HMS Whiting (1896)

HMS Whiting was a Palmer three funnel, 30 knot destroyer ordered by the Royal Navy under the 1896 – 1897 Naval Estimates. She was the fifth ship to carry this name.[3][4]

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

History
United Kingdom
Name:	Whiting
Ordered:	1895 – 1896 Naval Estimates
Builder:	Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company Jarrow-on-Tyne
Laid down:	13 April 1896
Launched:	26 August 1896
Commissioned:	June 1897
Out of service:	Laid up in reserve, 1919
Honours and awards:	China 1900
Fate:	Sold for breaking at Hong Kong, 27 November 1919
General characteristics
Class and type:	Palmer three funnel, 30 knot destroyer[1][2]
Displacement:	390 t (384 long tons) standard 420 t (413 long tons) full load
Length:	219 ft 9 in (66.98 m) o/a
Beam:	20 ft 9 in (6.32 m)
Draught:	8 ft 11 in (2.72 m)
Installed power:	6,000 shp (4,500 kW)
Propulsion:	4 × Reed water tube boilers 2 × vertical triple-expansion steam engines 2 shafts
Speed:	30 kn (56 km/h)
Range:	80 tons coal 1,490 nmi (2,760 km) at 11 kn (20 km/h)
Complement:	60 officers and men
Armament:	1 × QF 12-pounder 12 cwt Mark I L/40 naval gun on a P Mark I low angle mount 5 × QF 6-pdr 8 cwt L/40 naval gun on a Mark I* low angle mount 2 × single tubes for 18-inch (450mm) torpedoes
Service record
Operations:	World War I 1914 - 1918

Construction

She was laid down on 13 April 1896 at the Palmer shipyard at Jarrow-on-Tyne and launched on 26 August 1896. During her builder's trials she made her contracted speed requirement. She was completed and accepted by the Royal Navy in June 1897.[3][4]

Service history

Pre-War

On 26 June 1897 Whiting was present at the Royal Naval Review at Spithead in celebration of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. In 1897 she was deployed to the China Station and remained there for the rest of her service life.

On 17 June 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion in China, she and Fame were involved in operations against the Taku forts and Chinese destroyers. This resulted in the capture of four Chinese destroyers including Hai Lung (renamed HMS Taku).

Lieutenant Charles Pleydell Mansel was appointed in command in July 1902,[5] but was succeeded by Lieutenant Harry Lionel Wells already the next month, on 18 August 1902.[6] Her boilers were re-tubed and her hull and machinery were refitted in 1903.[7]

During the summer of 1911 she was at Nanking during the Revolution in China and from there she moved on to Kiu Kiang and Hankow.

On 30 August 1912 the Admiralty directed all destroyer classes were to be designated by alpha characters starting with the letter 'A'. Since her design speed was 30-knots and she had three funnels she was assigned to the C class. After 30 September 1913, she was known as a C-class destroyer and had the letter ‘C’ painted on the hull below the bridge area and on either the fore or aft funnel.[8]

World War I

In August 1914 Whiting was on the disposal list but with the commencement of hostilities she remained on China Station for the duration of the First World War.

On 5 January 1915 General Officer Commanding Hong Kong came on board Triumph to witness two night attacks made by Whiting and Otter; these were primarily designed for training of the searchlight crews of Triumph.

In 1919 she was paid off and laid-up in reserve awaiting disposal. Whiting was sold for breaking on 27 November 1919 in Hong Kong.[9]

She was awarded the Battle Honour "China 1900" for her participation in operations during the Chinese Boxer Rebellion.

References

Note: All tabular data under General Characteristics only from the listed Jane's Fighting Ships volume unless otherwise specified

1. Jane, Fred T. (1969) [1905]. Jane’s Fighting Ships 1905. New York: first published by Sampson Low Marston, London 1905, Reprinted ARCO Publishing Company. p. 77.
2. Jane, Fred T. (1990). Jane’s Fighting Ships of World War I. Jane’s Publishing © 1919. p. 77. ISBN 1 85170 378 0.
3. Jane, Fred T. (1969) [1898]. Jane’s All the World's Fighting Ships 1898. New York: first published by Sampson Low Marston, London 1898, Reprinted ARCO Publishing Company. p. 84 to 85.
4. Jane, Fred T. (1990). Jane’s Fighting Ships of World War I. Jane’s Publishing © 1919. p. 76. ISBN 1 85170 378 0.
5. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times (36824). London. 19 July 1902. p. 8.
6. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times (36851). London. 20 August 1902. p. 5.
7. The Dreadnought Project.
8. 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.
9. ""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.
• Lyon, David (2001) [1996]. The First Destroyers. London: Caxton Editions. ISBN 1-84067-3648.
• 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.