Handy-class destroyer explained

Three Handy-class destroyers served with the Royal Navy., and were all built by Fairfield.

Design and construction

As part of the 1893–1894 Naval Estimates, the British Admiralty placed orders for 36 torpedo-boat destroyers, all to be capable of, as a follow-on to the six prototype "26-knotters" ordered in the previous 1892–1893 Estimates. Of the 36 destroyers, three ships (Handy, Hart and Hunter) were ordered from Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company of Govan,^[1] the first torpedo craft to be built by that shipyard.^[2] As typical for torpedo craft at the time, the Admiralty left detailed design to the builders, laying down only broad requirements.^{[3] [4]}

Fairfield's design was 197feet long overall and 194feet between perpendiculars, with a beam of 19inchesft5inchesin (ftin) and a draught of 7feet. Displacement was 275LT light and 310LT full load,^[2] while the ship's complement was 53 officers and men.^[5] Three Thornycroft boilers fed steam at to two 3-cylinder triple expansion steam engines rated at 4000ihp and driving two propeller shafts.^[2] Two funnels were fitted.^[6] Armament consisted of a single QF 12 pounder 12 cwt gun and three 6-pounder guns, with two 18 inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes.^[7] As a gunboat, one of the torpedo tubes could be removed to accommodate a further two six-pounders.^{[8] [9]}

In September 1913 the Admiralty re-classed all the surviving 27-knotter destroyers as A Class, although this only applied to Handy herself as the other two ships had already been sold for scrap in 1912.

See also

• A-class destroyer (1913)

References

Bibliography

• Book: Brassey, T.A.. The Naval Annual 1897. 1897. J. Griffin and Co. Portsmouth, UK.
• Book: Brown, David K.. Warrior to Dreadnought: Warship Development 1860–1905. 2003. Caxton Editions. London. 1-84067-5292.
• Book: Chan Lau Kit-Ching. China, Britain & Hong Kong 1895–1945. 1990. The Chinese University Press. Hong Kong. 962-201-409-7.
• Book: Chesneau. Roger. Kolesnik. Eugene M. Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. 1979 . Conway Maritime Press. London. 0-85177-133-5.
  • Book: Crowe, George. The Commission of H.M.S. Terrible: 1898–1902. 1903. George Newnes. London.
• Book: Friedman, Norman. British Destroyers: From Earliest Days to the Second World War. 2009. Seaforth Publishing. Barnsley, UK. 978-1-84832-049-9.
• Book: Gardiner. Robert. Gray. Randal. Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. 1985. Conway Maritime Press. London. 0-85177-245-5.
• Book: Lyon, David. The First Destroyers. 2001. Caxton Editions. London. 1-84067-3648.
• Book: Manning, T. D.. The British Destroyer. 1961. Putnam & Co.. London. 6470051.
• Book: March, Edgar J.. British Destroyers: A History of Development, 1892–1953; Drawn by Admiralty Permission From Official Records & Returns, Ships' Covers & Building Plans. 1966. Seeley, Service. London . 164893555.

Notes and References

1. Lyon 2001, pp. 19–20.
2. Lyon 2001, p. 87.
3. Chesneau and Kolesnik 1979, p. 87.
4. Manning 1961, p. 39.
5. Manning 1961, p. 36.
6. Friedman 2009, p. 48.
7. Friedman 2009, p. 291.
8. Lyon 2001, pp. 98–99.
9. Friedman 2009, p. 40.