H.M.S. Fearless (1912)

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H.M.S. Fearless (1912)
Pendant Number: 46 (1914)
64 (Jan 1918)
27 (Apr 1918)[1]
Builder: Pembroke Royal Dockyard[2]
Ordered: 1911 Programme[3]
Laid down: 15 Nov, 1911[4]
Launched: 1912[5]
Commissioned: Oct, 1913[6]
Sold: 8 Nov, 1921[7]
Fate: Broken up

H.M.S. Fearless was a scout cruiser in the Royal Navy completed in 1913. Modern sources often treat her as a member of a three-vessel Active class, but we treat her as contemporary documents do, as one of seven ships of the Boadicea class.

Service

In July, 1914, she was the flotilla cruiser of First Destroyer Flotilla.[8]

On 24 November, 1914, Fearless was replaced by Galatea as leader of the First Destroyer Flotilla and went over to lead the Second Destroyer Flotilla, as that formation's leader was undergoing refit.[9]

The loan to 2 D.F. proved short-lived, as Fearless returned to the 1 D.F. as soon as January, 1915.[10]

Fearless was involved in a collision with the destroyer Hydra on 11 September, 1915.[11]

Battle of Jutland

Fearless led the nine Acheron class destroyers of the First Destroyer Flotilla, as she had done since the start of the war, being attached to the Battle Cruiser Force at the Battle of Jutland.[12][13] The Flotilla screened the Fifth Battle Squadron during the battle.

Fearless proved a poor candidate for such work, as she was utterly unable to keep up with her destroyers once the fight got going. She eventually took her leave of the flotilla and milled about on the disengaged side.[14]

Submarine Flotilla Work

In January, 1917, Fearless was placed in service as the flotilla cruiser for the newly established Twelfth Submarine Flotilla, a formation that would attempt to screen the Grand Fleet with ill-fated "K" class submarines. The formation would grow in size to as many as eight of these steam powered submarines, and two would be lost to collision during the war. The suitability of the scout cruiser to this role seems strong enough, as she persists in the post through the end of the war and even through a fleet reorganization in March, 1919.[15]

Fire Control Instruments

The ship may have been equipped with Vickers F.T.P. Mark III equipment for sending range and deflection to the guns, as was her sister, Active.[16]

Torpedoes

Her torpedo tubes, along with those in the "R" class destroyers may have been among the first A.W. tubes built with screw plugs to permit the alteration of range and depth and perhaps gyro angle to be adjusted, the stop and charging valve to be access, and the collision head to be filled while the torpedo was in the tube.[17][18]

Captains

Dates of appointment are provided when known.

See Also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 45.
  2. ↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. p. 53.
  3. ↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. p. 53.
  4. ↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. p. 53.
  5. ↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. p. 53.
  6. ↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. p. 53.
  7. ↑ Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 45.
  8. ↑ Admiralty Weekly Order No. 109 of 10 July, 1914.
  9. ↑ Grand Fleet Conferences, 1914. pp218-219.
  10. ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (January, 1915). p. 11.
  11. ↑ Buchanan Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/46/4. f. 4.
  12. ↑ March. British Destroyers. p. 123.
  13. ↑ Grand Fleet Conferences, 1914. p. 104.
  14. ↑ Battle of Jutland Official Despatches. pp. 242-3.
  15. ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (January, 1917). p. 12 and Supplements through March, 1919.
  16. ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1910. p. 148.
  17. ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1911. p. 48.
  18. ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1912. p. 36.
  19. ↑ Cobbe Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/273. f. 300.
  20. ↑ The Navy List. (January, 1914). p. 314.
  21. ↑ Cobbe Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/273. f. 300.
  22. ↑ Blunt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 109.
  23. ↑ Blunt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 109.
  24. ↑ Roper Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/44/151. f. 169.
  25. ↑ The Navy List. (October, 1915). p. 394d.
  26. ↑ Roper Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/44/151. f. 169.
  27. ↑ Battle of Jutland Official Despatches. p. 46.
  28. ↑ Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  29. ↑ The Navy List. (February, 1919). p. 793.
  30. ↑ Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  31. ↑ Leir Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/21. f. 424.
  32. ↑ Leir Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/21. f. 424.

Bibliography


Boadicea Class Scout Cruiser
Boadicea Group
  Boadicea Bellona  
Blonde Group
  Blonde Blanche  
Active Group
  Active Amphion Fearless  
<– Sentinel Class Minor Cruisers (UK) Bristol Class –>


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