HMS Ursa (1917)

HMS Ursa was a modified Admiralty R-class destroyer which served with the Royal Navy. The vessel served with the Grand Fleet during World War I. The destroyer took part in the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight while being commanded by Commander John Tovey, who later became Admiral of the Fleet and led the successful action against the battleship Bismark.

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

Sister ship HMS Undine
History
United Kingdom
Name:	HMS Ursa
Namesake:	Ursa, the Lain name for bear
Ordered:	March 1916
Builder:	Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company, Jarrow
Launched:	23 July 1917
Commissioned:	16 October 1917
Decommissioned:	13 July 1926
Fate:	Broken up
General characteristics
Class and type:	Modified Admiralty R-class destroyer
Displacement:	1,085 long tons (1,102 t)
Length:	276 ft (84.1 m)
Beam:	27 ft (8.2 m)
Draught:	11 ft (3.4 m)
Propulsion:	3 Yarrow boilers 2 geared Parsons steam turbines, 27,000 shp (20,000 kW)
Speed:	36 knots (41.4 mph; 66.7 km/h)
Range:	3,450 nmi (6,390 km) at 15 kn (28 km/h)
Complement:	82
Armament:	3 × QF 4-inch (101.6 mm) Mark IV guns, mounting P Mk. IX 1 × single 2-pounder (40-mm) "pom-pom" Mk. II anti-aircraft gun 4 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes (2×2)

Design

Ursa was 276 feet (84.12 m) long overall, with a beam of 27 feet (8.2 m) and a draught of 11 feet (3.35 m).[1] Displacement was 1,085 long tons (1,102 t).[2] Power was provided by three Yarrow boilers feeding two Parsons geared steam turbines rated at 27,000 shaft horsepower (20,000 kW) and driving two shafts, to give a design speed of 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph).[1] Two funnels were fitted, two boilers exhausting the fore funnel. 296 long tons (301 t) of oil were carried, giving a design range of 3,450 nautical miles (6,390 km; 3,970 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).[3]

Armament consisted of three QF 4in Mk IV guns on the ship's centreline, with one on the forecastle, one aft on a raised platform and one between the funnels. They could elevate to 30°.[2] A single 2-pounder (40 mm) pom-pom anti-aircraft gun was carried, while torpedo armament consisted of two twin mounts for 21 in (533 mm) torpedoes.[1] Fire control included a single Dumaresq and a Vickers range clock.[4] The ship had a complement of 82 officers and men.[2]

Service

Ursa was one of ten R-class destroyers ordered by the British Admiralty in March 1916 as part of the Eighth War Construction Programme and was launched in July 1917.[3]

On commissioning, Ursa joined the Thirteenth Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet,[5] On 28 September 1917, Commander John Tovey took over command of the vessel, a position that he held until 2 April 1918.[6]

On 17 November 1917, Ursa took part in the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight in support of the 1st Cruiser Squadron, led by Vice-Admiral Trevylyan Napier in Courageous.[7] Leading a destroyer force that included sisterships Urchin and Umpire, as well as Nerissa, the destroyer was one of the first to launch torpedoes at the German ships in the action.[8] It was while commanding Ursa that Tovey was awarded the Croix de Guerre "for distinguished services rendered during the war".[9] At the end of World War I, the destroyer was still part of the Thirteenth Destroyer Flotilla under the cruiser Champion.[10]

When the Grand Fleet was disbanded, Ursa was transferred to the Home Fleet, under the Flag of King George V,[11] remaining with the battleship on reserve at Portsmouth from 13 December 1919.[12] The ship was sold for scrap to J. Smith on 13 July 1928 and broken up.[13]

Pennant numbers

Pennant Number	Date
F10	1918[14]

References

1. Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. p. 81. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
2. Parkes, Oscar; Prendegast, Maurice (1918). Jane’s Fighting Ships. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd. p. 107.
3. Friedman, Norman (2009). British Destroyers: From Earliest Days to the First World War. Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing. p. 310. ISBN 978-1-84832-049-9.
4. "Fire Control in H.M. Ships". The Technical History and Index: Alteration in Armaments of H.M. Ships during the War. 3 (23): 31. 1919.
5. "Destroyer Flotillas of the Grand Fleet". Supplement to The Monthly Navy List: 12. October 1917. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
6. ADM 196/49/257 Tovey, John Cronyn Date of Birth: 07 March 1885, 1942
7. ADM 137/584 Heligoland Bight Operation, 17 November 1917, Reports, 1917, retrieved 1 July 2018
8. ADM 137/293 Gunnery and Torpedo Orders, 1917, 1917
9. "Tovey, Lord of Langton Matravers, John Cronyn". Traces of War. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
10. "Destroyer Flotillas of the Grand Fleet". Supplement to The Monthly Navy List: 12. January 1919. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
11. "II. Home Fleet". Supplement to The Monthly Navy List: 703. October 1919. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
12. "IV. Vessels Under the V.A.C. Reserve Fleet". The Navy List: 707–708, 879. April 1920. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
13. Colleridge, J.J. (1987). Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of All Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. p. 577. ISBN 978-1-93514-907-1.
14. Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 70. ISBN 0-7110-0380-7.

Bibliography

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.