HMS Taurus (1917)

HMS Taurus was an R-class destroyer which served with the Royal Navy during World War I. Ordered from Thornycroft in 1915 and launched in 1917, the vessel operated as part of the Harwich Force until the end of hostilities. Shortly after entering service, Taurus formed part of the destroyer shield for the Royal Navy's bombardment of Ostend that successfully sank the German destroyer S20. After the War, the destroyer was reduced to reserve and scrapped in 1930.

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Taurus.
HMS Taurus
History
United Kingdom
Name: HMS Taurus
Namesake: Taurus astrological sign and constellation
Ordered: December 1915
Builder: Thornycroft
Laid down: March 1916
Launched: 10 March 1917
Commissioned: May 1917
Fate: Sold 18 February 1930
General characteristics
Class and type: R-class destroyer
Displacement: 1,035 long tons (1,052 t) standard 1,208 long tons (1,227 t) full
Length: 274 ft 3 in (83.6 m)
Beam: 27 ft (8.2 m)
Draught: 11 ft (3.4 m)
Propulsion:
Speed: 35 knots (40 mph; 65 km/h)
Range: 3,450 nautical miles (6,390 km) at 20 knots (37 km/h)
Complement: 82
Armament:

Design and development
Main article: R-class destroyer

Taurus was one of two R-class destroyers ordered by the British Admiralty from Thornycroft in December 1915 as part of the Seventh War Construction Programme alongside Teazer.[1] The vessel was named after the Taurus astrological sign and constellation.[2]

Taurus had a long overall of 274 feet 3 inches (83.59 m) and a length of 265 feet (81 m) between perpendiculars.[3] Beam was 27 ft (324.0 in) and draught 11 ft (3.4 m).[1] Displacement was 1,035 long tons (1,052 t) normal and 1,208 long tons (1,227 t) full load.[4] Three Yarrow boilers fed steam to two sets of Brown-Curtis geared steam turbines rated at 29,000 shaft horsepower (22,000 kW) and driving two shafts, giving a design speed of 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph), although Taurus achieved 39.27 knots (72.73 km/h; 45.19 mph) in trials.[1] Three funnels were fitted, the centre one larger in diameter than the others. 296 tons of oil were carried, giving a design range of 3,450 nautical miles (6,390 km; 3,970 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph).[4] The vessel had a complement of 82 officers and ratings.[3]

Armament consisted of three QF 4in Mk IV guns on the ship's centreline.[1] One was mounted on the forecastle, one aft and one between the second and third funnels.[4] The ship also mounted a single 2-pounder (40 mm) pom-pom anti-aircraft gun for air defence and four 21 in (533 mm) torpedoes in two twin rotating mounts.[3] Fire control included a single Dumaresq and a Vickers range clock.[5] The instruments were held in an extended chart house under the bridge.[6]

Construction and service

Laid down in March 1916, Taurus was launched on 10 March 1917.[1] Taurus was commissioned in May 1917 and served in the Tenth Destroyer Flotilla as part of the Harwich Force.[7]

On 4 June 1917, Taurus was deployed as part of a large group of seven cruisers and twenty five destroyers to protect the monitors Erebus and Terror in their bombardment of the German held Belgian port of Ostend. Along with sister ships Satyr, Sharpshooter and Torrent, Taurus sank the German destroyer S20.[8]

After the war, the destroyer remained with the Tenth Destroyer Flotilla.[9] Taurus was reduced to reserve at Devonport on 16 October 1919 as a tender to the depot ship Woolwich and sold to Metal Industries of Charleston for breaking on 18 February 1930.[10][11]

Pennant numbers
Pennant Number Date
F71January 1917[12]
F70January 1918[12]

References

Citations
  1. Parkes & Prendegast 1919, p. 107.
  2. Manning & Walker 1959, p. 435.
  3. Moore 1990, p. 70.
  4. Gardiner & Gray 1985, p. 81.
  5. "Fire Control in H.M. Ships". The Technical History and Index: Alteration in Armaments of H.M. Ships during the War. 3 (23): 31. 1919.
  6. Friedman 2009, p. 146.
  7. "Harwich Force". Supplement to the Navy List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officers' Commands &c.: 13. January 1918. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  8. Newbolt, Henry (2013) [Originally published by Longmans, Green and Co.: London, 1931]. "History of the Great War: Naval Operations Vol. V, April 1917 to November 1918 (Part 1 of 4)". Naval-History.net. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  9. "Harwich Force". Supplement to the Navy List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officers' Commands &c.: 13. January 1919. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  10. "862 Taurus". The Navy List: 871. April 1920. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  11. Colledge & Warlow 2006, p. 398.
  12. Dittmar & Colledge 1972, p. 71.

Bibliography
  • Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006). Ships of the Royal Navy: a complete record of all fighting ships of the Royal Navy from the 15th century to the present. London: Chatham. ISBN 978-1-85367-566-9.
  • Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 978-0-71100-380-4.
  • Friedman, Norman (2009). British Destroyers: From Earliest Days to the First World War. Barnsley: 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 978-0-85177-245-5.
  • Manning, Thomas Davys & Walker, Charles Frederick (1959). British Warship Names. London: Putnam.
  • Moore, John Evelyn (1990). Jane's Fighting Ships of World War I. London: Random House Group. ISBN 978-1-85170-378-4.
  • Parkes, Oscar; Prendegast, Maurice (1919). Jane’s Fighting Ships. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd.
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