| HMS Ettrick (1903) | |
|---|---|
| Career |  |
| Name: | HMS Ettrick |
| Ordered: | 1901 – 1902 Naval Estimates |
| Builder: | Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company, Jarrow |
| Laid down: | 9 July 1902 |
| Launched: | 28 February 1903 |
| Commissioned: | February 1904 |
| Out of service: | 7 July 1917 torpedoed by UC-61, 15 miles South by West of Beachy Head in the English Channel |
| Struck: | Not repaired and hulked til war's end |
| Fate: | 27 May 1919 to the James Dredging Company for breaking |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Palmer Type River Class destroyer[1][2] |
| Displacement: |
550 t (541 long tons) standard |
| Propulsion: |
4 × Reed boiler water tube boiler |
| Speed: | 25.5 kn (47.2 km/h) |
| Range: |
140 tons coal 1,620 nmi (3,000 km) at 11 kn (20 km/h) |
| Complement: | 70 officers and men |
| Armament: |
|
| Service record | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
East Coast Destroyer Flotilla - 1905 3rd Destroyer Flotilla - Apr 1909 5th Destroyer Flotilla - 1912 Assigned E Class - Aug 1912 - Oct 1913 9th Destroyer Flotilla - 1914 1st Destroyer Flotilla - Nov 1916 |
| Operations: | World War I 1914 - 1918 |
HMS Ettrick was a Palmer Type River Class Destroyer ordered by the Royal Navy under the 1901 – 1902 Naval Estimates. Named after the Ettrick Water in the Scottish Borders area south of Edinburgh, she was the first ship to carry this name in the Royal Navy.
Construction[]
She was laid down on 9 July 1902 at the Palmers shipyard at Jarrow and launched on 28 February 1903. She was completed in February 1904. Her original armament was to be the same as the Turleback torpedo boat destroyers that preceded her. In 1906 the Admiralty decided to upgrade the armament by landing the five 6-pounder naval guns and shipping three 12-pounder 8 hundredweight (cwt) guns. Two would be mounted abeam at the foc'x'le break and the third gun would be mounted on the quarterdeck.
Pre-War[]
After commissioning she was assigned to the East Coast Destroyer Flotilla of the 1st Fleet and based at Harwich.
On 27 April 1908 the Eastern Flotilla departed Harwich for live fire and night manoeuvres. During these exercises HMS Attentive rammed and sank HMS Gala then damaged HMS Ribble.
In April 1909 she was assigned to the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla on its formation at Harwich. She remained until displaced by a Basilisk Class destroyer by May 1912. She was assigned to the 5th Destroyer Flotilla of the 2nd Fleet with a nucleus crew.
On 30 August 1912 the Admiralty directed all destroyer classes were to be designated by alpha characters starting with the letter 'A'. The ships of the River Class were assigned to the E Class. After 30 September 1913, she was known as an E Class destroyer and had the letter ‘E’ painted on the hull below the bridge area and on either the fore or aft funnel.[3]
World War I[]
In early 1914 when displaced by G Class destroyers she joined the 9th Destroyer Flotilla based at Chatham tendered to HMS St George. The 9th Flotilla was a Patrol Flotilla tasked with anti-submarine and couner mining patrols in the Firth of Forth area. By September 1914, she was deployed to Portsmouth and the Dover Patrol. Here she provided anti-submarine, counter mining patrols and defended the Dover Barrage.[4]
In August 1915 with the amalgamation of the 7th and 9th Flotillas, she was assigned to the 1st Destroyer Flotilla when it was redeployed to Portsmouth in November 1916. She was equipped with depth charges for employment in anti-submarine patrols, escorting of merchant ships and defending the Dover Barrage. In the spring of 1917 as the convoy system was being introduced the 1st Flotilla was employed in convoy escort duties for the English Channel for the remainder of the war.[5]
Loss[]
On 7 July 1917 she was torpedoed by UC-61, 15 miles South by West of Beachy Head in the English Channel with the loss of 49 officers and men. She lost her bows and was towed back to port and not repaired. She was hulked until the end of the First World War. She was sold on 27 May 1919 to the James Dredging Company for breaking.[6]
She was not awarded a Battle Honour for her service.
Pennant Numbers[]
| Pennant Number[7] | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| N01 | 6 Dec 1914 | 1 Sep 1915 |
| D18 | 1 Sep 1915 | 1 Jan 1918 |
| D32 | 1 Jan 1918 | 27 May 1919 |
References[]
- ↑ Jane, Fred T. (1905, Reprinted 1969). Jane’s Fighting Ships 1905/6. New York: first published by Sampson Low Marston, London 1905, Reprinted ARCO Publishing Company. p. 75.
- ↑ Jane, Fred T. (reprinted © 1990). Jane’s Fighting Ships of World War I. Jane’s Publishing © 1919. p. 76. ISBN 1 85170 378 0.
- ↑ Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships 1906 to 1922. Conway Maritime Press. 1985, Reprinted 1986, 1997, 2002, 2006. p. Page 17 to 19. ISBN 0 85177 245 5.
- ↑ "Naval Database". http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/18-1900/A/00352.html.
- ↑ "History of the Great War, Naval Operations, Volume III, Spring 1915 to June 1916 (Part 1 of 2), by Sir Julian S Corbett, Chapter XIII, Loss of Argyl and Natal". http://www.naval-history.net/WW1Book-RN3a.htm#13. Retrieved 1 Jun 2013.
- ↑ "U-Boat data from U-Boat.net". http://uboat.net:8080/wwi/ships_hit/2050.html.
- ↑ ""Arrowsmith" List – Part 1 Destroyer Prototypes through "River" Class". http://www.gwpda.org/naval/s0420000.htm. Retrieved 1 Jun 2013.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
The original article can be found at HMS Ettrick (1903) and the edit history here.