HMS Stag (1899)

HMS Stag
Career
Name:	HMS Stag
Ordered:	1896 – 1897 Naval Estimates
Builder:	John I Thornycroft, Chiswick
Yard number:	324
Laid down:	16 April 1898
Launched:	18 November 1899
Commissioned:	September 1900
Fate:	Sold for breaking, 17 May 1921
General characteristics [1][2]
Class and type:	Two funnel, 30 knot destroyer
Displacement:	270 t (266 long tons) standard 352 t (346 long tons) full load
Length:	210 ft (64 m) o/a
Beam:	19 ft 9 in (6.02 m)
Draught:	7 ft 8 in (2.34 m)
Installed power:	5,700 shp (4,300 kW)
Propulsion:	4 × Thornycroft 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 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 (450 mm) torpedoes

HMS Stag was a two funnel, 30 knot destroyer ordered by the Royal Navy under the 1896 – 1897 Naval Estimates. She was the sixth ship to carry this name. She was launched in 1899 and was first assigned to the Mediterranean. She served in the North Sea and Irish Sea during World War I, and was sold for breaking in 1921.

Construction

She was laid down as yard number 324 on 16 April 1898 at the John I Thornycroft and Company shipyard at Chiswick on the River Thames. She was launched on 18 November 1899. During her builder’s trials her maximum average speed was 30.5 knots. She proceeded to Portsmouth to have her armament fitted. She was completed and accepted by the Royal Navy in September 1900. During her acceptance trials and work ups her average sea speed was 25 knots.^[1][2]

Pre-War

Lieutenant and Commander B. A. Austen was appointed in command of the Stag 14 February 1902,^[3] and commissioned her at Chatham 25 February for service with the Instructional Flotilla.^[4] Only weeks later, Lieutenant John Maxwell D. E. Warren was appointed in command from 18 March 1902.^[5] In May 1902 she transferred her officers and crew to the HMS Sturgeon.^[6]

After serving in home waters she was re-commissioned to the Mediterranean Fleet where she remained until 1913. On 30 August 1912 the Admiralty directed all destroyer classes were to be designated by alpha characters starting with the letter 'A'. Since her design speed was 30-knots and she had two funnels she was assigned to the D class. After 30 September 1913, she was known as an D-class destroyer and had the letter ‘D’ painted on the hull below the bridge area and on either the fore or aft funnel.^[7]

On her return to the UK she was assigned to the 8th Destroyer Flotilla based at Sheerness.

World War I

In July of 1914 she was in active commission assigned to the 8th Destroyer Flotilla based at Sheerness tendered to the destroyer depot ship Tyne. In August 1914 the 8th was re-deployed to the River Tyne. The 8th was a patrol flotilla tasked with anti-submarine and counter-mining patrols.^[8]

On 25 September while on patrol off the Isle of May at the mouth of the Firth of Forth she was missed by two torpedoes fired by an unknown submarine.^[9] In November 1917 she was deployed to the Irish Sea Hunting Flotilla until the cessation of hostilities providing anti-submarine and counter-smuggling patrols.

Fate

In 1919 she was paid off and laid-up in reserve awaiting disposal. She was sold on 17 May 1921 to Thomas W. Ward of Sheffield for breaking at Grays, Essex on the Thames Estuary.^[10]

Pennant numbers

References

• Jane, Fred T. (1969) [1898]. Jane’s All The Worlds Fighting Ships 1898. New York: first published by Sampson Low Marston, London 1898, Reprinted ARCO Publishing Company. 
• Jane, Fred T. (1990) [1919]. Jane’s Fighting Ships of World War I. Jane’s Publishing. ISBN 1 85170 378 0. 
• Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships 1906 to 1922. Conway Maritime Press. 1985, Reprinted 1986, 1997, 2002, 2006. ISBN 0 85177 245 5.  Check date values in: |date= (help)