- River class destroyer
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 theRoyal Navy at the turn of the 20th century, which saw extensive service inWorld 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 articlenaming conventions for destroyers of the Royal Navy for more details).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
forecastle and a balanced armament of guns andtorpedo 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 "River"s became the first truly ocean going and useful torpedo boatdestroyer s (TBD) in Royal Navy service.Despite making only 25 knots (previous classes had made 27 to convert|30|kn|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, carried on a bandstand on the forecastle, two sided 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 bysteam turbine s. The "Eden" had three screws on each of her two shafts, to transmit the power at the high revolutions of the direct drive turbines.All ships surviving the war were sold out of service by late 1920.
hips
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.
*"Derwent" — launched14 February 1903 , mined and sunk offLe Havre 2 May 1917 .
*"Eden" — launched13 March 1903 , rammed and sunk by SS "France" inEnglish Channel 18 June 1916 .
*"Waveney" — launched15 March 1903 , sold for breaking up10 February 1920 .
*"Boyne" — launched12 September 1904 , sold for breaking up30 August 1919 .
*"Doon" — launched8 November 1904 , sold for breaking up27 June 1919 .
*"Kale" — launched8 November 1904 , mined and sunk inNorth Sea 27 March 1918 .originally "Erne" type; all built byPalmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company ,Jarrow .
*"Erne" — launched14 January 1903 , wrecked offRattray Head 6 February 1915 .
*"Ettrick" — launched28 February 1903 , sold for breaking up27 May 1919 .
*"Exe" — launched27 April 1903 , sold for breaking up10 February 1920 .
*"Cherwell" — launched23 July 1903 , sold for breaking up23 June 1919 .
*"Dee" — launched10 September 1903 , sold for breaking up23 July 1919 .
*"Rother" — launched5 January 1904 , sold for breaking up23 June 1919 .
*"Swale" — launched20 April 1905 , sold for breaking up23 June 1919 .
*"Ure" — launched25 October 1904 , sold for breaking up27 May 1919 .
*"Wear" — launched21 January 1905 , sold for breaking up4 November 1919 .originally "Ribble" type; all built byYarrow Shipbuilders , Poplar.
*"Ribble" — launched19 March 1904 , sold for breaking up29 July 1920 .
*"Teviot" — launched7 November 1903 , sold for breaking up23 June 1919 .
*"Usk" — launched25 July 1903 , sold for breaking up29 July 1920 .
*"Welland" — launched14 April 1904 , sold for breaking up30 June 1920 .
*"Gala" — launched7 January 1905 , collided with "Attentive" and sank27 April 1908 off Harwich.
*"Garry" — launched21 March 1905 , sold for breaking up22 October 1919 .originally "Foyle" type; all built by Laird Brothers (from 1903Cammell Laird ),Birkenhead .
*"Foyle" — launched25 February 1903 , mined and sunk inStraits of Dover 15 March 1917 .
*"Itchen" — launched17 March 1903 , torpedoed and sank byU-boat "U.99" in theNorth Sea 6 July 1917 .
*"Arun" — launched29 April 1903 , sold for breaking up30 June 1920 .
*"Blackwater" — launched25 July 1903 , sunk in collision with ss "Hero"6 April 1909 off Dungeness.
*"Liffey" — launched23 September 1904 , sold for breaking up23 June 1919 .
*"Moy" — launched10 November 1904 , sold for breaking up27 May 1919 .
*"Ouse" — launched7 January 1905 , sold for breaking up22 October 1919 .originally "Kennet" class; all built byJ I Thornycroft , Chiswick.
*"Kennet" — launched4 December 1903 , sold for breaking up11 December 1919 .
*"Jed" — launched16 February 1904 , sold for breaking up29 July 1920 .
*"Chelmer" — launched8 December 1904 , sold for breaking up30 June 1920 .
*"Colne" — launched21 May 1905 , sold for breaking up4 November 1919 .originally "Ness" type; both built byJ. Samuel White ,Cowes .
*"Ness" — launched5 January 1905 , sold for breaking up27 May 1919 .
*"Nith" — launched7 March 1905 , sold for breaking up23 June 1919 .originally "Stour" type; both built 1905 by Cammell Laird and Company, Birkenhead, on speculation, and purchased by the Royal Navy December 1909.
*"Stour" — launched3 June 1905 , sold for breaking up30 August 1919 .
*"Test" — launched6 May 1905 , sold for breaking up30 August 1919 .Notes and references
*"Destroyers of the Royal Navy, 1893-1981", Maurice Cocker, 1983, Ian Allan ISBN 0-7110-1075-7
*"Jane's Fighting Ships, 1919", Jane's Publishingee also
*
River class — for a list of other ship classes named after rivers
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