HMS Mallard (1896)

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

HMS Mallard was a two funnel, 30-knot destroyer ordered by the Royal Navy under the 1894 – 1895 Naval Estimates. She served in Home waters both before and during the First World War, and was sold for breaking in 1920.

Fame, sister-ship to Mallard
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Mallard
Ordered	30 May 1895^[1]
Builder	John I Thornycroft, Chiswick
Cost	£54,715^[1]
Yard number	308
Laid down	13 September 1895
Launched	19 November 1896
Commissioned	October 1897
Out of service	Laid up in reserve 1919
Fate	Sold for breaking, 10 February 1920
General characteristics ^[1]
Class and type	Two funnel, 30 knot destroyer
Displacement	272 long tons (276 t) standard 352 long tons (358 t) full load
Length	210 ft (64 m) o/a
Beam	19 ft 6 in (5.94 m)
Draught	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Installed power	5,700 shp (4,300 kW)
Propulsion	3 × water tube boilers 2 × vertical triple-expansion steam engines 2 shafts
Speed	30 kn (56 km/h)
Range	80 tons coal 1,310 nmi (2,430 km) at 11 kn (20 km/h)
Complement	65 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 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 as yard number 308 on 15 September 1895 at the John I. Thornycroft & Company shipyard at Chiswick on the River Thames. She was launched on 19 November 1896. During her builder's trials her maximum average speed was 30.1 knots. She had her armament fitted at Portsmouth, was completed and was accepted by the Royal Navy in October 1897.^[1]

Pre-War

After commissioning she was assigned to the Chatham Division of the Harwich Flotilla.

Lieutenant Guy de Lancy Ormsby Johnson was appointed in command on 11 January 1900,^[2] when she served as part of the Medway instructional flotilla.^[3] In April 1900 she was present at an accident at Brighton's West Pier, when seven sailors from HMS Desperate were drowned in bad weather as they approached the pier.^[4][5]

Lieutenant Charles Tuthill Borrett was appointed in command on 20 January 1901,^[6] and she served in Home waters and was until October 1901 attached to the Medway instructional flotilla.^[7] In early April 1902 Lieutenant George J. Todd was appointed in command,^[8] shortly before she finished a refit where she also had her hull strengthened.^[9] She was commissioned for service in the Mediterranean Fleet,^[10] and left Portsmouth for Gibraltar in late May 1902,^[11] arriving at Malta in July.^[12] She was reported to visit Greek waters (including Nauplia) in September 1902.^[13]

On the night of 22 November 1910, Mallard collided with the destroyer Stag, with both destroyers suffering damaged stems. The cruisers Aboukir and Bacchante went to the assistance of the two damaged destroyers, which were taken into Syracuse, Sicily for repair.^[14] On 30 August 1912 the Admiralty directed that all destroyer classes were to be designated by letters. Since her design speed was 30-knots and she had two funnels she was assigned to the D class; the three and four-funnel 30-knotters becoming the C and B classes.^[15] After 30 September 1913, she was known as a D-class destroyer and had the letter ‘D’ painted on the hull below the bridge area and on either the fore or aft funnel

First World War

In July 1914 she was in active commission assigned to the 8th Destroyer Flotilla based at Sheerness tendered to the destroyer depot ship Tyne.^[16] In August 1914 the 8th was redeployed to the River Tyne and employed on anti-submarine and counter-mining patrols.

In November 1917 she deployed to the Irish Sea Hunting Flotilla until the cessation of hostilities providing anti-submarine and counter-smuggling patrols.

Fate

In 1919 she was paid off and laid-up in reserve awaiting disposal. Mallard was sold on 10 February 1920 to Alloa Ship Breaking Company for breaking at Charlestown.^[17]

Pennant numbers

Pennant number^[17]	From	To
D26	6 Dec 1914	1 Sep 1915
D41	1 Sep 1915	1 Jan 1918
D55	1 Jan 1918	10 Feb 1920

References

1. Lyon (1996), p.45.
2. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36044. London. 20 January 1900. p. 12.
3. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36072. London. 22 February 1900. p. 10.
4. "Disaster to Bluejackets - Boat Swamped at Brighton - Seven Seamen Drowned". News of the World. 15 April 1900.
5. . Index of 19th Century Naval Vessels and a few of their movements. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
6. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36348. London. 10 January 1901. p. 8.
7. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36581. London. 9 October 1901. p. 8.
8. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36715. London. 14 March 1902. p. 9.
9. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36712. London. 11 March 1902. p. 11.
10. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36731. London. 2 April 1902. p. 8.
11. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36783. London. 2 June 1902. p. 9.
12. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36818. London. 12 July 1902. p. 9.
13. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36893. London. 8 October 1902. p. 4.
14. "Destroyers in Collision". The Times. No. 39228. 24 November 1910. p. 8.
15. Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Conway Maritime Press. 1985. p. 17. ISBN 0 85177 245 5.
16. . Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
17. ""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 1-84067-364-8.
• 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.