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The Cricket class and following classes of coastal destroyers were a series of small torpedo boat destroyers (TBDs) intended to complement the Royal Navy's s. The thirty-six vessels which broadly comprised this group actually consisted of several distinct classes, as each contractor built to their own designs, and even single contractor's designs evolved from year to year.
The first twelve vessels (comprising White's Cricket class, Thornycroft's Gadfly class and Yarrow's Mayfly class) were ordered in 1905 and launched in early 1906. In practice they were not strong enough for open ocean operations and were reclassified as 1st class torpedo boats. These first twelve had been given names but in October 1906 - after the first two vessels ran trials but before any had been delivered - all were then given the numbers TB 1 to TB 12 and their names were withdrawn.
The following two batches—each of twelve more boats, comprising TB 13 to TB 24 ordered under the 1906–07 Programme, and TB 25 to TB 36 under the 1907–08 Programme—were only ever given numbers and were on average 10feet longer. These were only ever classified as 1st class torpedo boats. The last boat was launched in 1909. Those that survived the war (six were wartime losses - four from the 1905-06 batch and two from the 1906-07 batch) were sold off from 1919 to 1921.
They were built by six different yards (thirteen by White at Cowes, nine by Thornycroft (five at Chiswick and four at Woolston, Hampshire), four each by Denny at Dumbarton and by Hawthorn Leslie at Hebburn, and three each by Yarrow at Cubitt Town and by Palmers at Jarrow).
The boats differed in detail as each shipbuilder was allowed to construct to their own design, and the designs were modified and enlarged for the later batches, but all had two funnels with one of the torpedo tubes on the stern. These vessels closely resembled the earliest 26-knotter TBDs of 1892–93, having 'turtle-back' forecastles and carried a similar armament.
By 1914 all boats were serving in North Sea Patrol Flotillas or the Nore Local Defence Flotilla. TB 4 and TB 24 won the Battle Honour Belgian Coast 1915. In 1918 the four Denny-built boats were sent to the Mediterranean: TB 17 and TB 18 served at Gibraltar, TB 29 and TB 30 at Malta, where these went to the breakers in 1919.
Armament consisted of two 12-pounder (76-mm) 12 cwt guns, and three 18-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes (in three single mounts). The ships had a crew of 39.
| Original Name | Number | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Completion | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1905–1906 Programme | |||||||
| Cricket | TB 1 | J. Samuel White | 12 September 1905 | 23 January 1906 | December 1906 | Sold 7 October 1920 to Fowey Coaling & Ship Co. | |
| Dragonfly | TB 2 | J. Samuel White | 15 September 1905 | 11 March 1906 | January 1907 | Sold 7 October 1920 to Thos. W. Ward | |
| Firefly | TB 3 | J. Samuel White | 18 September 1905 | 1 September 1906 | February 1907 | Sold 7 October 1920 to Thos. W. Ward | |
| Sandfly | J. Samuel White | 18 September 1905 | 30 October 1906 | April 1907 | Sold 7 October 1920 to Thos. W. Ward Wrecked 11 January 1921 on way to scrapping | ||
| Spider[1] | J. Samuel White | 18 September 1905 | 15 December 1906 | 1907 | Sold for scrapping 7 October 1920 to Thos. W. Ward. | ||
Thornycroft's torpedo boats under the 1905–1906 programme were 171inchesft6inchesin (ftin) long overall and 166feet between perpendiculars, with a beam of 17inchesft6inchesin (ftin) and a draught of 6inchesftNaNinchesin (ftin). Displacement was 244LT normal and 268LT deep load. As for the White-built boats, they had turtleback forecastles and two funnels. The machinery was similar, but was rated at 3750shp, with a speed of 26kn specified. The ship's armament and crew was as the White-designed ships.
| Original Name | Number | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Completion | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1905–1906 Programme | |||||||
| Gadfly | TB 6 | Thornycroft, Chiswick | 1 September 1905 | 24 June 1906 | December 1906 | Sold 22 October 1920 to Stanlee, Dover | |
| Glowworm | TB 7 | Thornycroft, Chiswick | 25 September 1905 | 20 December 1906 | February 1907 | Sold 9 May 1921 to Thos. W. Ward, Rainham | |
| Gnat | TB 8 | Thornycroft, Chiswick | 4 October 1905 | 1 December 1906 | March 1907 | Sold 9 May 1921 to Thos. W. Ward, Rainham | |
| Grasshopper | Thornycroft, Chiswick | 1 November 1905 | 18 March 1907 | June 1907 | Sank following collision in North Sea, 26 July 1916[2] | ||
| Greenfly | TB 10 | Thornycroft, Chiswick | 2 November 1905 | 15 February 1907 | May 1907 | Mined in North Sea, 10 June 1915[3] | |
| Original Name | Number | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Completion | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1905–1906 Programme | |||||||
| Mayfly | 23 November 1905 | 29 January 1907 | May 1907 | Mined in North Sea, 17 March 1916 | |||
| Moth | Yarrow | 23 November 1905 | 15 March 1907 | May 1907 | Mined in North Sea, 10 June 1915 | ||
| Number | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Completion | Fate | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1906–1907 Programme | |||||||
| J. Samuel White | 14 March 1907 | 10 July 1907 | May 1908 | Sank following collision in North Sea, 26 January 1916 | |||
| TB 14 | J. Samuel White | 18 March 1907 | 26 September 1907 | May 1908 | Sold 7 October 1920 to Philip, Dartmouth | ||
| TB 15 | J. Samuel White | 20 March 1907 | 19 November 1907 | May 1908 | Sold 7 October 1920 to Thos. W. Ward | ||
| TB 16 | J. Samuel White | 12 July 1907 | 23 December 1907 | July 1908 | Sold 7 October 1920 to Thos. W. Ward | ||
| TB 17 | 4 April 1907 | 21 December 1907 | April 1908 | Sold 1919 at Gibraltar | |||
| TB 18 | Denny | 4 April 1907 | 15 February 1908 | June 1908 | Sold 1920 at Gibraltar | ||
| TB 19 | Thornycroft, Woolston | 13 March 1907 | 7 December 1907 | 2 June 1908 | Sold 9 May 1921 to Thos. W. Ward, Grays | ||
| TB 20 | Thornycroft, Woolston | 20 March 1907 | 21 January 1908 | 19 August 1908 | Sold 9 May 1921 to Thos. W. Ward | ||
| TB 21 | 7 May 1907 | 20 December 1907 | March 1908 | Sold 7 October 1920 to Maden & McKee | |||
| TB 22 | Hawthorn | 7 May 1907 | 1 February 1908 | March 1908 | Sold 7 October 1920 to Maden & McKee | ||
| Yarrow | 10 February 1907 | 5 December 1907 | 19 February 1908 | Sold 9 May 1921 to Thos. W. Ward | |||
| TB 24 | 2 April 1907 | 19 March 1908 | June 1908 | Wrecked off Dover, 28 January 1917 | |||
| 1907–1908 Programme | |||||||
| TB 25 | J. Samuel White | 30 December 1907 | 28 August 1908 | 22 January 1909 | Sold 9 May 1921 to Thos. W. Ward, Grays | ||
| TB 26 | J. Samuel White | 30 December 1907 | 28 August 1908 | February 1909 | Sold 9 May 1921 to Thos. W. Ward, Rainham | ||
| TB 27 | J. Samuel White | 2 February 1908 | 29 September 1908 | March 1909 | Sold 9 May 1921 to Thos. W. Ward, Rainham | ||
| TB 28 | J. Samuel White | 27 February 1908 | 29 October 1908 | 8 April 1909 | Sold 9 May 1921 to Thos. W. Ward, Rainham | ||
| TB 29 | Denny | 20 February 1908 | 29 September 1908 | November 1909 | Sold 28 November 1919 at Malta | ||
| TB 30 | Denny | 20 February 1908 | 29 September 1908 | January 1910 | Sold 28 November 1919 at Malta | ||
| TB 31 | Thornycroft, Woolston | 8 February 1908 | 10 October 1908 | February 1910 | Sold 9 May 1921 to Thos. W. Ward, Rainham | ||
| TB 32 | Thornycroft, Woolston | 9 February 1908 | 23 November 1908 | March 1910 | Sold 9 May 1921 to Thos. W. Ward, Rainham | ||
| TB 33 | Hawthorn | 17 January 1908 | 22 February 1909 | June 1910 | Sold 24 August 1922 to Cashmore, Newport | ||
| TB 34 | Hawthorn | 7 February 1908 | 22 February 1909 | August 1910 | Sold 9 May 1921 to Thos. W. Ward, Rainham | ||
| TB 35 | Palmers | 4 February 1908 | 19 April 1909 | August 1910 | Sold 24 August 1922 to Cashmore, Newport | ||
| TB 36 | Palmers | 20 March 1908 | 6 May 1909 | September 1910 | Sold 9 May 1921 to Thos. W. Ward, Rainham | ||