Sunfish-class destroyer

Three Sunfish-class destroyers served with the Royal Navy. HMS Sunfish (1895), HMS Opossum (1895) and HMS Ranger (1895) were all built by the Hebburn-on-Tyne shipyard of Hawthorn Leslie. Ordered under the 1893-94 Programme, the contract was placed on 7 February 1894. All three "turtle-back" destroyers were laid down in 1894, launched in 1895 and completed in 1896. Powered by 8 Yarrow boilers, this was the same 8 boiler configuration originally used on HMS Hornet (1893). The ships produced 4,000 H.P. and could make 27 knots. They were armed with one twelve pounder gun and two torpedo tubes and carried a complement of 53 officers and men.

In 1912 all three, like the other surviving 27-knotter destroyers, were re-classed as "A" Class destroyers. They served in Home waters throughout World War One, and all three were sold for breaking up in 1920.

They were also sometimes referred to as Opossum-class destroyers.