HMS Hardy (1895)

HMS Hardy was a Hardy-class destroyer which served with the Royal Navy. She was built by William Doxford & Sons in 1895, launched on 16 December 1895, and sold off on 11 July 1911.

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Hardy.

History
United Kingdom
Name: HMS Hardy
Builder: William Doxford & Sons, Sunderland
Launched: 16 December 1895[1]
Fate: Sold for scrapping, 11 July 1911[1]
General characteristics
Class and type: Hardy-class destroyer
Displacement: 260 long tons (264 t)
Length: 196 ft (60 m)
Propulsion:
Speed: 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph)
Complement: 53
Armament:

Construction and design

HMS Hardy was one of the two destroyers ordered from William Doxford & Sons on 3 November 1893 as part of the Royal Navy's 1893–1894 construction programme.[2]

The Admiralty did not specify a standard design for destroyers, laying down broad requirements, including a trial speed of 27 knots (31 mph; 50 km/h), a "turtleback"[lower-alpha 1] forecastle and armament, which was to vary depending on whether the ship was to be used in the torpedo boat or gunboat role.[4] As a torpedo boat, the planned armament was a single QF 12 pounder 12 cwt (3 in (76 mm) calibre) gun on a platform on the ship's conning tower (in practice the platform was also used as the ship's bridge), together with a secondary gun armament of three 6-pounder guns, and two 18 inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes. As a gunboat, one of the torpedo tubes could be removed to accommodate a further two six-pounders.[5][6]

Doxford's design had a hull of length 200 feet 3 inches (61.04 m) overall and 196 feet (59.74 m) between perpendiculars, with a beam of 19 feet (5.79 m) and a draught of 7 feet 9 inches (2.36 m). Eight Yarrow boilers fed steam at 185 pounds per square inch (1,280 kPa) to triple expansion steam engines rated at 4,200 indicated horsepower (3,100 kW) and driving two propeller shafts. Displacement was 260 long tons (260 t) light and 325 long tons (330 t) deep load.[2] Unusually for the destroyers ordered under the 1893–1894 programme, the Admiralty accepted a guaranteed speed of 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph), rather than the more normal 27 knots, possibly owing to Doxford's inexperience in building torpedo-craft.[7][2] This speed dropped to 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) at deep load. Sufficient coal was carried to give a range of 1,155 nautical miles (2,139 km; 1,329 mi) at 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph).[8] Three funnels were fitted.[7] The ship's complement was 50 officers and men.[9]

She was laid down as Yard Number 226 at Doxford's Sunderland shipyard on 4 June 1894, and was launched on 16 December 1895.[2] Sea trials were successful,[10] with the ship reaching an average speed of 26.8 knots (49.6 km/h; 30.8 mph),[9] and she was completed in August 1896.[2]

Service history

She saw early service in home waters. In 1896 Hardy was in reserve at Chatham.[11] In 1901 she was with the Mediterranean Squadron,[12] but was relieved by the destroyer HMS Mallard in late May the following year.[13] She arrived at Plymouth on 5 July 1902, and paid off at Chatham later the same month.[14] Lieutenant Robert Gordon Douglas Dewar was appointed in command during summer 1902,[15] and was briefly succeeded by Lieutenant George Geoffrey Codrington from early Autumn 1902 until January 1903.[16]

Hardy was sold for scrap at Devonport for £1400 on 11 July 1911.[17]

Notes
  1. A fore deck with exaggerated camber designed to throw off sea water at high speeds.[3]
  1. "HMS Hardy". pbenyon.plus.com. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
  2. Lyon 2001, p. 82
  3. Gardiner & Lambert 1992, p. 188
  4. Lyon 2001, p. 20
  5. Lyon 2001, pp. 98–99
  6. Friedman 2009, p. 40
  7. Chesneau & Kolesnik 1979, p. 91
  8. Friedman 2009, p. 290
  9. Brassey 1902, p. 274
  10. Lyon 2001, p. 83
  11. "Naval Matters: Past and Prospective: The Reserve of Ships and Men". The Marine Engineer. Vol. 18. July 1896. p. 155.
  12. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times (36433). London. 19 April 1901. p. 10.
  13. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times (36773). London. 21 May 1902. p. 10.
  14. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times (36813). London. 7 July 1900. p. 6.
  15. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times (36715). London. 14 March 1902. p. 9.
  16. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times (36931). London. 21 November 1902. p. 5.
  17. "Naval Matters—Past and Prospective: Devonport Dockyard". The Marine Engineer and Naval Architect. Vol. 34. August 1911. p. 14.

Bibliography
  • Brassey, T.A. (1902). The Naval Annual 1902. Portsmouth, UK: J. Griffin and Co.
  • Chesneau, Roger & Kolesnik, Eugene M., eds. (1979). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-133-5.
  • Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. 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.
  • Friedman, Norman (2009). British Destroyers: From Earliest Days to the Second World War. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. 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.
  • Gardiner, Robert; Lambert, Andrew, eds. (1992). Steam, Steel & Shellfire: The Steam Warship 1815–1905. Conway's History of the Ship. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-564-0.
  • Lyon, David (2001) [1996]. The First Destroyers. London: Caxton Editions. ISBN 1-84067-3648.
  • 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.
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