H.M.S. Sparrowhawk (1895)
| H.M.S. Sparrowhawk (1895) | |
|---|---|
| Builder: | Laird[1] |
| Ordered: | 1894-95 Programme[2] |
| Laid down: | 30 May, 1895[3] |
| Launched: | 8 Oct, 1895[4] |
| Commissioned: | Jun, 1897[5] |
| Wrecked: | 17 Jun, 1904[6] |
H.M.S. Sparrowhawk was one of twenty-four "B" class destroyers built for the Royal Navy — a "30 knotter".
She was wrecked in mid-1904.
There were two later destroyers named Sparrowhawk: one launched in 1912 and one launched in 1918.
Service
Sparrowhawk was commissioned along with the Quail on 10 August 1897 for the West Indies Station.[7] They were to be escorted to Bermuda by the first class protected cruiser Blenheim, which was temporarily detached from the Channel Squadron for the purpose,[8] but before the trip started, Sparrowhawk was involved in a collision with a pontoon in Devonport Harbour on 17 August.[9]
Sparrowhawk instead went to the China Station in place of the Shark, which had cracked a cylinder which would take longer to repair than her own damage.[10]
On 16 June 1904, Sparrowhawk was patrolling the mouth of the Yangtze with Whiting and Janus. She led the trio to an anchorage at the northern end of Raffles Island and struck an object at 3.08pm, initiating flooding in the forward stokehold, which was evacuated and sealed as she settled on the obstruction, stabilized by anchors. As the high tide approached, the fore guns were unshipped and moved aft and the contents of her forward magazines passed to her consorts. This allowed her to be floated free at 11pm. The battleship Glory arrived and came alongside, bringing pumps. Despite this, the water advanced and the destroyer was lost at 7am the next day, sinking by the head. No blame was attached to the loss, as the danger was found to be uncharted and no due caution was left unexercised.[11]
Captains
Dates of appointment are provided when known.
- Lieutenant & Commander Hubert Stansbury, 15 June, 1897[12] – August, 1897[13] (participated in the Jubilee Naval Review and the Annual Manoeuvres of 1897)
- Lieutenant & Commander Frederic W. Dean, 10 August, 1897[14] – 17 August, 1897[15]
- Lieutenant & Commander Oscar V. de Satgé, 10 August, 1897[16] – 28 March, 1899
- Lieutenant-Commander George G. Codrington, 29 October, 1903 – 17 June, 1904[17]
Perhaps Dean's command never came to pass, or Satgé's was delayed by a week.
See Also
Footnotes
- ↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. p. 94.
- ↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. p. 94.
- ↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. p. 94.
- ↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. p. 94.
- ↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. p. 94.
- ↑ Hepper. British Warship Losses in the Ironclad Era: 1860-1919. p. 17.
- ↑ "Naval & Military Intelligence." The Times (London, England), Wednesday, Aug 04, 1897; pg. 8; Issue 35273.
- ↑ "Naval & Military Intelligence." The Times (London, England), 7 Aug. 1897, p. 6.
- ↑ "Naval & Military Intelligence." The Times (London, England), 18 Aug. 1897, p. 8.
- ↑ "Naval & Military Intelligence." The Times (London, England), 19 Aug. 1897, p. 4.
- ↑ Hepper. British Warship Losses in the Ironclad Era: 1860-1919. p. 17.
- ↑ "The Diamond Jubilee" The Times (London, England), Wednesday, Jun 16, 1897; pg. 8; Issue 35231.
- ↑ Stansbury Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/333. f. 336. Date within year inferred from Dean's appointment.
- ↑ Dean Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/39. f. 41.
- ↑ Dean Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/39. f. 41.
- ↑ The Navy List. (October, 1898). p. 298.
- ↑ Hepper. British Warship Losses in the Ironclad Era: 1860-1919. p. 17.
Bibliography
