ACHERON class (later - "I" class)
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Nationality: |
Britain |
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| Type: | DD | ||||||||||||
| Class: | ACHERON - 29 in class | ||||||||||||
| Displacement: | 778 tons | ||||||||||||
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Dimensions: (in feet and inches) |
246' x 25' 8" x 9" | ||||||||||||
| Machinery: |
3-shaft Parsons turbines; other details, see Notes below Oil: 178 tons. |
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| Speed: | see Notes below | ||||||||||||
| Armament: |
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| Compliment: | 70 |
Ships in class:
| Admiralty design: 3 Yarrow boilers (** 3 White-Forester boilers); 13,500shp; 27 knots. | |||
| NAME: | BUILDER: | LAUNCHED: | FATE: |
| GOSHAWK | Beardmore | October, 1911 | Sold for breaking up in November, 1921 |
| HIND | John Brown | July, 1911 | Sold for breaking up in May, 1921 |
| HORNET | John Brown | December, 1911 | Sold for breaking up in May, 1921 |
| HYDRA | John Brown | February, 1912 | Sold for breaking up in May, 1921 |
| DEFENDER | Denny | August, 1911 | Sold for breaking up in November, 1921 |
| DRUID | Denny | December, 1911 | Sold for breaking up in May, 1921 |
| SANDFLY | Swan Hunter | July, 1911 | Converted to a minelayer in 1917. Sold for breaking up in May, 1921 |
| JACKAL | Hawthorn Leslie | September, 1911 | Sold for breaking up in September, 1920 |
| TIGRESS | Hawthorn Leslie | December, 1911 | Sold for breaking up in May, 1921 |
| LAPWING | Cammell Laird | July, 1911 | Sold for breaking up in October, 1921 |
| LIZARD | Cammell Laird | October, 1911 | Sold for breaking up in November, 1921 |
| PHOENIX | Vickers | October, 1911 | Torpedoed and sunk on 14 May 1918 |
| FERRET** | J. S. White | April, 1911 | Converted to a minelayer in 1917. Sold for breaking up in May, 1921 |
| FORESTER** | J. S. White | June, 1911 | Sold for breaking up in November, 1921 |
| Yarrow "specials": 3 Yarrow boilers; 16,000shp; 28 knots. | |||
| NAME: | BUILDER: | LAUNCHED: | FATE: |
| ARCHER | Yarrow | October, 1911 | Sold for breaking up in May, 1921 |
| ATTACK | Yarrow | December, 1911 | Struck a mine and sank on 30 December 1917 |
| Thornycroft "specials": 3 Yarrow boilers; 15,500shp; 29 knots | |||
| NAME: | BUILDER: | LAUNCHED: | FATE: |
| ACHERON | Thornycroft | July, 1911 | Sold for breaking up in May, 1921 |
| ARIEL | Thornycroft | September, 1911 | Rammed and sank the German submarine U-12 off Aberdeen on 10 March 1915. Converted to a minelayer in 1917. Struck a mine and sank on 2 August 1918 in the Heligoland Bight. |
| Parsons "specials": 3 Yarrow boilers; 13,500shp; 27 knots. | |||
| NAME: | BUILDER: | LAUNCHED: | FATE: |
| BADGER | Denny | July, 1911 | Sold for breaking up in May, 1921 |
| BEAVER | Denny | October, 1911 | Sold for breaking up in May, 1921 |
| FIREDRAKE group of Yarrow "specials": 3 Yarrow boilers; 20,000shp; 32 knots) | |||
| NAME: | BUILDER: | LAUNCHED: | FATE: |
| FIREDRAKE | Yarrow | April, 1912 | Sold for breaking up in October, 1921 |
| LURCHER | Yarrow | June, 1912 | Sold for breaking up in June, 1922 |
| OAK | Yarrow | September, 1912 | Sold for breaking up in May, 1921 |
| Australian type: 3 Yarrow boilers; 13,500shp; 27 knots. | |||
| NAME: | BUILDER: | LAUNCHED: | FATE: |
| PARRAMATTA* | Fairfield | February, 1910 | Sold for breaking up in 1929 |
| WARREGO* | Fairfield / Cockatoo DY | April, 1911 | Hulked in 1929; sank on 22 July 1931 |
| YARRA* | Denny | April, 1910 | Sold for breaking up in 1929 |
| HUON* (ex-DERWENT) | Cockatoo DY | December, 1915 | Sold for breaking up in September, 1929 |
| TORRENS* | Cockatoo DY | August, 1915 | Sunk as a target on 24 November 1930 |
Notes: The 20 destroyers ordered in the 1910-11 Programme were to be repeats of the ACORN class, but six "specials" were included to give the specialist firms a chance to improve performance. To try to match the latest German destroyers, Yarrow was given an order for three more, with a free hand to increase length and power. They were very similar to the "Admiralty" design, but had more rake to the funnels and masts. Overall, the layout was identical to the ACORN class, but with two level-topped funnels. Although the forefunnel was set back from the bridge, it was still too short to avoid smoking out the compass platform, and the standard boats had their forefunnels raised in 1916. The Royal Australian Navy ordered three more Yarrow "specials", but the design was modified by Sir John Biles. They were built by other yards to the modified design; sections for a fourth were shipped to Australia for assembly, and two more were built there. They resembled the standard design, but with more rake to the funnels.
The design was submitted for approval in May, 1910, with the lead boat, FERRET, laid down in September. She was commissioned in October, 1911, and the last of the class (BEAVER) was completed in November, 1912. They joined the 1st Flotilla in 1911-12, and became part of the Grand Fleet from August, 1914, through the spring of 1916, when they were attached to the 3rd Battle Squadron. They were sent to Portsmouth in the spring of 1917, and then the majority were sent to the Mediterranean.
ARIEL, FERRET and SANDFLY were converted to minelayers in 1917, with the aft 4" gun and torpedo tube removed; they carried 40 mines in this role. They were attached to the 20th Flotilla from Immingham.
All of the Royal Navy boats were redesignated as the "I" class in October, 1913.
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