HMS Rother (1904)
HMS Rother was a Palmer type River-class destroyer ordered by the Royal Navy under the 1902 – 1903 Naval Estimates. Named after the River Rother a river east of Sheffield, South Yorkshire in England, she was the first ship to carry this name in the Royal Navy.
| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name: | Rother |
| Ordered: | 1902 – 1903 Naval Estimates |
| Builder: | Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company, Jarrow |
| Laid down: | 23 March 1903 |
| Launched: | 5 January 1904 |
| Commissioned: | May 1905 |
| Out of service: | In 1919 she was laid up in reserve awaiting disposal |
| Fate: | 23 July 1919 sold to Thos W Ward of Sheffield for breaking at Briton Ferry, Glamorgan in Wales |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Palmer Type River Class destroyer[1][2] |
| Displacement: |
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| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 25.5 kn (47.2 km/h) |
| Range: |
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| Complement: | 70 officers and men |
| Armament: |
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| Service record | |
| Part of: |
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| Operations: | World War I 1914 - 1918 |
Construction
She was laid down on 23 March 1903 at the Palmer’s shipyard at Jarrow and launched on 5 January 1904. She was completed in May 1905. 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 forecastle 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 the cruiser Attentive rammed and sank the destroyer Gala then damaged the destroyer Ribble.
In January 1909 Rother completed a refit at Sheerness before rejoining the Eastern Flotilla at Harwich.[3] In April 1909 she was assigned to the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla on its formation at Harwich. On 2 November 1909 the destroyer Crusader collided with Rother near the Longsand lightvessel. Rother was repaired at Harwich by the depot ship Blenheim.[4] She remained part of the Flotilla until displaced by a Basilisk Class destroyer by May 1912.
Rother had her boilers retubed at Pembroke Dockyard in 1912, joining the 5th Destroyer Flotilla on completion of the refit.[5] She was assigned to the 5th Destroyer Flotilla of the 2nd Fleet with a nucleus crew.
On 30 August 1912 the Admiralty directed all destroyers were to be grouped into classes designated by letters, with the River-class becoming known officially as the E-Class.[6] The class letters were painted on the hull below the bridge area and on one of the funnels.[7]
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[8] The 9th Flotilla was a Patrol Flotilla tasked with anti-submarine and countermining patrols in the Firth of Forth area. Soon after the commencement of hostilities she was deployed to the Dover Patrol at Portsmouth. Her duties here included counter mining patrols and antisubmarine measures. She was also employed as an escort for merchant shipping.
With the amalgamation of the 7th and 9th Flotillas in August 1915, she was assigned to the 1st Destroyer Flotilla when it was redeployed to Portsmouth in November 1916. She was equipped with depth charges for employment in anti-submarine patrols, escorting of merchant ships and defending the Dover Barrage. In the spring of 1917 as the convoy system was being introduced the 1st Flotilla was employed in convoy escort duties for the English Channel for the remainder of the war.
Disposition
In 1919 she was paid off and laid up in reserve awaiting disposal. On 23 July 1919 she was sold to Thos W Ward of Sheffield for breaking at Briton Ferry, Glamorgan in Wales.
She was not awarded a Battle Honour for her service.
Pennant Numbers
| Pennant Number[9] | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| N32 | 6 Dec 1914 | 1 Sep 1915 |
| D29 | 1 Sep 1915 | 1 Jan 1918 |
| D73 | 1 Jan 1918 | 23 Jun 1919 |
References
- Jane 1905, p. 76.
- Moore 1990, p. 76.
- "Naval Matters—Past and Prospective: Sheerness Dockyard". The Marine Engineer and Naval Architect. Vol. 31. February 1909. p. 259.
- "Naval Matters—Past and Prospective: Sheerness Dockyard". The Marine Engineer and Naval Architect. Vol. 32. December 1909. p. 174.
- "Naval Matters—Part and Prospective: Pembroke Dockyard". The Marine Engineer and Naval Architect. Vol. 35. August 1912. pp. 18–19.
- Gardiner and Gray 1985, p. 18.
- Manning 1961, plate 43, following p.48.
- "Naval Database".
- ""Arrowsmith" List – Part 1 Destroyer Prototypes through "River" Class". Retrieved 1 Jun 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.
- Jane, Fred T. (1969) [First published by Sampson Low Marston: London 1905]. Jane's Fighting Ships 1905/6. New York: ARCO Publishing Company.
- 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.
- Moore, John E. (1990). Jane's Fighting Ships of World War I. Studio Editions. p. 76. ISBN 1 85170 378 0.