HMS Itchen (1903)

HMS Itchen was a Laird-type River-class destroyer ordered by the Royal Navy under the 1901–1902 Naval Estimates. Named after the River Itchen in southern England near Southampton, she was the first ship to carry this name in the Royal Navy.

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

History
United Kingdom
Name: Itchen
Ordered: 1901 – 1902 Naval Estimates
Builder: Cammell Laird, Birkenhead
Laid down: 18 August 1902
Launched: 13 March 1903
Commissioned: January 1904
Fate: 6 July 1917 was torpedoed by German submarine UC-44 70 miles NNE of Peterhead, Scotland
General characteristics
Class and type: Laird Type River Class destroyer[1][2]
Displacement:
  • 550 t (541 long tons) standard
  • 625 t (615 long tons) full load
  • 226 ft 6 in (69.04 m) o/a
  • 23 ft 9 in (7.24 m) Beam
  • 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m) Draught
Propulsion:
  • 4 × Yarrow type water tube boiler
  • 2 × Vertical Triple Expansion (VTE) steam engines driving 2 shafts producing 7,000 shp (5,200 kW) (average)
Speed: 25.5 kn (47.2 km/h)
Range:
  • 140 tons coal
  • 1,870 nmi (3,460 km) at 11 kn (20 km/h)
Complement: 70 officers and men
Armament:
  • 1 × QF 12-pounder 12 cwt Mark I, mounting P Mark I
  • 3 × QF 12-pounder 8 cwt, mounting G Mark I (Added in 1906)
  • 5 × QF 6-pounder 8 cwt (removed in 1906)
  • 2 × single tubes for 18-inch (450mm) torpedoes
Service record
Part of:
Operations: World War I 1914 - 1918

Construction

She was laid down on 18 August 1902 at the Cammell Laird shipyard at Birkenhead and launched on 13 March 1903. She was completed in January 1904. Her original armament was to be the same as the Turleback torpedo boat destroyers that preceded her. In 1906 the Admiralty decided to upgrade the armament by landing the five 6-pounder naval guns and shipping three 12-pounder 8 hundredweight (cwt) guns. Two would be mounted abeam at the fo'c's'le break and the third gun would be mounted on the quarterdeck.

Pre-War

After commissioning she was assigned to the East Coast Destroyer Flotilla of the 1st Fleet and based at Harwich.

On 27 April 1908 the Eastern Flotilla departed Harwich for live fire and night manoeuvres. During these exercises HMS Attentive rammed and sank HMS Gala then damaged HMS Ribble.

In April 1909 she was assigned to the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla of the 1st Fleet on its formation at Harwich.

Itchen ran aground North-west of Kirkwall on 20 September 1909. She was refloated two days later, and after temporary repairs at Kirkwall before undergoing more permanent repairs at Chatham Dockyard.[3] She remained until displaced by a Basilisk Class destroyer by May 1912. She went into reserve assigned to the 5th Destroyer Flotilla of the 2nd Fleet with a nucleus crew.

On 30 August 1912 the Admiralty directed all destroyer classes were to be designated by alpha characters starting with the letter "A". The ships of the River Class were assigned to the E Class. After 30 September 1913, she was known as an E Class destroyer and had the letter "E" painted on the hull below the bridge area and on either the fore or aft funnel.[4]

World War I

In early 1914 when displaced by G Class destroyers she joined the 9th Destroyer Flotilla based at Chatham tendered to HMS St George. The 9th Flotilla was a Patrol Flotilla tasked with anti-submarine and counter mining patrols in the Firth of Forth area. By September 1914, she was deployed to the Scapa Flow Local Flotilla. Here she provided anti-submarine and counter mining patrols in defence of the main fleet anchorage.[5]

Loss

On 6 July 1917 Itchen was torpedoed in the North Sea by German submarine UC-44 70 miles NNE of Peterhead, Scotland with the loss of 8 officers and men. She sank at position 58°35′N 00°45′W.[6]

She was not awarded a Battle Honour for her service.

Pennant Numbers
Pennant Number[7]FromTo
N066 Dec 19141 Sep 1915
D221 Sep 19156 Jul 1917
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References
  1. Jane, Fred T. (1969) [1905]. Jane’s Fighting Ships 1905/6. New York: first published by Sampson Low Marston, London 1905, Reprinted ARCO Publishing Company. p. 75.
  2. Jane, Fred T. (1990) [1919]. Jane’s Fighting Ships of World War I. Jane’s Publishing. p. 76. ISBN 1 85170 378 0.
  3. "Naval Matters—Past and Prospective: Chatham Dockyard". The Marine Engineer and Naval Architect. Vol. 32. November 1909. p. 128.
  4. Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships 1906 to 1922. Conway Maritime Press. 2006 [1985]. p. Page 17 to 19. ISBN 0 85177 245 5.
  5. "Naval Database".
  6. "Loss data from U-Boat.net".
  7. ""Arrowsmith" List – Part 1 Destroyer Prototypes through "River" Class". Retrieved 1 June 2013.

Bibliography
  • Chesneau, Roger & Kolesnik, Eugene M., eds. (1979). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-133-5.
  • Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
  • Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J. J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. Shepperton, UK: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0380-7.
  • Friedman, Norman (2009). British Destroyers: From Earliest Days to the Second World War. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-049-9.
  • 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.
  • Manning, T. D. (1961). The British Destroyer. London: Putnam & Co. OCLC 6470051.
  • March, Edgar J. (1966). British Destroyers: A History of Development, 1892–1953; Drawn by Admiralty Permission From Official Records & Returns, Ships' Covers & Building Plans. London: Seeley Service. OCLC 164893555.
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