HMS Flirt (1897)

HMS Flirt was a Palmer three funnel, 30 knot destroyer ordered by the Royal Navy under the 1896 – 1897 Naval Estimates. She was the fifth ship to carry this name since it was introduced in 1782 for a 14-gun brig in service until 1795.

Construction
She was laid down on 5 September 1896 at the Palmer shipyard at Jarrow-on-Tyne and launched on 15 May 1897. During her builder’s trials she made her contracted speed requirement. She was completed and accepted by the Royal Navy in April 1899.

Pre-War
After commissioning she was assigned to the East Coast Flotilla of the 1st Fleet based at Harwich.

On 30 August 1912 the Admiralty directed all destroyer classes were to be designated by alpha characters starting with the letter 'A'. Since her design speed was 30-knots and she had three funnels she was assigned to the C class. After 30 September 1913, she was known as an C-class destroyer and had the letter ‘C’ painted on the hull below the bridge area and on either the fore or aft funnel.

World War I
For the test mobilization in July 1914 she was assigned to the 6th Destroyer Flotilla based at Dover. During her deployment there she was involved in anti-submarine, counter-mining patrols and defending the drifters of the Dover Barrage.

On 28 October 1914 under the command of Lieutenant H. S. Braddyll, she took part in operations off the Belgian Coast.

Loss
On the night of 26/27 October 1916 the German Navy raided the Dover Barrage with two and a half flotillas of torpedo boats and destroyers. Flirt under the command of Lieutenant R Kellet responded to gunfire from the drifter line. She found HMS Waveney (1903) on fire and sent a boat to assist. When unidentified ships approached she issued a challenge and was immediately fired upon by the Germans. Flirt was lost; the only survivors were those dispatched to aid Waveney.

She was awarded the battle honour "Belgian Coast 1914 – 15" for her service.