HMS Afridi (1907)
Afridi
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History | |
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United Kingdom | |
Name | HMS Afridi |
Ordered | September 1905 |
Builder | Elswick |
Laid down | 9 August 1906 |
Launched | 8 May 1907 |
Commissioned | 7 September 1909 |
Fate | Sold for scrap, on 9 December 1919 |
General characteristics [1] | |
Class and type | Tribal-class destroyer |
Displacement |
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Length | |
Beam | 25 ft (7.62 m) |
Draught | 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 33 knots (38 mph; 61 km/h) |
Armament |
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HMS Afridi was a
It is assumed - though never definitely confirmed - that explosive sweeps deployed by Afridi were responsible for the destruction of the German U-boat SM UB-13, which on 23 April 1916 departed Zeebrugge for a patrol off the mouth of the Thames and was never heard from again.
Construction and design
HMS Afridi was ordered from
Armstrong's design used five Yarrow water-tube boilers to feed steam turbines supplied by the Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company rated at 14,250 shp (10,630 kW). These drove three propeller shafts, with one propeller per shaft. Three short funnels were fitted. The two forward 12-pounder guns were mounted side-by-side on the ship's forecastle, with the third gun aft. Two spare torpedoes were carried.[7][8][9]
Afridi was
Service
Afridi was commissioned on 10 September 1909, 26 months after the contracted date, the last destroyer to be built by Armstrongs,[7] joining the 1st Destroyer Flotilla.[11] By 1913, Afridi had joined the 4th Destroyer Flotilla,[11] based at Portsmouth.[12] In October that year, the Tribals were officially designated the F class, and as such the letter "F" was painted on Afridi's bow.[6][8]
In February 1914, the Tribals, whose range was too short for effective open sea operations, were sent to
On 24 March 1916, the cross-Channel ferry Sussex was torpedoed by the German submarine SM UB-29. Afridi was one of a number of destroyers sent to respond to distress signals from the damaged ferry, and helped in the rescue operations.[18]
In order to counter German destroyers armed with 105 mm guns, which outgunned British destroyers of the Dover patrol, a number of the Tribal class were rearmed. Afridi had her 12-pounder guns replaced by two
On 22–23 April, Afridi took part in an attack on the German-held port of Ostend in Belgium, which took place at the same time as a similar attack on Zeebrugge, with the objective of denying the use of these ports for German surface vessels and submarines. Afridi formed part of the escort for the blockships HMS Sirius and HMS Brilliant, which were to be scuttled in the harbour entrance, while monitors bombarded the port with heavy guns.[20][21] While the attack on Zeebrugge was a partial success, the Ostend part of the operation was a failure, as the blockships missed the entry to the harbour and run aground, so that the port was not blocked.[21][22]
Afridi along with Zubian, Cossack and Viking were all offered for sale at Immingham in November 1919.[23] Afridi was sold for scrapping on 9 December 1919, and was eventually sunk as a target on 9 April 1930.[10]
Notes
- ^ cwt stands for hundredweight, 12 cwt referring to the weight of the gun.
- ^ Sources differ as to the date of the ship being laid down, with Friedman stating 9 August 1906[10] while Brook states 10 August.[7]
Citations
- ^ Friedman 2009, p. 293.
- ^ a b Friedman 2009, pp. 109–110.
- ^ a b Brook, 1999, p. 176.
- ^ Friedman 2009, p. 108.
- ^ Friedman 2009, pp. 106–108.
- ^ a b c d e Gardiner and Gray 1985, p. 72.
- ^ a b c d Brook 1999, p. 175.
- ^ a b c Friedman 2009, p. 100.
- ^ "H.M. Torpedo Boat Destroyer Afridi" (PDF). The Engineer. Vol. 103. 10 May 1907. p. 480.
- ^ a b c Friedman 2009, p. 305.
- ^ a b "NMM, vessel ID 379493" (PDF). Warship Histories, vol v. National Maritime Museum. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
- ^ Manning 1961, p. 25.
- ^ Friedman 2009, p. 139.
- ^ Burt 1986, pp. 22–23.
- ^ Naval Staff Monograph No. 29 1925, pp. 33–34.
- ^ Naval Staff Monograph No. 29 1925, p. 75.
- ^ Naval Staff Monograph No. 29 1925, pp. 161–162.
- ^ Corbett, Julian S. (2013) [Originally published by Longmans, Green and Co.: London, 1921]. "History of the Great War: Naval Operations Vol. III". Naval-History.net. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
- ^ DiGuilian, Tony (23 September 2012). "Britain: 4.7"/40 (12 cm) Elswick: 4.7"/40 (12 cm) QF Marks I, II, III, IV and VI: Italy: 120 mm/40 (4.7") Models 1889, 1891 and 1893: Japan: 4.7"/40 (12 cm) Elswick: 4.7"/40 (12 cm) 41st Year Type: 12 cm/40 (4.7") 41st Year Type". navweaps.com. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
- ^ "No. 31189". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 February 1919. pp. 2519–2521.
- ^ "No. 31189". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 February 1919. p. 2532.
- ^ "News in Brief." Times [London, England] 22 Nov. 1919: 9. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 21 Dec. 2013.
Bibliography
- Brook, Peter (1999). Warships for Export: Armstrong Warships 1867–1927. Gravesend, UK: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-89-4.
- Burt, R.A. (1986). Warships Illustrated No 7: British Destroyers in World War One. London: Arms & Armour Press. ISBN 0-85368-753-6.
- ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
- Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J. J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. Shepperton, UK: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0380-7.
- ISBN 978-1-84832-049-9.
- Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
- Manning, T. D. (1961). The British Destroyer. London: Putnam & Co. OCLC 6470051.
- March, Edgar J. (1966). British Destroyers: A History of Development, 1892–1953; Drawn by Admiralty Permission From Official Records & Returns, Ships' Covers & Building Plans. London: Seeley Service. OCLC 164893555.
- Monograph No. 29: Home Waters—Part IV: From February to July 1915 (PDF). Naval Staff Monographs (Historical). Vol. XIII. The Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division. 1925.
External links
- HMS Afridi Index of 19th Century Naval Vessels
- "HMS Afridi (1907)". www.tynebuiltships.com. Retrieved 6 March 2017.