On 8 November 1893, the British Admiralty placed an order with the Naval Construction and Armament Company of Barrow-in-Furness (later to become part of Vickers) for three "Twenty-Seven Knotter" destroyers as part of the 1893–1894 construction programme for the Royal Navy,[1] with in total, 36 destroyers being ordered from various shipbuilders for this programme.[2]
The Admiralty only laid down a series of broad requirements for the destroyers, leaving detailed design to the ships' builders. The requirements included a trial speed of 27kn, a "turtleback" forecastle and a standard armament of 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.[3] [4] [5]
The Naval Construction and Armament Company produced a design with a length of 194feet overall and 190feet between perpendiculars, with a beam of 19feet and a draught of 7feet. Displacement was 300 long tons light and 340 long tons deep load.[1] Three funnels were fitted, with the foremast between the ship's bridge and the first funnel.[6] [7] Four Blechyndnen water-tube boilers fed steam at to two three-cylinder triple expansion steam engines rated at .[1] [8] 60 tons of coal were carried,[9] giving a range of 1370nmi at a speed of .[10] The ship's crew was 53 officers and men.[10]
Skate was laid down on 20 March 1894 as Yard number 235, was launched on 13 March 1895 and completed in January 1896.[1]
In 1897 Skate was in reserve at Devonport.[11] In 1900 she was commissioned to serve at the Mediterranean station, and was ordered to return home in early 1902.[1] [12] She left Gibraltar on 9 May,[13] convoyed by the cruiser, and arrived in Plymouth on 14 May.[14] She paid off at Devonport on 20 May, and was placed in the A Division of the Fleet Reserve.[15] Lieutenant James Farie was appointed in command on 1 August 1902,[16] as she took part in the fleet review held at Spithead on 16 August 1902 for the coronation of King Edward VII.[17] Lieutenant Robert Mairis Haynes succeeded him in command later the same month, on 28 August,[18] when she was attached to the Devonport instructional flotilla.[19] During a cruise with the flotilla the following November, a heavy sea swept the upper deck and partially carried away the fore-bridge and twisted other fittings, leading skate to abort the cruise and return to dock for repairs.[20]
In 1906 Skate was used as a target in firing trials of the effectiveness of various guns against destroyers. 3-pounder (47 mm) guns proved ineffective, having difficulty penetrating the ship's plating in end-on engagements, and while 12-pounder (3-in (76 mm)) guns caused more damage, it was concluded that a single hit could not be guaranteed to disable a destroyer. 4-inch (102 mm) guns proved much more effective, particularly when Lyddite-filled shells were used, and this led to a change in destroyer armament to 4-inch guns.[21] [22] Sold in 1907 to Cox & Co. of Falmouth, Cornwall for £305,[23] she was the first destroyer of this type to go to the breakers.