H.M. T.B. 12 (1878)
| H.M. T.B. 12 (1880) | |
|---|---|
| Builder: | John I. Thornycroft & Company[1] |
| Ordered: | 3 October, 1877[2] |
| Launched: | 1880[3] |
| Commissioned: | 1880[4] |
| Broken up: | 1904[5] |
H.M. T.B. 12 was one of 19 first-class torpedo boats of the T.B. 1 class.
Service
In 1881, there were twenty first-class torpedo boats in all, and T.B. 12 was equipped with an outrigger torpedo (a spar torpedo, that is, rather than an automotive one) and one of eleven boats serving out of Portsmouth. She was the only boat with an outrigger torpedo.[6] Two tests of 37-pound charges held at different distances from the boat produced little effect on the boat, but caused vibrations that provoked enough local alarm to merit mention in the newspaper.[7]
The steel outrigger spar extended 37 feet, 10 inches from centre of charge to heel (25 feet, two inches to stem of boat) and weighed about 950 pounds. It held the charge 10 feet, 3 inches below the water surface. A "spring stop" of unknown function was installed 15 inches from the heel. A winch below the deck was used to lower the charge or raise it to a horizontal position, requiring three men about one minute for either operation. Test firings shows that the spar survived with surprisingly little damage, but could not be re-used. Further tests were conducted by replacing the last 12 feet by an iron bar with an additional 13.75-in up-kink weighing 320 pounds. This sped up the time of deployment to 20 seconds and could be executed at any speed, but the spar was nonetheless still made unusable after a single charge.[8]
During the crisis following the Panjdeh Incident in 1885, T.B. 12 was put into commission as part of Admiral Phipps Hornby's Particular Service Squadron on 28 April, and was later involved in the year's Annual Manoeuvres at Berehaven.[9]
Commissioned as tender to Valorous in May 1886 for flotilla manoeuvres.[10][11]
Towards the end of 1888 she was transferred Portsmouth to Chatham. Her place at Portsmouth was taken by T.B. 75, which arrived on the morning of 11 January, 1889.[12]
She was stationed in Chatham in 1895, one of two torpedo boats of less than 125 feet, along with eight of greater length.[13]
T.B. 12 was sold, probably for scrapping, in 1904.[14]
Captains
Dates of appointment are provided when known.
- Lieutenant Henry Leah, 16 June, 1884[15] – 26 July, 1884[16] (for Annual Manoeuvres of 1884)
- Lieutenant & Commander Henry Savile, 28 April, 1885[17] – 31 July, 1885
- Lieutenant & Commander William H. F. Taylor, 25 May, 1886[18][19] – 28 August, 1886
- Boatswain in Command William L. Hackney, 18 July, 1889[20] – 7 September, 1889 (for Annual Manoeuvres of 1889)
See Also
Footnotes
- ↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. p. 101.
- ↑ Lyon; Winfield. The Steam & Sail List. p. 309.
- ↑ Lyon; Winfield. The Steam & Sail List. p. 309.
- ↑ Lyon; Winfield. The Steam & Sail List. p. 309.
- ↑ Lyon; Winfield. The Steam & Sail List. p. 309.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1881. pp. 35-6.
- ↑ "Naval & Military Intelligence." The Times (London, England), Friday, Apr 15, 1881; pg. 4; Issue 30169.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1881. pp. 103-5.
- ↑ The Navy List. (June, 1885). p. 214.
- ↑ The Navy List. (July, 1886). p. 245.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence". The Times. Thursday, 27 May, 1886. Issue 31770, col D, p. 7.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence". The Times. Saturday, 12 January, 1889 Issue 32594, col D, p. 10.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1895. p. 62.
- ↑ Lyon; Winfield. The Steam & Sail List. p. 309.
- ↑ Leah Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/39/29
- ↑ Leah Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/18/91
- ↑ The Navy List. (June, 1885). p. 214.
- ↑ "Naval & Military Intelligence." The Times (London, England), Tuesday, May 25, 1886; pg. 10; Issue 31768.
- ↑ The Navy List. (July, 1886). p. 245.
- ↑ "The Naval Manœuvres". The Times. Monday, 15 July, 1889. Issue 32751, col F, p. 3.
Bibliography
- Chesneau, Robert; Kolesnik, Eugene (editors) (1979). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. London: Conway Maritime Press. (on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk).
- Lyon, David; Winfield, Rif (2004). The Sail & Steam Navy List: All the Ships of the Royal Navy, 1815-1889. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1861760329. (on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk).
| T.B. 1 Class First-class Torpedo Boat | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Thornycroft Repeat Lightnings | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T.B. 2 | T.B. 3 | T.B. 4 | T.B. 5 | T.B. 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T.B. 7 | T.B. 8 | T.B. 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T.B. 10 | T.B. 11 | T.B. 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| T.B. 13 | T.B. 14 | T.B. 15 | T.B. 17 | T.B. 18 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T.B. 19 | T.B. 20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Torpedo Boats (UK) | H.M. T.B. 63 | –> | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First-class Torpedo Boats (UK) | T.B. 39 Class | –> | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
