The Sunfish-class destroyers, also referred to as Opossum-class destroyers,[1] was a group of three torpedo boat destroyers which served with the Royal Navy from the 1890s to the 1920s. They were all built by the Hebburn-on-Tyne shipyard of Hawthorn Leslie.
Under the 1893–1894 Naval Estimates, the British Admiralty placed orders for 36 torpedo-boat destroyers, all to be capable of, the "27-knotters", as a follow-on to the six prototype "26-knotters" ordered in the previous 1892–1893 Estimates. As was typical for torpedo craft at the time, the Admiralty left detailed design to the builders, laying down only broad requirements.[2] [3]
Powered by 8 Yarrow boilers,[4] this was the same 8 boiler configuration originally used on .[5] The ships produced 4000hp and could make . They were armed with one twelve pounder gun and two torpedo tubes and carried a complement of 53 officers and men.
Ordered under the 1893-94 Programme, the contract was placed on 7 February 1894. All three "turtle-back" destroyers were laid down in 1894, launched in 1895 and completed in 1896.
In September 1913 all three, like the other surviving 27-knotter destroyers, were re-classed as A Class destroyers.
They served in Home waters throughout the First World War, and all three were sold for breaking up in 1920.