See main article: R-class destroyer. Redoubt was one of seventeen destroyers delivered to the British Admiralty as part of the Sixth War Construction Programme. The design was generally similar to the preceding destroyers, but differed in having geared turbines, the central gun mounted on a bandstand and minor changes to improve seakeeping. The destroyer had an overall length of 276feet, with a beam of 26feet and a draught of 9feet. Displacement was 975LT normal and 1173LT deep load. Power was provided by three Yarrow boilers feeding two Parsons geared steam turbines rated at 27000shp and driving two shafts, to give a design speed of . Three funnels were fitted. A total of of fuel oil was carried, giving a design range of at due to the enhanced efficiency of the geared machinery. The ship had a complement of 82 officers and ratings.
Armament consisted of three 40NaN0 Mk IV QF guns on the ship's centreline, with one on the forecastle, one aft on a raised platform and one between the second and third funnels. A single 2-pounder (40 mm) pom-pom anti-aircraft gun was carried on a platform between two rotating twin mounts for 21inches torpedoes.
Redoubt was laid down by William Doxford & Sons at Sunderland on the River Wear and launched on 28 October 1916, entering service during March the following year. The ship was the second to serve in the Royal Navy with the name.
On commissioning, Redoubt joined the Tenth Destroyer Flotilla of the Harwich Force. The flotilla was involved in supporting the convoys that crossed the North Sea. During one foggy night, 18 May 1917, the ship was part of a division led by the destroyer when the convoy they were following disappeared into the fog. Suddenly, Stork saw the German submarine submerging and the two destroyers raced to the scene, dropping four depth charges after the fleeing boat. The submarine stayed silent at a depth of until the destroyers left, and then went away unharmed. On 1 June, the vessel formed part of a covering force led by the cruiser that protected the monitors and when they bombarded Ostend.
The German Air Force had put a number of Zeppelin airships into service in a maritime patrol function and these were proving immune to the limited anti-aircraft weaponry mounted by the Harwich Force. It was therefore decided to trial launching a fighter aircraft from a lighter towed behind a destroyer. Redoubt was allocated to the trial and, on 1 August 1918, a Canadian pilot, Lieutenant S.D. Culley, successfully took off in a Sopwith Camel from a lighter, named H5, towed behind the destroyer. The trial was swiftly followed by the first operation. After an abort on 5 August due to poor weather, the first operation started five days later. On 11 August Redoubt, towing H5, was sailing as part of the Harwich Force on a sweep of Heligoland Bight when Zeppelin LZ 100 was spotted. Culley took off and shot the airship down. When he returned, the pilot stood on the destroyer's aft gun platform as Redoubt stood and the entire Force passed by in salute.
After the Armistice, Redoubt initially remained with the Harwich Force.[1] When the Force was dissolved, the destroyer was allocated to the Home Fleet, serving under the dreadnought battleship .[2] However, in 1923, the Navy decided to scrap many of the older destroyers in preparation for the introduction of newer and larger vessels. Redoubt was one of the destroyers chosen for retirement.[3] On 13 July 1926, the destroyer was sold to J. Brown and broken up.
| Pennant Number | Date |
|---|---|
| F56 | 1917 |
| F57 | 1918 |