The Acheron class was a repeat of the preceding . The Admiralty provided general specifications, but each shipyard did their own detailed design so that ships often varied in size.[1] The Acherons had an overall length of 246feet, a beam of 23feet, and a draught of 8feet. The ships displaced 778LT at deep load and their crew numbered 70 officers and ratings.[2]
Hydra was powered by a single Brown-Curtis steam turbine that drove both propeller shafts using steam provided by three Yarrow boilers. The engines developed a total of 13500shp and were designed for a speed of 27kn. The ship reached a speed of from during her sea trials.[3] The Acherons had a range of 1620nmi at a cruising speed of .[2]
The primary armament of the ships consisted of a pair of BL 4adj=onNaNadj=on Mk VIII guns in single, unprotected pivot mounts fore and aft of the superstructure. They were also armed with two single QF 12-pounder (3inches) guns, one on each broadside abreast the bridge. The destroyers were equipped with a pair of single rotating mounts for 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes amidships and carried two reload torpedoes.[4]
Hydra was ordered under the 1910 - 1911 Naval Programme from John Brown & Company. The ship was laid down at the company's Clydebank shipyard on 7 February 1911, launched on 19 February 1912 and commissioned in June.[5]
Hydra was with the First Destroyer Flotilla at the Battle of Dogger Bank[6] on 24 January 1915.
She was present at the Battle of Jutland[7] on 31 May 1916. Along with the rest of the flotilla, she was transferred to the 3rd Battle Squadron, based at Portsmouth.[8]
She collided with a merchant ship on the night of 11 February 1917 in the English Channel. The captain of Hydra was held liable for the collision because, although the other ship showed him a light, he did not perceive that it was on a crossing course.[9]
From 1917 the Third Battle Squadron was deployed to the Mediterranean. Hydra was present at the entry of the Allied Fleet through the Dardanelles on 12 November 1918.[10] On 9 February 1921, Hydra collided with the Royal Navy torpedo boat Z 3 in the Weilingen Channel and sank. Z 3 rescued all 72 of Hydra′s crew.[11] The ship was sold on 9 May 1921 to Thos. W. Ward of Portishead for scrap.
| Pennant Number[12] | From | To | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H50 | 6 December 1914 | 1 January 1918 | ||
| H43 | 1 January 1918 | Early 1919 | ||
| H94 | Early 1919 | 9 May 1921 |