- R class destroyer (1916)
:"For the R class of destroyers built in 1942, see
Q and R class destroyer The first R class were a class of 62destroyers built between1916 and1917 for theRoyal Navy . They were an improvement, specifically in the area of fuel economy, of the earlier M class destroyers. The most important difference was that the Admiralty R class had two shafts and geared turbines, compared with the three shafts and direct turbines of the Admiralty 'M' class, but in appearance the R class could be distinguished from its predecessors by having the after 4-inch gun mounted in a bandstand. The Admiralty ordered the first two of this class of ships in May1915 . Another seventeen were ordered in July 1915, a further eight in December 1915, and a final twenty-three in March 1916 (of which eleven were to a slightly modified design).As well as these fifty ships to the standard 'Admiralty' design, twelve more 'R' class were designed and built by the two specialist builders
Yarrow Shipbuilders andJohn I. Thornycroft & Company to their own separate designs. Three were ordered from Thornycroft and four from Yarrow in July 1915, and two from Thornycroft and three from Yarrow in December 1915.They were the last three-funnelled destroyers ordered by the Royal Navy (although HMS|Bristol|D23 commissioned in 1973 had three funnels, these were not all on the centreline). All of these ships saw extensive service in
World War I . Some saw service asminelayer s. Eight R class ships were sunk during the war and all but two of the surviving ships were scrapped in the 1920s and 1930s. One Admiralty R class vessel, HMS|Skate|1917|6 survived to see service inWorld War II as a convoy escort, making her the oldest destroyer to see wartime service with the RN. A second, HMS|Radiant|1916|6 was transferred to the Royal Siamese Navy as "Phra Ruang" in September1920 and survives to this day as a hulk.Admiralty R class ships
*, built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Wallsend on Tyne, launched
3 June 1916 , sold for breaking up29 April 1927 .
*, built by Swan Hunter, launched17 July 1916 , sold for breaking up29 April 1927 .Seventeen ships ordered in July 1915.
*, built byJohn Brown & Company ,Clydebank , launched14 May 1916 , sold for breaking up13 March 1930 .
*, built by John Brown, launched1 July 1916 , delivered for breaking up27 January 1937 .
*, built by John Brown, launched12 August 1916 , delivered for breaking up23 November 1936 .
*, built by John Brown, launched30 September 1916 , sold for breaking up5 November 1926 .
*, built byWilliam Denny and Brothers , Dumbarton, launched2 July 1916 , sold for breaking up16 December 1926 .
*, built by Denny, launched29 August 1916 , sold for breaking up13 July 1926 .
*, built by Denny, launched23 November 1916 , sold for breaking up July1927 .
*, built byWilliam Doxford & Sons , Sunderland, launched28 October 1916 , sold for breaking up13 July 1926 .
*, built by Doxford, launched9 December 1916 , torpedoed in the North Sea by "U-16"9 August 1917 .cite book |title=The Admiralty Regrets British Warship Losses of the 20th Century |last=Kemp |first=Paul |year=1999 |publisher=Sutton Publishing Ltd |isbn=0-7509-1567-6 |pages=p55]
*, built byJ. Samuel White , Cowes, launched28 June 1916 , sold for breaking up August1927 .
*, built by White, launched18 August 1916 , sunk in collision with HMS Sylph|1916|6 off Harwich17 May 1917 .
*, built byHarland and Wolff , Govan, launched7 October 1916 , renamed "Sable" in December1933 , sold for breaking up (delivered)28 January 1937 .
*, built by Harland and Wolff, Govan, launched15 November 1916 , sold for breaking up16 December 1926 , but stranded while under tow en route to breakers28 January 1927 and broken up at Aberavon.
*, built by R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Hebburn on Tyne, launched1 June 1916 , sold for breaking up13 July 1926 .
*, built by Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson, Wallsend on Tyne, launched29 August 1916 , sold for breaking up29 April 1927 .
*, built byAlexander Stephen and Sons , Linthouse, Govan, launched11 January 1917 , sold for breaking up16 December 1926 .
*, built by Stephens, launched18 April 1917 , sold for breaking up16 December 1926 .Eight ships ordered in December 1915.
*, built byWilliam Beardmore and Company , Dalmuir, launched27 December 1916 , sold for breaking up16 December 1926 .
*, built by Beardmore, launched27 February 1917 , sold for breaking up29 April 1927 .
*, built by John Brown, launched30 October 1916 , torpedoed bu German submarine "S.50" in the North Sea23 January 1917 .
*, built by John Brown, launched11 January 1917 , sold for breaking up4 March 1947 .
*, built by Harland and Wolff, Govan, launched3 February 1917 , sold for breaking up13 July 1926 .
*, built by Harland and Wolff, Govan, launched9 March 1917 , sold for breaking up16 December 1926 .
*, built by Hawthorn Leslie, launched27 September 1916 , sold for breaking up21 April 1928 .
*, built by Hawthorn Leslie, launched15 November 1916 , sold for breaking up7 October 1927 .Twenty-three ships ordered in March 1916, of which twelve were to the same design as the previous batch.
*, built by Beardmore, launched30 June 1917 , sold for breaking up17 May 1928 .
*, built by John Brown, launched10 March 1917 , sold for breaking up4 August 1927 .
*, built by John Brown, launched21 April 1917 , sold for breaking up26 July 1927 .
*, built byFairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company , launched26 January 1917 , sold for breaking up (delivered)28 January 1937 .
*, built by Harland and Wolff, Govan, launched21 May 1917 , sold for breaking up26 June 1928 .
*, built by Harland and Wolff, Govan, launched20 April 1917 , sold for breaking up28 July 1934 .
*, built by Hawthorn Leslie, launched8 March 1917 , sold for breaking up (delivered)31 August 1936 .
*, built by Hawthorn Leslie, launched10 January 1917 , sold for breaking up1937 .
*, built by Stephen, launched22 May 1917 , sold for breaking up19 November 1929 , but wrecked off South Wales while under tow en route to breakers13 December 1929 .
*, built by Stephen, launched4 August 1917 , mined in the North Sea23 December 1917 .
*, built by Swan Hunter, launched26 November 1917 , mined in the North Sea23 December 1917 .
*, built by Swan Hunter, launched10 February 1917 , sold for breaking up27 January 1937 , but wrecked off Falmouth while under tow en route to breakers16 March 1937 .Admiralty Modified R class ships
The remaining eleven ships ordered in March 1916 were of the Admiralty Modified R class with a slightly increased breadth of 27ft, a draught of 11ft, and a tonnage of 1,085.
*, built by White, launched23 December 1916 , sold for breaking up15 November 1928 .
*, built by White, launched24 February 1917 , sold for breaking up9 May 1921 .
*, built by Scott's, launched21 April 1917 , sold for breaking up15 November 1921 .
*, built by Swan Hunter, launched5 April 1917 , sold for breaking up17 May 1928 .
*, built by Beardmore, launched10 October 1917 , sold for breaking up April1928 .
*, built by Doxford, launched24 March 1917 , sunk in collision with SS "Ellerie" in the Clyde29 October 1918 .
*, built by Doxford, launched9 June 1917 , sold for breaking up7 January 1930 .
*, built by Fairfield, launched22 March 1917 , sold for breaking up April1928 , wrecked off Horse Fort en route to breakers, wrecked sold27 August 1928 .
*, built byPalmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company , launched7 June 1917 , sold for breaking up7 January 1930 .
*, built by Palmers, launched23 July 1917 , sold for breaking up13 July 1926 .
*, built by Scott's, launched2 August 1917 , sold for breaking up19 November 1929 .Thornycroft R class ships
*, built by
John I. Thornycroft & Company , Woolston, launched14 October 1916 . Sold for breaking up13 July 1926 .
*, built by Thornycroft, launched25 November 1916 , sold back to Thornycroft21 June 1920 , who then sold her to the Thai Navy in September1920 . She was renamed "Phra Ruang" and was the last of the R class to survive, being scrapped in 1957.
*, built by Thornycroft, launched15 January 1917 , sold for breaking up26 July 1927 .
*, built by Thornycroft, launched10 March 1917 , sold for breaking up18 February 1930 .
*, built by Thornycroft, launched21 April 1917 , sold for breaking up6 February 1931 .Yarrow R class ships
These seven ships built by
Yarrow Shipbuilders were sometimes classified as the "Yarrow Later M class destroyer ".ee also
*
List of destroyer classes of the Royal Navy References
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