HMS Mallard (1896)

Fame, sister-ship to Mallard
History
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 t (268 long tons) standard 352 t (346 long tons) 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

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.

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 G. de L. O. Johnson was appointed in command 11 January 1900.^[2] 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.^[3][4]

She served in Home waters and was until October 1901 attached to the Medway instructional flotilla.^[5] In early April 1902 Lieutenant George J. Todd was appointed in command,^[6] shortly before she finished a refit where she also had her hull strengthened.^[7] She was commissioned for service in the Mediterranean Fleet,^[8] and left Portsmouth for Gibraltar in late May 1902.^[9][10]

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.^[11] 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.^[12] 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.^[13]

Pennant numbers

Pennant number[13]	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 (London). Saturday, 20 January 1900. (36044), p. 12.
3. "Disaster to Bluejackets - Boat Swamped at Brighton - Seven Seamen Drowned.". News of the World. 15 April 1900.
4. "HMS Bittern". Index of 19th Century Naval Vessels and a few of their movements. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
5. "Naval & Military intelligence" The Times (London). Wednesday, 9 October 1901. (36581), p. 8.
6. "Naval & Military intelligence" The Times (London). Friday, 14 March 1902. (36715), p. 9.
7. "Naval & Military intelligence" The Times (London). Tuesday, 11 March 1902. (36712), p. 11.
8. "Naval & Military intelligence" The Times (London). Wednesday, 2 April 1902. (36731), p. 8.
9. "Naval & Military intelligence" The Times (London). Monday, 26 May 1902. (36777), p. 7.
10. "Naval & Military intelligence" The Times (London). Monday, 2 June 1902. (36783), p. 9.
11. Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships 1906 to 1922. Conway Maritime Press. 1985. p. 17. ISBN 0 85177 245 5.
12. "HMS Mallard at the Naval Database website".
13. ""Arrowsmith" List – Part 1 Destroyer Prototypes through "River" Class". Retrieved 1 Jun 2013.

• Jane, Fred T. (1969) [1898, Sampson Low Marston, London]. Jane’s All The Worlds Fighting Ships 1898. New York: ARCO Publishing Company.
• Jane, Fred T. (1990) [1919]. Jane’s Fighting Ships of World War I. Jane’s Publishing. ISBN 1 85170 378 0.
• David Lyon (1996). The First Destroyers. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-55750-271-1. Retrieved 1 July 2013.