HMS Retriever (1917)

HMS Retriever was an destroyer which served with the Royal Navy.

Design
Retriever was one of three destroyers ordered by the British Admiralty from Thornycroft in July 1915 as part of the Sixth War Construction Programme.

Retriever had an long overall of 274 ft, with a beam of 27 ft and a draught of 11 ft. Displacement was 1035 LT normal and 1208 LT full load. Three Yarrow boilers fed steam to two sets of Brown-Curtis geared steam turbines rated at 27000 shp and driving two shafts, giving a design speed of 36 kn. Three funnels were fitted. 296 tons of oil were carried, giving a design range of 3450 nmi at 20 kn.

Armament consisted of three QF 4in Mk IV guns on the ship's centreline, with one on the forecastle, one aft on a raised bandstand and one between the second and third funnels. A single 2-pounder (40 mm) pom-pom anti-aircraft gun was carried, along with four 21 in torpedoes in two twin rotating mounts. Fire control included a single Dumaresq and a Vickers range clock. The vessel had a complement of 82 officers and men.

Service
Retriever was laid down in January 1916 and launched on 15 January 1917. On commissioning in March 1917, the ship joined the Harwich Force, serving as part of the Tenth Destroyer Flotilla until the end of the war. Placed into reserve after the Armistice, the destroyer was sold for breaking up in July 1927.