As part of its 1894–1895 shipbuilding programme for the Royal Navy, the British Admiralty placed orders with Laird Brothers for four destroyers. The destroyers ordered under the 1894–1895 programme had a contracted speed of rather than the required of previous destroyers. Armament was specified to be a QF 12 pounder 12 cwt (3inches calibre), with a secondary armament of five 6-pounder guns, and two 18-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes.[1] [2] As with other early Royal Navy destroyers, the detailed design was left to the builder, with the Admiralty laying down only broad requirements.[3] [4]
Laird's four ships were each powered by two four-cylinder triple expansion steam engines, fed by four Normand boilers, rated at 6300abbr=onNaNabbr=on, and were fitted with four funnels. They had an overall length of 218feet, a beam of 21inchesft6inchesin (ftin) and a draught of 9inchesft6inchesin (ftin). Displacement was 355LT light and 415LT full load,[5] [6] while crew was 63.[7]
Thrasher was laid down at Laird's Birkenhead shipyard as Yard Number 608 on 30 May 1895, as the third of the four destroyers ordered from Laird's, and was launched on 5 November 1895.[5] She reached a speed of over a measured mile and an average speed of over three hours during trials on 14 December 1896.[8] Thrasher commissioned in June 1897.[5]
Newly commissioned, Thrasher took part in the naval review off Spithead on 26 June 1897 to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria.[9] On 20 August 1897, Thrasher collided with the cruiser in the English Channel, killing one crewmember.[10] Thrashers helmsman was blamed for the accident by a court-martial and was dismissed from the ship.[11] On 29 September 1897, Thrasher and the destroyer ran aground in a fog off Dodman Point, Cornwall. The grounding caused a steam main aboard Thrasher to rupture, killing four stokers. While both ships were refloated, Thrasher was badly damaged and after repair was no longer as fast as her sister ships.[12] [13] [6] The ship's commanding officer, Commander Travers, was severely reprimanded by the resulting court-martial.[14]
On 5 December 1901 Thrasher was commissioned by Lieutenant and Commander C. D. S. Raikes as tender to the battleship Formidable on the Mediterranean station.[15] She left Devonport for Malta in January the following year,[16] returning to home waters in 1906.[5] While at Malta she was in May 1902 again involved a collision, with the destroyer Coquette, and had her stern damaged.[17] In early January 1903 she took part in a three-weeks cruise with other ships of her squadron in the Greek islands around Corfu.[18] In 1910, Thrasher formed part of the Fifth Destroyer Flotilla.[12]
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, Thrasher was assigned to the B Class.[19] [20] In 1912, older destroyers were transferred to patrol flotillas,[21] with Thrasher forming part of the Seventh Flotilla, based at Devonport, by March 1913.[22] Thrasher, still based at Devonport as part of the Seventh Flotilla,[23] took part in the search for the missing submarine (which had sunk in Whitsand Bay, Cornwall on 16 January[24]), with Thrashers commanding officer dying of a chill caught during the search.[25]
On the outbreak of the First World War, the Seventh Flotilla moved to the East coast of England.[26] Thrasher remained with the Flotilla through 1915 and 1916.[27] [28] On 8 February 1917, Thrasher spotted the German submarine while the submarine was in the process of attacking a merchant ship off Flamborough Head, Yorkshire. When UC-39 dived, Thrasher responded with a depth charge which badly damaged the submarine, which was forced to the surface. Thrasher fired on the surfaced submarine until it was realised that UC-39s crew was surrendering. Thrasher rescued 17 Germans together with two British sailors who had been held prisoner aboard UC-39, with seven Germans killed. UC-39 sank while attempts were being made to tow the submarine to port.[29] [30]
By September 1917, Thrasher transferred to the local Patrol Flotilla on the Nore,[31] remaining on that station until the end of the war.[32] Thrasher was sold for scrap on 4 November 1919.[33]
| Pennant number | Date | |
|---|---|---|
| D79 | 1914 | |
| D94 | August 1915 | |
| D90 | January 1918 |