HMS Star (1896)

History
United Kingdom
Name:	HMS Star
Ordered:	1895 – 1896 Naval Estimates
Builder:	Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company, Jarrow-on-Tyne
Laid down:	23 March 1896
Launched:	11 August 1897
Commissioned:	September 1898
Out of service:	Laid up in reserve 1919
Fate:	Sold for breaking 10 June 1919
General characteristics
Class and type:	Palmer three-funnel, 30-knot destroyer
Displacement:	390 long tons (400 t) light 440 long tons (450 t) deep load
Length:	220 ft (67.06 m) o/a
Beam:	20 ft 9 in (6.32 m)
Draught:	9 ft 9 in (2.97 m)
Installed power:	6,200 ihp (4,600 kW)
Propulsion:	4 × Reed water tube boiler 2 × vertical triple-expansion steam engines 2 shafts
Speed:	30 kn (56 km/h)
Range:	91 tons coal
Complement:	58[1]–63[2]
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 naval 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 Star was a Palmer three-funnel, 30-knot destroyer ordered by the Royal Navy under the 1896–1897 Naval Estimates. She was the eleventh ship to carry this name since it was introduced in 1643 for a 19-gun ship sold until 1652.^[3][4]

Construction

On 23 December 1895, the Admiralty ordered two destroyers, Star and Whiting from Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company for the Royal Navy as part of the 1895–1896 shipbuilding programme, with four more destroyers ordered from Palmers on 9 January 1896.^[5]

Star's hull was 220 feet (67.06 m) long overall and 215 feet (65.53 m) between perpendiculars, with a beam of 20 feet 9 inches (6.32 m) and a draught of 9 feet 9 inches (2.97 m). Four Reed boilers fed steam at 250 pounds per square inch (1,700 kPa) to triple expansion steam engines rated at 6,200 indicated horsepower (4,600 kW) and driving two propeller shafts. Displacement was 390 long tons (400 t) light and 440 long tons (450 t) deep load.^[5] Three funnels were fitted,^[6] and 91 tons of coal carried.^[1] Star was contractually required to maintain a speed of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) for a continuous run of three hours and over six consecutive measured miles (9.7 km) during sea trials.^[7]

Armament was specified as a single QF 12 pounder 12 cwt (3 in-calibre or 76 mm) gun on a platform on the ship's conning tower (in practice the platform was also used as the ship's bridge), backed up by five 6-pounder guns, and two 18-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes.^[8][9]

Star was laid down on 23 March 1896, at the Palmer's Jarrow-on-Tyne shipyard as Yard Number 710, and launched on 11 August 1896.^[5][6] During her builder’s trials she made her contracted speed requirement,^[3][4] reaching 30.7 knots (56.9 km/h; 35.3 mph).^[1] She was completed and accepted by the Royal Navy in September 1898.^[5][10]

Service history

Pre-War

Star was commissioned at Portsmouth 27 August 1901 by Lieutenant and Commander H. W. Osburn and assigned to the Portsmouth Flotilla of the Channel Fleet.^[11] Early the following year, Lieutenant James W. G. Innes was appointed in command from 1 March 1902,^[12] but the appointment was cancelled almost immediately when he received another posting.^[13] Star was subsequently used for experiments to test the rolling tendency of destroyers with a bilge keel.^[14] She spent her operational career mainly in Home Waters, although she did visit Gibraltar in 1905.^[5] In 1910, Star was a member of the 4th Destroyer Flotilla, based at Portsmouth, and was still a member of the 4th Flotilla in 1912, while in 1913 she was a member of the 6th Destroyer Flotilla, a local patrol flotilla also based at Portsmouth.^[15][16]

On 30 August 1912 the Admiralty directed all destroyers were to be grouped into classes designated by letters based on contract speed and appearance. As a three-funneled destroyer with a contract speed of 30 knots, Star was assigned to the C class.^[17][18] The class letters were painted on the hull below the bridge area and on a funnel.^[19]

World War I

For the test mobilization in July 1914 she was assigned to the 8th Destroyer Flotilla based at Chatham. Here Star provided local anti-submarine and counter-mining patrols.

In November 1916 she was redeployed to the 7th Destroyer Flotilla based at the Humber River. During her deployment there she was involved in anti-submarine and counter-mining patrols.

On 4 July 1918, the Norwegian barque Mentor was torpedoed by the German submarine SM UB-21 near Hartlepool. Star and Ostrich took part in the rescue of Mentor, which was towed to port, although too heavily damaged to be repaired.^[20][21] On 29 September 1918, the airship R29 spotted an oil slick, presumed to be from a German submarine, while escorting a convoy, and directed Star, Ouse and two armed trawlers to the site of the slick. The ships then proceeded to depth charge the submarine, UB-115. UB-115 sank 4.5 miles (7.2 km) North East from Beacon Point, Newton-by-the-Sea, with the loss of 39 officers and men.^[22][23][24]

Disposition

In 1919 Star was paid off and laid-up in reserve awaiting disposal. The destroyer was sold on 23 July 1919 to Thomas W. Ward of Sheffield for breaking at New Holland, Lincolnshire, on the Humber Estuary.^[25][26]

Pennant numbers

Pennant number[25][26]	From	To
P07	6 December 1914	1 Sep 1915
D68	1 September 1915	1 Jan 1918
D79	1 January 1918	13 September 1918
H07	13 September 1918	-

Notes

1. Brassey 1902, p. 275.
2. Manning 1961, p. 42.
3. Jane 1898, pp. 84–85.
4. Moore 1990, p. 76.
5. Lyon 2001, p. 78.
6. Chesneau and Kolesnik 1979, p. 94.
7. Lyon 2001, p. 23.
8. Lyon 2001, pp. 98–99.
9. Friedman 2009, p. 40.
10. Friedman 2009, p. 303.
11. "Naval & Military intelligence" The Times (London). Wednesday, 28 August 1901. (36545), p. 8.
12. "Naval & Military intelligence" The Times (London). Friday, 21 February 1902. (36697), p. 9.
13. "Naval & Military intelligence" The Times (London). Wednesday, 5 March 1902. (36707), p. 5.
14. "Naval & Military intelligence" The Times (London). Friday, 30 May 1902. (36781), p. 10.
15. "NMM, vessel ID 376324" (PDF). Warship Histories, vol iv. National Maritime Museum. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
16. Manning 1961, p. 25.
17. Gardiner and Gray 1985, p. 18.
18. Manning 1961, pp. 17–18.
19. Manning 1961, p. 34.
20. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit during WWI: Mentor". uboat.net. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
21. The London Gazette: no. 31900. p. 5485. 14 May 1920. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
22. Grant 1964, p. 129.
23. Helgason, Guðmundur. "WWI U-Boats: UB-115". uboat.net. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
24. "HMA 23 X Class". The Airship Heritage Trust. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
25. Dittmar and Colledge 1972, p. 58.
26. Arrowsmith, Jack (27 January 1997). ""Arrowsmith" List – Part 1 Destroyer Prototypes through "River" Class". The World War I Document Archive. Retrieved 1 Jun 2013.

References

• Brassey, T.A. (1902). The Naval Annual 1902. Portsmouth, UK: J. Griffin and Co.
• Chesneau, Roger; Kolesnik, Eugene M (1979). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-133-5.
• Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. Shepperton, UK: Ian Allen. 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 (1985). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
• Grant, Robert M. (1964). U-Boats Destroyed. London: Putnam.
• Jane, Fred T. (1969) [1st published by Sampson Low & Marston: London, 1905]. Jane’s Fighting Ships 1905. New York: ARCO Publishing Company.
• Lyon, David (2001). The First Destroyers. London: Caxton Editions. ISBN 1-84067-3648.
• Manning, Captain T.D. (1961). The British Destroyer. Putnam and Co.
• Moore, John (1990). Jane's Fighting Ships of World War I. London: Studio Editions. ISBN 1-85170-378-0.