HMS Griffon (1896) explained

HMS Griffon was a B-class torpedo boat destroyer of the British Royal Navy. She was completed by Laird, Son & Company, Birkenhead, in 1896.

Construction

Griffon was ordered on 9 January 1896 as one of six 30-knotter destroyers programmed to be built by Lairds under the 1895–1896 programme. These followed on from four very similar destroyers ordered from Lairds as part of the 1894–1895 programme.

Griffon was 218feet long overall and 213feet between perpendiculars, with a beam of 21feet and a draught of 9feet. Displacement was 355LT light and 415LT deep load. Like the other Laird-built 30-knotters, Griffon was propelled by two triple expansion steam engines, fed by four Normand boilers, rated at 6300abbr=onNaNabbr=on, and was fitted with four funnels.

Armament was the standard for the 30-knotters, i.e. a QF 12 pounder 12 cwt (3inches calibre) gun on a platform on the ship's conning tower (in practice the platform was also used as the ship's bridge), with a secondary armament of five 6-pounder guns, and two 18 inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes.

Griffon was laid down as Yard number 622 on 7 March 1896 and launched on 21 November that year. She reached a speed of 30.11kn during sea trials, and was completed in November 1897.

Service

Griffon departed for the Mediterranean Squadron, together with sister ship, in September 1898, and was still serving in the Mediterranean in January 1900.[1] She visited Greek waters in September 1902,[2] and Lieutenant Harry Charles John Roberts West was appointed in command when she was back at Malta in late October 1902.[3] In early January 1903 she took part in a three-weeks cruise with other ships of her squadron in the Greek islands around Corfu.[4] Griffon returned to British waters in 1906. In early 1910, Griffon, part of the Nore Destroyer Flotilla, was refitted at Chatham Dockyard.[5]

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 four-funneled 30-knotter destroyer, Griffon was assigned to the B Class. In 1912, older destroyers were transferred to patrol flotillas, with Griffon forming part of the Seventh Flotilla, based at Devonport, by March 1913.[6] Griffon remained part of the Seventh Flotilla in June 1914.[7] [8] Griffon entered refit at Pembroke Dockyard in July 1914.[9]

In January 1915, Griffon was based at Scapa Flow, as one of a force of 29 destroyers used for local patrols of this key anchorage, the base for the Grand Fleet.[10] Griffon remained attached to the Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow in February 1918,[11] but by March 1918 had transferred to the Irish Sea Flotilla.[12] On 19 May 1918, she was one of several warships dispatched to investigate a sighting report of a periscope by an airship off the Lleyn Peninsula in North Wales. No submarine was destroyed in the resulting operations.[13] Griffon was based at Holyhead on Anglesey for operations in the Irish sea at the end of the war.[14] [15]

Disposal

In January 1919, Griffon was listed as being temporarily based at Devonport Naval Base.[16] In April 1920, she was listed as for sale,[17] and she was sold for scrap to Castle of Plymouth on 1 July 1920.

Pennant numbers

FromTo
D391914September 1915
D81September 1915January 1918
D45January 1918Retirement

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Naval & Military intelligence . 23 January 1900 . 12 . 36046.
  2. Naval & Military intelligence . 8 October 1902 . 4 . 36893.
  3. Naval & Military intelligence. 23 August 1902 . 8 . 36854.
  4. Naval & Military intelligence . 21 January 1903 . 8 . 36983.
  5. Naval Matters—Past and Prospective: Chatham Dockyard . The Marine Engineer and Naval Architect . March 1910 . 37 . 443 . 7.
  6. Fleets and Squadrons in Commission at Home and Abroad: Patrol Flotillas. The Monthly Naval List. March 1913. 269d. 6 July 2019. National Library of Scotland.
  7. 223a: Griffon. (Dev.) Torpedo Boat Destroyer . The Monthly Naval List. March 1913. 322. 7 July 2019. National Library of Scotland.
  8. Fleets and Squadrons in Commission at Home and Abroad: Patrol Flotillas. The Monthly Naval List. March 1913. 269c . 7 July 2019. National Library of Scotland.
  9. Naval Matters—Past and Prospective: Pembroke Dockyard . The Marine Engineer and Naval Architect . August 1914 . 32 . 308.
  10. Supplement to the Monthly Naval List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officer's Commands, &c.: Home and Atlantic Waters: Attached Destroyers and Depot Ships. The Navy List. January 1915. 8. 7 July 2019. National Library of Scotland.
  11. Supplement to the Monthly Naval List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officer's Commands, &c.: I.—The Grand Fleet: Other Ships Attached to Grand Fleet . The Navy List . February 1918 . 12 . 7 July 2019 . National Library of Scotland.
  12. Supplement to the Monthly Naval List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officer's Commands, &c.: XI.—Irish Sea Flotilla . The Navy List . March 1918 . 19 . 7 July 2019 . National Library of Scotland.
  13. Web site: Rickard . J. . HMS Griffon (1896) . 7 January 2019 . HistoryOfWar.org . 7 July 2019.
  14. Web site: Ships of the Royal Navy - Location/Action Data, 1914–1918: Part 2 - Admiralty "Pink Lists", 11 November 1918. Naval-history.net. 24 March 2015. 7 July 2019.
  15. Supplement to the Monthly Naval List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officer's Commands, &c.: IX.—Coast of Ireland Station . The Navy List . December 1918 . 18 . 7 July 2019 . National Library of Scotland.
  16. Supplement to the Monthly Naval List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officer's Commands, &c.: XI.—Vessels at Home Ports Temporarily: Devonport . The Navy List . January 1919 . 20 . 7 July 2019 . National Library of Scotland.
  17. List of Obsolete Vessels and Vessels for Sale . The Navy List . 1105b . 7 July 2019 . National Library of Scotland.

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