinese Boxer Rebellion.

In July 1904, complaints from Vice-Admiral Gerard Noel, Commander-in-Chief, China, about the condition of his torpedo boats and torpedo boat destroyers prompted a review of his assets by First Lord of the Admiralty, the Earl of Selborne.

On 30 August 1912 the Admiralty directed all destroyer classes were to be designated by letters starting with the letter 'A'. As a two funneled destroyer with a contract speed of 30 knots, Fame was assigned to the D class after 30 September 1913.[11][12] and had the letter 'D' painted on the hull below the bridge area and on either the fore or aft funnel.[13]

First World War

In 1914 she was assigned to the Eastern Fleet in the China Squadron tendered to the battleship HMS Triumph. She remained on China Station for the duration of the First World War.[10]

Fate

In 1919 she was paid off and laid-up in reserve awaiting disposal. She was sold in Hong Kong on 31 August 1921 for breaking.[14]

References

  1. ↑ The other two were Desperate and Foam. A fourth, Mallard was ordered on 30 May that year.[1]
  2. ↑ A turtleback is an arched structure over the deck of a ship, normally at the ship's bow, to protect against reach seas.[4]
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Lyon (1996), p.45.
  2. ↑ Chesneau and Kolesnik (1979), p. 87.
  3. ↑ Manning (1961), p. 39.
  4. ↑ "turtleback: Definitions". wordnik.com. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  5. ↑ Lyon (1996), pp. 22–23.
  6. ↑ Lyon (1996), pp. 98–99.
  7. ↑ Friedman (2009), pp. 48–49.
  8. ↑ Manning (1961), p. 40.
  9. ↑ Lyon (1996), p. 47.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 "HMS Fame at the Naval Database website".
  11. ↑ Gardiner and Gray (1985), p. 18.
  12. ↑ Manning (1961), pp. 17–18.
  13. ↑ Manning (1961), p. 34.
  14. ↑ ""Arrowsmith" List – Part 1 Destroyer Prototypes through "River" Class". Retrieved 1 Jun 2013.

External links