HMS Handy (1895)

History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Handy
Builder	Fairfields, Govan
Laid down	7 June 1894
Launched	9 March 1895
Commissioned	October 1895
Fate	Sold Hong Kong, 1916
General characteristics
Class and type	Handy-class destroyer
Displacement	275 long tons (279 t) light; 310 long tons (310 t) full load;
Length	197 ft (60.05 m) oa
Beam	19 ft 5 in (5.92 m)
Draught	7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)
Installed power	4,000 hp (2,983 kW)
Propulsion	3 × Thornycroft boilers; 2 × vertical triple-expansion steam engines; 2 shafts;
Speed	27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph)
Complement	53
Armament	1 × 12 pounder gun; 3 × 6 pounder gun; 2 × 18 inch torpedo tubes;

HMS Handy was a

China Station, and was sold in Hong Kong

during the Great War.

Design and construction

As part of the 1893–1894 Naval Estimates, the

torpedo-boat destroyers, all to be capable of 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph), as a follow-on to the six prototype "26-knotters" ordered in the previous 1892–1893 Estimates. Of the 36 destroyers, three ships (Handy, Hart and Hunter) were ordered from Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company of Govan,^[1] the first torpedo craft to be built by that shipyard.^[2] As typical for torpedo craft at the time, the Admiralty left detailed design to the builders, laying down only broad requirements.^[3]^[4]

Fairfield's design was 197 feet (60.05 m)

18 inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes.^[7] As a gunboat, one of the torpedo tubes could be removed to accommodate a further two six-pounders.^[8]^[9]^[b]

Handy was

sea trials,^[11] and was commissioned in October 1895.^[2]

Service

Handy was initially based at

bow structure of Handy required strengthening,^[c] which was carried out by April 1901.^[16]

In January 1901, Handy took part in the salvaging of the

Xinhai Revolution caused Zhang Mingqi, Viceroy of Liangguang to abandon his post, Handy ferried him from Canton to safety in Hong Kong.^[18]

Handy was paid off in 1912,[19] and by March 1913 Handy was placed on the sale list.^[20] She was finally sold in Hong Kong in 1916.^[14]

References

Notes

^ "Cwt" is the abbreviation for hundredweight, 12cwt referring to the weight of the gun.
^ While many of the 27-knotters later carried both the two torpedo tubes and all 5 six-pounder guns, stability concerns prevented Handy from following suit.^[10]
^ Handy's commanding officer noted inwards and outwards movement of the bow plating and frames of about 2 inches (51 mm) in heavy seas.^[15]

Citations

^ Lyon 2001, pp. 19–20.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Lyon 2001, p. 87.
^ Chesneau and Kolesnik 1979, p. 87.
^ Manning 1961, p. 39.
^ Manning 1961, p. 36.
^ Friedman 2009, p. 48.
^ Friedman 2009, p. 291.
^ Lyon 2001, pp. 98–99.
^ Friedman 2009, p. 40.
^ Lyon 2003, p. 100.
^ Brassey 1897, p. 321.
^ "Naval & Military Intelligence". The Times. No. 34735. 15 November 1895. p. 7.
^ Lyon 2001, p. 116.
^ ^a ^b Lyon 2001, p. 89.
^ Brown 2003, p. 140.
^ Lyon 2001, p. 114.
^ Crowe 1903, pp. 310–312.
^ Chan Lau Kit-Ching 1990, pp. 97–100.
^ "NMM, vessel ID 368123" (PDF). Warship Histories, vol i. National Maritime Museum. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 June 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
^ "List of Vessels Available for Subsidiary Services, Hulks and Vessels for Sale". The Navy List: 409. April 1913. Retrieved 24 October 2014.