HMS Decoy (1894)

HMS Decoy was a Daring-class torpedo boat destroyer which served with the Royal Navy in home waters. She was launched in 1895 and sunk in a collision with HMS Arun (1903) in 1903.

Construction
She was built by John I. Thornycroft & Company at Chiswick and was launched on 7 February 1894.

Although fitted with multiple torpedo tubes, her bow tube proved useless in practice as — while running at high attack speeds — the ship was prone to overtake its own torpedo. The clumsy tube also reduced living quarters and made the bridge very prone to flooding.

Service
She served as instructional tender to the Cambridge, gunnery school ship, until August 1901.

Fate
Decoy was lost in a collision with HMS Arun (1903) off the Scilly Islands on 13 August 1904 while taking part in night exercises. One man was killed while the remaining 40 members of the crew were rescued by Arun and HMS Sturgeon (1894).

Courts martial regarding the sinking were subsequently assembled aboard the battleship HMS Conqueror (1881). The first, on 22 August, attributed blame on the commander of Arun. The second, an appeal, was held on 30 August, and dismissed the charge of neglect but confirmed the charge of hazarding both vessels.