View source for H.M.S. Forth (1886)

<div name=fredbot:career>{{ShipCareer|fullname=H.M.S. ''Forth'' (1886)|comm=1889{{Conways1860|p. 75}}
|order=
|name=Forth
|launch=23 Oct, 1886{{Conways1860|p. 75}}
|builder=[[Pembroke Royal Dockyard]]{{Conways1860|p. 75}}
|laid=1 Dec, 1884{{Conways1860|p. 75}}
|pend=
|fg=white|bg=crimson}}</div name=fredbot:career>
'''H.M.S. ''Forth''''' completed as one of four second class protected cruisers of the [[Mersey Class Cruiser (1885)|''Mersey'' class]] in 1889, but served in the Great War as a submarine depot ship.

==Service==

The ship participated in the [[Annual Manoeuvres of 1892]] as part of the Blue Squadron.  She found, in the exercises, that she had to make excellent time to pursue Red ships and bring them to action, and this hurry provoked an accident when unusual currents caused her to go astray.

A Court Martial concluded on 2 September 1892 to resolve a charge that Captain [[Edward Grey Hulton|Hulton]] and Lieutenant [[Henry Bruce Wroughton|Wroughton]] had by negligence or by default hazarded the ship.  Hulton stressed in his defence that he had had no tidal charts in his possession in the event, and Wroughton claimed to have been weakened by internal haemorrhoids to such an extent that he had recently handed his duties to Lt. [[George John Scott Warrender, Seventh Baronet|George Warrender]] for 48 hours.{{NMI|Saturday, Sep 03, 1892; pg. 7; Issue 33734}}

She was commissioned on 8 July 1896 in order to participate in the [[Annual Manoeuvres of 1896]] under the command of Captain [[Edward Henry Bayly]].{{NMI|Friday, Jun 26, 1896; pg. 7; Issue 34927}}{{NMI|Thursday, Jul 09, 1896; pg. 11; Issue 34938}}{{NMI|Friday, Jul 10, 1896; pg. 8; Issue 34939}}

The ship paid off on 18 August 1896 following the exercises.  It may have been in reserve for quite some time from here.

She completed conversion to a sea-going submarine depot ship in August 1904.{{DittColl|p. 293}}

In July 1914, she was attached to the {{UK-SF|3}} for the Test Mobilisation.{{AWO1914|109 of 10 July, 1914}}  In January, 1915, she transferred to the {{UK-SF|10}}.  She remained there until August 1916 when she went to help the {{UK-SF|8}}, but she remained there only about one month.  In September, she was with the {{UK-SF|9}} where she would remain through the end of the war.

==Captains==
Dates of appointment are provided when known.
<div name=fredbot:officeCapt otitle="Captain of H.M.S. ''Forth''">
{{Tenure|rank={{CaptRN}}|name=Swinton Colthurst Holland|nick=Swinton C. Holland|appt=18 July, 1889{{ToL|The Naval Manœuvres|Monday, 15 July, 1889.  Issue '''32751''', col F, p. 3}}|end=6 September, 1889|note=for [[Annual Manoeuvres of 1889]]}}
{{Tenure|rank={{CaptRN}}|name=John Hugh Bainbridge|nick=John H. Bainbridge|appt=22 July, 1890{{ToL|Naval Intelligence|Saturday, Jul 19, 1890; pg. 12; Issue 33068}}|end=23 August, 1890{{INF}}|note=during the [[Annual Manoeuvres of 1890]]}}
{{Tenure|rank={{CaptRN}}|name=John Hugh Bainbridge|nick=John H. Bainbridge|appt=8 July, 1891|end=20 August, 1891|note=during the [[Annual Manoeuvres of 1891]] - may not have ceased last appointment}}
{{Tenure|rank={{CaptRN}}|name=Edward Grey Hulton|nick=Edward G. Hulton|appt=21 July, 1892{{NMI|Thursday, Jun 23, 1892; pg. 7; Issue 33672}}|note=for [[Annual Manoeuvres of 1892]]}}
{{Tenure|rank={{CaptRN}}|name=Charles Philip Giffin Hicks|nick=Charles P. G. Hicks|appt=11 July, 1893{{NMI|Monday, Jul 10, 1893; pg. 10; Issue 33999}}|end=25 August, 1893<ref>Hicks Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/36/1771.|}}  f. 625.</ref>|note=for [[Annual Manoeuvres of 1893]]}}
{{Tenure|rank=Captain|name=Edward Henry Bayly|nick=Edward H. Bayly|appt=8 July, 1896{{NMI|Thursday, Jul 09, 1896; pg. 11; Issue 34938}}|end=19 August, 1896|note=for the [[Annual Manoeuvres of 1896]]}}
{{Tenure|rank={{CaptRN}}|name=Edward Percy Ashe|nick=Edward P. Ashe|appt=16 July, 1901<ref>Ashe Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/38/39.|D7578769}} f. 42.</ref>|end=9 August, 1901<ref>Ashe Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/38/39.|D7578769}} f. 42.</ref>|note=for [[Annual Manoeuvres of 1901]]}}
{{Tenure|rank={{CaptRN}}|name=Edgar Lees|nick=Edgar Lees|appt=28 July, 1904<ref>Lees Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42/321.|}}  f. 376.</ref>{{NLOct04|p. 317}}|end=21 October, 1904<ref>Lees Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42/321.|}}  f. 376.</ref>}}
{{Tenure|rank={{CommRN}}|name=Robert Warren Johnson|nick=Robert W. Johnson|appt=5 January, 1905<ref>Johnson Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42/424.|D7602347}} f. 506.</ref>|end=May, 1905<ref>Johnson Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42/424.|D7602347}} f. 506.</ref>|note=and for duty with submarines}}
{{Tenure|rank={{CommRN}}|name=Sydney Stewart Hall|nick=Sydney S. Hall|appt=May, 1905{{NLNov05|p. 317}}<ref>Hall Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43.|}}  f. 258.</ref>|end=12 November, 1906<ref>Hall Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43.|}}  f. 258.</ref>}}
{{Tenure|rank={{CommRN}}|name=Maurice Swynfen FitzMaurice|nick=Maurice S. FitzMaurice|appt=May, 1906<ref>FitzMaurice Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43.|D8112203}} f. 148.</ref>|end=4 October, 1906<ref>FitzMaurice Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43.|D8112203}} f. 148.</ref>|note=lent}}
{{Tenure|rank={{CommRN}}|name=Robert Warren Johnson|nick=Robert W. Johnson|appt=12 November, 1906<ref>Johnson Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42/424.|D7602347}} f. 506.</ref>{{NLOct08|p. 318}}|end=5 January, 1909<ref>Johnson Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42/424.|D7602347}} f. 506.</ref>|note=and for duty with submarines and in command of the [[Devonport Submarine Flotilla]]}}
{{Tenure|rank={{CommRN}}|name=Albert Percy Addison|nick=Albert P. Addison|appt=5 January, 1909{{NLJul09|p. 318}}|end=1909|note=and for duty with submarines and in command of the [[Devonport Submarine Flotilla|Seagoing Flotilla]]}}
{{Tenure|rank={{CommRN}}|name=Algernon Henry Chester Candy|nick=Algernon H. C. Candy|appt=17 November, 1909<ref>Candy Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/44/279.|D7576613}} f. 279.</ref>{{NLJan10|p. 318}}|end=2 January, 1911<ref>Candy Service Record. {{TNA|ADM 196/44/279.|D7576613}} f. 279.</ref>|note=and for command of [[Devonport Submarine Flotilla|Devonport Seagoing Flotilla]]}}
{{Tenure|rank={{CommRN}}|name=Stanley Lyte Willis|nick=Stanley L. Willis|appt=2 January, 1911{{NLApr11|p. 317}}|end=12 January, 1912|note=and for command of [[Devonport Submarine Flotilla|Devonport Seagoing Flotilla]]}}
{{Tenure|rank={{CommRN}}|name=Wilfred Tomkinson|nick=Wilfred Tomkinson|appt=12 January, 1912{{NLJul14|p. 316}}<ref>Tomkinson Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/44.}} f. 375.</ref>|end=August, 1914<ref>Tomkinson Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/44.}} f. 375.</ref>}}
{{Tenure|rank={{LCommRN}}|name=Lionel Arthur Doveton Sturdee|nick=Lionel A. D. Sturdee|appt=3 August, 1914<ref>Sturdee Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/49/214.|D7604312}} f. 115.</ref>|end=30 October, 1914<ref>Sturdee Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/49/214.|D7604312}} f. 115.</ref>}}
{{Tenure|rank={{CommRN}}|name=Nicholas Edward Archdale|nick=Nicholas E. Archdale|appt=31 October, 1914{{NLNov17|p. 393''v''}}<ref>Archdale Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/90.|}} f. 187.</ref>|end=late 1917{{INF}}|note=and for duty with Submarines}}
{{Tenure|rank={{CommRN}}|name=Gilbert Hilton Kellett|nick=Gilbert H. Kellett|appt=15 November, 1917<ref>Kellett Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/49/204.|D7604302}} f. ?.</ref>{{NLFeb19|p. 795}}|end=25 February, 1919<ref>Kellett Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/49/204.|D7604302}} f. ?.</ref>|note=and for submarines}}
{{Tenure|rank={{CommRN}} ('''S''')|name=Brownlow Villiers Layard|nick=Brownlow V. Layard|appt=February, 1919<ref>Layard Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/49/212.|D7604310}} f. 114.</ref>{{NLDec19|p. 775}}|end=November, 1919<ref>Layard Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/49/212.|D7604310}} f. 114.</ref>|note=and for command of Portsmouth Submarine Flotilla}}
</div name=fredbot:officeCapt>

==See Also==
{{refbegin}}
{{WP|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Forth_(1886)}}
{{refend}}

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
<div name=fredbot:bib></div name=fredbot:bib>
{{refend}}

{{Footer Mersey Class Cruiser (1885)}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forth}}

{{CatShipSecondClassProtectedCruiser|UK}}
{{CatShipDepot|UK}}