HMS Nereide (1910) explained

HMS Nereide was one of 20 (later H-class) destroyers built for the Royal Navy. The destroyer served in the First World War. The Acorn class were smaller than the preceding but oil-fired and better armed. Launched in 1910, Nereide served with the Second Destroyer Flotilla based at the naval base at Devonport until being transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet in 1917. The vessel was employed primarily in an anti-submarine role, undertaking escort and patrol duties. In 1918, the destroyer participated in the bombardment of Durazzo. After the Armistice, the destroyer was reduced to reserve before being sold to be broken up in 1921.

Design and description

See main article: Acorn-class destroyer. After the preceding coal-burning, the s saw a return to oil-firing. Pioneered by the of 1905 and of 1907, using oil enabled a more efficient design, leading to a smaller vessel which also had increased deck space available for weaponry. Unlike previous destroyer designs, where the individual yards had been given discretion within the parameters set by the Admiralty, the Acorn class were a set, with the propulsion machinery the only major variation between the different ships. This enabled costs to be reduced. The class was later renamed H class.

Nereide was 240feet long between perpendiculars and 246feet overall, with a beam of 25feet and a deep draught of 8feet. Displacement was 748lk=onNaNlk=on normal and 855LT full load. Power was provided by Parsons steam turbines, fed by four Yarrow boilers. Parsons supplied a complex of high-pressure and low pressure turbines, driving three shafts. The engines were rated at 13500shp and design speed was, although, on trial, Nereide achieved . Three funnels were fitted. The vessel carried 170LT of fuel oil and had a design range of 1540nmi at a cruising speed of 15kn.

The armament consisted of a single BL 4inches Mk VIII gun carried on the forecastle and another aft. Two single QF 12-pounder 3abbr=onNaNabbr=on guns were mounted between the first two funnels. Two rotating 21adj=onNaNadj=on torpedo tubes were mounted aft of the funnels, with two reloads carried, and a searchlight fitted between the tubes. The destroyer was later modified to carry a single Vickers QF 3-pounder 47mm anti-aircraft gun and depth charges for anti-submarine warfare. The ship's complement was 72 officers and ratings.

Construction and career

The 20 destroyers of the Acorn class were ordered by the Admiralty under the 1909 - 1910 Naval Programme on 8 September 1909. Nereide was laid down at the Dumbarton shipyard of R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company with the yard number 435 on 3 December, launched on 6 September 1910 and completed on 6 April 1911.[1] The ship was the fifth in Royal Navy service to be given the name, the first being the captured .[2] On commissioning, the vessel joined the Second Destroyer Flotilla.[3] From 6 September 1911, the destroyer spent a month visiting Campbeltown.[4]

After the British Empire declared war on Germany at the beginning of the First World War in August 1914, the Flotilla became part of the Grand Fleet. Between 13 and 15 October, the Flotilla supported the battleships of the Grand Fleet in a practice cruise. Soon afterwards, the destroyers were deployed to Devonport to undertake escort and patrol duties, protecting merchant ships against German submarines, remaining there until December 1916.

At the start of 1917, Nereide was assigned to the British Adriatic Squadron as part of the Mediterranean Fleet.[5] On 20 January 1918, Nereide was based at Gibraltar, undertaking patrols. On 2 October, the destroyer formed part of the escort for the Bombardment of Durazzo, led by the Italian armoured cruiser . On 26 November, the destroyer departed for Varna in the Black Sea as part of a joint operation with the French and Italian Navies,[6] and whilst at port in Odessa provided sanctuary to Countess Natalia Brasova along with her daughter Princess Vyazemskaya and brother-in-law Aleksei Matveev, evacuating them to Constantinople.[7]

After the Armistice, the Royal Navy needed to return to a peacetime level of strength and both the number of ships and the amount of personnel needed to be reduced to save money. In 1919, Nereide joined 48 other destroyers in reserve at Devonport.[8] The vessel was sold to Stanlee of Dover to be broken up, on 1 December 1921.

Pennant numbers

Pennant NumberDate
H70January 1919
H84January 1918
H89January 1918

References

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Robinson. George. Waller. David. Nereide 1911. Tyne Built Ships. https://web.archive.org/web/20210623190951/http://tynebuiltships.co.uk/N-Ships/nereide1911.html. 23 June 2021.
  2. News: The Names of New Warships . . 4 October 1909 . 39081 . 3.
  3. 339c Nereide (Dev.) Torpedo Boat Destroyer. The Navy List. July 1913. 349. National Library of Scotland. 16 July 2023.
  4. News: Movement of Ships . The Times . 6 September 1911 . 39683 . 4.
  5. XI Mediterranean Fleet. Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. January 1917. 21. National Library of Scotland. 16 July 2023.
  6. News: Allied Ships in the Black Sea . The Times . 26 November 1918 . 41957 . 5.
  7. Book: Crawford 1, Crawford 2, Rosemary 1, Donald 2 . Michael and Natasha: The Life and Love of the Last Tsar of Russia . Weidenfeld & Nicolson . 1997 . 978-0-7538-0516-9 . London . 378 . English.
  8. V. — Vessels in Reserve at Home Ports and Other Bases. Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. July 1919. 17. National Library of Scotland. 16 July 2023.

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