"R" Class Destroyer (1916)

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A total of 62 destroyers of the "R" Class were completed in 1916-1917 as part of the War Emergency Programme.

There was a mix of Admiralty design vessels (39) and a diverse set of builder's specials (12 ships), and a refined Admiralty design (11 ships) that is sometimes referred to as the Modified "R" Class.[1]

Performance

Machinery

Generators

In 1916, it was stated that "new destroyers" have two 26.25 kw dynamos arranged in parallel.[2] It is likely that this applied to this class.

Armament

4-in Guns

The first 51 Admiralty design ships and specials had three 4-in QF Mark IV guns on P IX mountings as in the preceding "M" class destroyers.

The eleven modified "R" class ships had three 4-in QF Mark IV guns on CP III mountings capable of 30 degree elevation, increasing extreme range by 20%.[3]

Other Guns

By 1920, some or all had one 2-pdr pom-pom for air defence.[4]

Torpedoes

Other Weapons

Fire Control

Instruments

Rangefinders

Directors

Torpedo Control

Alterations

By November 1918, those ships operating with the Twentieth Destroyer Flotillas, Telemachus, Tarpon and Venturous, were fitted to carry 44 mines. The torpedo tubes and guns removed when the mines were shipped could be placed back aboard with enough notice.[5]

See Also

Footnotes

  1. Conway's. pp. 76-77, 79-80.
  2. Annual Report of the Torpedo School', 1916', p. 120.
  3. Conway's. p. 82. indicates Mk V, but Technical History and Index, Vol 4, Part 34. pp. 12-13. spells out the CP III mounting and also that the CP II mounting is the one compatible with a Mk V gun.
  4. Technical History and Index, Vol 4, Part 34, p. 16.
  5. Admiralty. Annual Report of the Torpedo School Mining Appendix, 1917-1918, p. 11. Plate 7.

Bibliography

Template:"R" Class (1916)