HMS Patrician (1916)
_IWM_SP_1654.jpg) HMS Patrician circa 1916-1918 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom
| |
| Name: | Patrician |
| Operator: | Royal Navy |
| Builder: | Thornycroft & Company, Southampton |
| Laid down: | June 1915 |
| Launched: | 5 June 1916 |
| Out of service: | September 1920 |
| Fate: | Transferred to Canada in 1920 |
 Canada
| |
| Name: | Patrician |
| Operator: | Royal Canadian Navy |
| Acquired: | September 1920 |
| Commissioned: | 1 November 1920[1] |
| Out of service: | 1929 |
| Fate: | Sold 1929, broken up at Esquimalt[2] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Thornycroft M-class destroyer |
| Displacement: | 1,004 tons |
| Length: | 274 ft (84 m) o/a |
| Beam: | 27 ft 3 in (8.31 m) |
| Draught: | 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) |
| Propulsion: |
|
| Speed: | 35 kn (65 km/h) |
| Range: | 255 tons of oil |
| Complement: | 82 |
| Armament: |
|
HMS Patrician was a Thornycroft M-class destroyer that served in the Royal Navy during the First World War. Built by Thornycroft & Company, Southampton, Patrician was launched on 5 June 1916. Following the war, she was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy in 1920 and served there until 1928. She was sold for scrap in 1929
Construction
Patrician was one of two Thornycroft M-class destroyers ordered as part of the February 1915 Fourth War Programme, and was laid down in June 1915. She was launched on 5 June 1916 and completed in August 1916.[3]
Service history
Royal Navy
Patrician saw service throughout World War I. After commissioning, she was assigned to the 13th Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet from 1916 to 1917.[4]
Royal Canadian Navy
At the end of the war, she was deemed surplus by the Royal Navy. By this point Canada was looking to replace the aging cruisers operated by the Royal Canadian Navy. The Royal Navy offered a light cruiser and two destroyers to replace the old cruisers.[5] Patrician was chosen and transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy along with her sister, HMS Patriot. Before coming to Canada, the two destroyers required three major alterations. They needed one additional electrical engine for manoeuvering in harbour, an oil fuel galley to avoid storing coal for cooking and an enclosed bridge for service in the northern Atlantic Ocean. The total cost for these changes in both ships was $14,000. This did not include cost of adding heating.[6]
The arrival of the three new ships, the two destroyers and the light cruiser HMS Aurora, caused the first installation of oil fuel tanks in Halifax and Victoria harbours.[1] While sailing from the United Kingdom to Canada, it was found that while Patrician performed to expectations, the lack of service in the other two ships while awaiting transfer had caused their performances to decline.[7] The three ships arrived at Halifax in late 1920. On 21 January 1921, the three ships departed for a cruise carrying secret documents from the Admiralty to British consulates throughout Central and North America. While on the cruise, the squadron was ordered to Puntarenas, Costa Rica, where their presence was used to strengthen the Canadian government position in negotiations over oil concessions.[8]
Following the cruise, Patrician was ordered to the west coast of Canada in 1922, where she was used primarily as a training ship, though did perform some fisheries patrols.[9][10] On 12 December 1924, she was sent to patrol for and intercept a group of bank thieves who had robbed a bank in Canada and were attempting to escape by boat to the United States. The search was ultimately unsuccessful.[11][10] By 1927, it was reported that Patrician and Patriot had reached the end of their useful life. The vessels were in need of extensive repair and were showing signs of wear. By the end of the year the King government decided to replace the aging destroyers with two on loan from the United Kingdom and two purpose-built destroyers.[12] Patrician was put up for sale in 1929 and was broken up at Esquimalt, British Columbia that same year.[2]
Notes
- 1 2 Johnston et al. p.876
- 1 2 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. OCLC 67375475.
- ↑ Friedman 2009, p. 309.
- ↑ "Patrician, vessel ID 372937" (PDF). Warship Histories, vol viii. National Maritime Museum. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
- ↑ Johnston et al. p.833
- ↑ Johnston et al. p.848
- ↑ Johnston et al. p.877
- ↑ Johnston et al. p.881
- ↑ Johnston et al. p.942
- 1 2 Macpherson and Barrie p.13
- ↑ Johnston et al. p.944
- ↑ Johnston et al. p.1008
References
- 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. OCLC 67375475.
- Friedman, Norman (2009). British Destroyers: From Earliest Days to the Second World War. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-049-9.
- Johnston, William; Rawling, William G.P; Gimblett, Richard; and MacFarlane, John. (2010) The Seabound Coast: The Official History of the Royal Canadian Navy, 1867-1939. Volume 1; Toronto: Dundurn Press. ISBN 978-1-55488-908-2
- Macpherson, Ken; Barrie, Ron (2002). Warships of Canada's Naval Forces 1910-2002 (3 ed.). St. Catharines: Vanwell Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-55125-072-1.
- This article includes data released under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported UK: England & Wales License, by the National Maritime Museum, as part of the Warship Histories project
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