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FIGHTING SHIPS OF THE WORLD
UNITED KINGDOM
TORPEDO SHIPS
ACASTA destroyers (20, 1912 - 1914)


Photo



Unity

Ships


Name No Yard No Builder Laid down Launched Comp Fate
Shark (Kestrel) H04   Swan Hunter, Wallsend 10.1911 30.7.1912 4.1913 sunk 31.5.1916
Christopher (Kite) H51, H25   Hawthorn Leslie, Hebburn 10.1911 29.8.1912 11.1912 BU 5.1921
Acasta (King) H59, H00   John Brown, Clydebank 11.1911 10.9.1912 11.1912 BU 5.1921
Sparrowhawk (Kingsmill) H61   Swan Hunter, Wallsend 11.1911 12.10.1912 5/1913 sunk 1.6.1916
Cockatrise (Kingfisher) H73, H26   Hawthorn Leslie, Hebburn 10.1911 8.11.1912 3/1913 BU 5.1921
Achates (Knight) H46, H01   John Brown, Clydebank 3.1912 14.11.1912 3/1913 BU 5.1921
Spitfire (Keppel) H41, H1A   Swan Hunter, Wallsend 12.1911 23.12.1912 6/1913 BU 5.1921
Contest (Kittiwake) H53, H28   Hawthorn Leslie, Hebburn 2.1912 7.1.1913 6/1913 sunk 18.9.1917
Ambuscade (Keith) H62, H05   John Brown, Clydebank 3.1912 25.1.1913 6/1913 BU 9.1921
Lynx (Koodoo) H71   London & Glasgow Co, Glasgow 1/1912 20.3.1913 12.1913 sunk 9.8.1915
Midge (Keitloa) H13, H40, H79   London & Glasgow Co, Glasgow 4/1912 22.5.1913 3.1914 BU 11.1921
Owl (Killer) H31, H93   London & Glasgow Co, Glasgow 4/1912 7.7.1913 4.1914 BU 11.1921
Hardy (Kelpie) H57, H39   Thornycroft, Woolston 11.1911 10.10.1912 9/1913 BU 5.1921 Thornycroft specials
Paragon (Katrine) H26   Thornycroft, Woolston 2/1912 21.2.1913 12.1913 sunk 18.3.1917 Thornycroft specials
Porpoise (Kennington) H27, H95   Thornycroft, Woolston 2/1912 7.7.1913 1.1914 to Brazil 3.1920 (Alexandrino Dealenca) Thornycroft specials
Unity (Kinsale) H68, H5A   Thornycroft, Woolston 4/1912 18.9.1913 3/1914 BU 10.1922 Thornycroft specials
Victor (Kingston) H36, H6A   Thornycroft, Woolston 4/1912 28.11.1913 6/1914 BU 1.1923 Thornycroft specials
Ardent (Kenric) H78   Denny, Dumbarton 10.1912 8.9.1913 2/1914 sunk 1.6.1916 Denny special
Fortune H30   Fairfield, Govan 6/1912 17.3.1913 12.1913 sunk 31.5.1916 Fairfield special
Garland (Kenwulf) H32, H36   Cammell Laird, Birkenhead 12.1912 23.4.1913 12.1913 BU 9.1921 Parsons special


Technical data


Displacement normal, t

1072

Displacement full, t

1300

Length, m

81.5

Breadth, m

8.20

Draught, m

2.90

No of shafts

2

Machinery

2 Parsons steam turbines, 4 Yarrow boilers

Garland: 2 sets Parsons semi-geared steam turbines, 4 Yarrow boilers

Acasta, Achates, Ambuscade: 2 Brown-Curtis steam turbines, 4 Yarrow boilers

Power, h. p.

24500

Max speed, kts

29

Fuel, t

oil 258

Endurance, nm(kts) 
Armament

Shark, Christopher, Acasta, Sparrowhawk, Cockatrice, Achates, Spitfire, Contest, Ambuscade, Lynx, Hardy, Midge, Porpoise: 3 x 1 - 102/40 BL Mk VIII, 2 x 1 - 533 TT (4)

Owl, Unity, Victor, Ardent, Fortune, Paragon, Garland:  3 x 1 - 102/40 QF Mk IV, 2 x 1 - 533 TT (4)

Complement

73



Standard scale images


<i>Garland </i>1914
Garland 1914


Graphics


<i>Unity</i>
Unity
<i>Midge</i>
Midge


Project history

The 1911-12 Programme destroyers were an expansion of the Acherons, but for the first time the 12pdr gun was dropped, being too light to inflict serious damage. A uniform armament of 102mm was no more expensive in cost or weight. It had been hoped to raise speed to 32kts but E-in-C felt that this might be beyond some builders. It was also fell that many of the problems encountered in recent years had been through asking for too high a speed on a small displacement, so the requirement for 29kts was a reasonable compromise. The selection of names had been made before the first boat, Shark, was launched in July 1912, but in 1913 it was decided to switch to alphabetical class-names, with each boat in the class having the same initial letter. It was proposed to rename all the older destroyers, and the 'K' names were allotted to the Acastas, but in accordance with long-held supersition against changing a ship's name after her launch, they were never used, and the ships retained the original names.     Although the policy of building to a standard Admiralty design was continued several novel features were tried in the 'K' class. Fortune was given a clipper bow and had the second 102mm gun on a platform between No 2 and No 3 funnels, a layout which would be continued in the 'L' class. In Ardent Denny Bros were allowed to try out their system of longitudinal framing, which gave much greater hull-strength while keeping weight down. She had only two funnels. With Hardy an attempt was nude to install the first high-speed diesel engine in a destroyer. An 1800bhp Sulzer diesel was to be installed on a centre shaft, but when it became clear that it would not be ready the ship was accepted without diesels. Garland was given semi-geared turbines. Although speed and seakeeping were an improvement over the Acorn and Acheron classes their wide turning circle was a disappointment. This was cured by altering the rudder, cutting the diameter from nearly 900m to 640m.

Modernizations

1917-1918, Acasta, Midge, Spifire: 1 x 1 - 102/40 BL Mk VIII was converted to AA

1917-1918, Garland, Paragon, Unity, Victor: 1 x 1 - 102/40 QF Mk IV was converted to AA

1917-1918, some survivors: + 1 x 1 - 40/39 2pdr QF Mk II

Naval service

Contest was torpedoed by German submarine in Western Approaches 18.9.1917, Paragon was torpedoed 18.3.1917 by German destroyer in Dover Straits and sunk. Ardent (1.6.1916), Fortune (31.5.1916) (both by gunfire of German battleship Westfalen) and Shark (31.5.1916 by German gunfire and torpedoes) were sunk at Jutland, Sparrowhawk 1.6.1916 at Jutland collided there with leader Broke and was sunk by torpedo from leader Manxman. Lynx was mined 9.8.1915 in Moray Firth, mine was laid by German minelayer Meteor.