HMS Cockatrice (1912)

HMS Cockatrice was an Acasta-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy.[1] She was built by Hawthorn Leslie and Company, launching in 1912 and served throughout the First World War. She was sold for scrap in 1921.

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Cockatrice.

HMS Cockatrice
History
United Kingdom
Name: HMS Cockatrice
Builder: Hawthorn Leslie and Company, Newcastle upon Tyne
Laid down: 23 October 1911
Launched: 8 November 1912
Completed: March 1913
Fate: Sold for scrap May 1921
General characteristics
Class and type: Acasta-class destroyer
Displacement: 935 tons
Length: 267 ft 6 in (81.5 m)
Beam: 27 ft 0 in (8.2 m)
Draught: 10 ft 6 in (3.2 m)
Propulsion:
Speed: 29 knots (54 km/h; 33 mph)
Complement: 74
Armament:

Construction

Cockatrice was one of three Acasta-class destroyers ordered from the Newcastle upon Tyne shipbuilder Hawthorn Leslie and Company as part of the 1911–1912 shipbuilding programme for the Royal Navy. In all, 20 Acasta-class ships were ordered as part of this programme, of which 12, including Cockatrice, were to the standard Admiralty design with the other 8 ships to their builder's own designs.[2] Cockatrice was laid down on 23 October 1911 and launched on 8 November 1912.[3] In 1912, as part of a general reorganisation of the Royal Navy's destroyers into alphabetical classes, the Acastas became the K class,[4] and in 1913, it was decided to switch to names beginning with the class letter, with Cockatrice being allocated the name Kingfisher, but this plan was abandoned for the class and Cockatrice completed under her original name in March 1913.[5][6]

Cockatrice was 260 feet 0 inches (79.2 m) long between perpendiculars and 267 feet 6 inches (81.5 m) overall, with a beam of 27 feet 0 inches (8.2 m) and a draught of 10 feet 5 inches (3.2 m). Displacement was 892 long tons (906 t) normal[lower-alpha 1] and 1,072 long tons (1,089 t) deep load.[8] Four Yarrow boilers fed steam to direct drive Parsons steam turbines rated at 24,500 shaft horsepower (18,300 kW) and driving two shafts. This gave a speed of 29 knots (54 km/h; 33 mph). The ships had a crew of 73 officers and ratings.[5]

The ship's main gun armament consisted of three 4-inch (102 mm) BL Mk VIII guns,[lower-alpha 2] with 120 rounds of ammunition carried per gun.[5][8] Two 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes were fitted, while two reload torpedoes could be carried.[8][10] By January 1916, Cockatrice was recorded as being fitted with minesweeping gear.[11] In 1916, one of Cockatrice's 4-inch guns was converted to a high-angle mount, allowing it to be used for anti-aircraft fire, but in 1918, this gun, together with both torpedo tubes, was removed to allow a heavy depth charge armament.[12]

Service

Cockatrice joined her sister ships in the 4th Destroyer Flotilla of the Home Fleet based at Portsmouth.[13][14] With the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, the 4th Flotilla, including Cockatrice, joined the newly established Grand Fleet, based at Scapa Flow in the Orkneys.[14][15][16] Cockatrice was damaged during a severe storm in December 1914.[17]

Cockatrice remained part of the 4th Flotilla in May 1916,[18] but was absent from the Battle of Jutland, when most of the 4th Flotilla took part, as she was undergoing refit.[19][20] The 4th Flotilla, including Cockatrice, left the Grand Fleet and moved to the Humber in July 1916,[21][22][23] with the role of protecting British minesweepers and deterring German minelayers off the east coast of England.[24] By December that year, Cockatrice had relocated again as the 4th Flotilla transferred to Portsmouth to carry out anti-submarine operations in the English Channel,[23][25][26][27] while by March 1917, the 4th Flotilla had moved to Devonport.[23][28] On 13 and 14 May 1918, Cockatrice, on patrol with sister ships Christopher and Ambuscade, attacked possible submarine contacts with depth charges with no apparent results.[29][30] Cockatrice was still part of the 4th Destroyer Flotilla in August 1918,[31] but by the end of the war had joined the Northern Patrol Force based at Dundee.[32][33]

Disposal

Cockatrice was sold for scrap to the ship breakers Thos W Ward of Hayle on 9 May 1921.[34]

Pennant numbers
Pennant number[35]FromTo
H736 December 1914  1 January 1918
H261 January 1918Early 1919
G57Early 19196 May 1921

Notes
  1. The Navy list for October 1913 notes Cockatrice's displacement as 935 tons.[7]
  2. Later ships in the class were armed with faster firing QF (quick-firing) guns with cased ammunition instead of the BL (breech-loading) guns which used bagged charges.[9]

Citations
  1. "THE ROYAL NAVY IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR". iwm.org.uk. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  2. Friedman 2009, pp. 126–127
  3. Friedman 2009, p. 207
  4. Gardiner & Gray 1985, p. 18
  5. Gardiner & Gray 1985, p. 75
  6. Friedman 2009, pp. 306–307
  7. "113a: Cockatrice. (Ch.) Torpedo Boat Destroyer". The Navy List. October 1913. p. 294.
  8. Friedman 2009, p. 295
  9. Friedman 2009, p. 126
  10. Friedman 2009, p. 124
  11. "Ships of the Royal Navy - Location/Action Date, 1914–1918: Part 2 - Admiralty "Pink Lists" - 1 January 1916". Naval-History.net. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  12. Friedman 2009, pp. 124, 147, 152
  13. "Fleets and Squadrons in Commission at Home and Abroad: Flotillas of the First Fleet". The Navy List. April 1913. p. 269a.
  14. Manning 1961, p. 25
  15. Jellicoe 1919, pp. 7–9
  16. Corbett 1920, pp. 25–26
  17. Jellicoe 1919, p. 174
  18. "Supplement to the Monthly Navy List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officers' Commands, &c.: Destroyer Flotillas of the Grand Fleet". The Navy List. May 1916. p. 12.
  19. Manning 1961, p. 62
  20. Corbett 1923, pp. 394–395
  21. "Supplement to the Monthly Navy List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officers' Commands &c.: I. — The Grand Fleet: Destroyer Flotillas of the Grand Fleet". The Navy List. July 1916. p. 12.
  22. "Supplement to the Monthly Navy List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officers' Commands &c.: III.—Humber Force". The Navy List. August 1916. p. 13.
  23. Manning 1961, p. 26
  24. Newbolt 1928, pp. 24–25
  25. Newbolt 1928, pp. 66–67
  26. "Supplement to the Monthly Navy List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officers' Commands &c.: III.—Humber Force: Fourth Destroyer Flotilla". The Navy List. November 1916. p. 13.
  27. "Supplement to the Monthly Navy List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officers' Commands &c.: VIII.—Local Defence Flotillas". The Navy List. December 1916. p. 17.
  28. "Supplement to the Monthly Navy List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officers' Commands &c.: IV.—Miscellaneous Ships in Home Waters or on Detached Service". The Navy List. March 1917. p. 14.
  29. From the Royal Navy log book for HMS Christopher, 13 May 1918. Transcribed by the Old Weather[?] project.
  30. From the Royal Navy log book for HMS Christopher, 14 May 1918. Transcribed by the Old Weather[?] project.
  31. "Supplement to the Navy List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officers' Commands &c.: VIII.—Local Defence and Escort Flotillas". The Navy List. August 1918. p. 17.
  32. "Ships of the Royal Navy - Location/Action Date, 1914–1918: Part 2 - Admiralty "Pink Lists", 11 November 1918". Naval-History.net. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  33. "Supplement to the Navy List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officers' Commands &c.: X.–Northern Patrol Force". The Navy List. December 1918. p. 19.
  34. Dittmar & Colledge 1972, p. 63
  35. ""Arrowsmith" List: Royal Navy WWI Destroyer Pendant Numbers". The War at Sea. The World War I Document Archive. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
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References
  • Corbett, Julian S. (1920). Naval Operations Vol. I: To the Battle of the Falklands. History of the Great War. London: Longmans, Green and Co. OCLC 781220400.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Corbett, Julian S. (1923). Naval Operations Vol. III. History of the Great War. London: Longmans, Green and Co. OCLC 847306329.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. Shepperton, UK: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0380-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Friedman, Norman (2009). British Destroyers: From Earliest Days to the Second World War. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-049-9.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Jellicoe, John (1919). The Grand Fleet 1914–16: Its Creation, Development and Work. London: Cassell and Company Ltd. OCLC 853069377.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Manning, T. D. (1961). The British Destroyer. London: Putnam. OCLC 6470051.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Newbolt, Henry (1928). Naval Operations Vol. IV. History of the Great War. London: Longmans Green. OCLC 220475138.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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