HMS Fawn (1897)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Fawn.

HMS Fawn was a Palmer three funnel, 30 knot destroyer ordered by the Royal Navy under the 1896 – 1897 Naval Estimates. She was the fourth ship to carry this name.^[3][4]

HMS Fawn
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Fawn
Ordered	1896 – 1897 Naval Estimates
Builder	Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company Jarrow-on-Tyne
Laid down	5 September 1896
Launched	13 April 1897
Commissioned	December 1898
Out of service	Laid up in reserve 1919
Honours and awards	Belgian Coast 1914 - 1918
Fate	Sold for breaking, 23 July 1919
General characteristics
Class and type	Palmer three funnel, 30 knot destroyer[1][2]
Displacement	390 long tons (396 t) standard 420 long tons (427 t) full load
Length	219 ft 9 in (66.98 m) o/a
Beam	20 ft 9 in (6.32 m)
Draught	8 ft 11 in (2.72 m)
Installed power	6,000 shp (4,500 kW)
Propulsion	4 × Reed water tube boilers 2 × vertical triple-expansion steam engines 2 shafts
Speed	30 kn (56 km/h)
Range	80 tons coal 1,490 nmi (2,760 km) at 11 kn (20 km/h)
Complement	60 officers and men
Armament	1 × QF 12-pounder 12 cwt Mark I L/40 naval gun on a P Mark I low angle mount 5 × QF 6-pdr 8 cwt L/40 naval gun on a Mark I* low angle mount 2 × single tubes for 18-inch (450mm) torpedoes
Service record
Operations:	World War I 1914 - 1918

Construction

Fawn was laid down on 5 September 1896 at the Palmer shipyard at Jarrow-on-Tyne and launched on 13 April 1897. During her builder's trials she made her contracted speed requirement. She was completed and accepted by the Royal Navy in December 1898.^[3][4]

Pre-War

Fawn spent her early operational career in Home Waters operating with the Channel Fleet as part of the Portsmouth Flotilla. Lieutenant Christopher Powell Metcalfe was in command from 15 January 1901,^[5] but was succeeded only two months later in March that year. She was commissioned at Portsmouth on 27 August 1901 by Lieutenant and Commander J. A. Ingles and assigned to the Channel Fleet.^[6] On 2 April 1902 she was commissioned to relieve the destroyer Hardy at the Mediterranean station,^[7] under the command of Lieutenant Robert W. Myburgh.^[8] She left Portsmouth in late May,^[9] arriving at Malta on 9 June 1902.^[10] In September 1902 she visited Nauplia with other ships of the fleet,^[11] and in early January 1903 there was a similar three-weeks cruise in the Greek islands around Corfu.^[12] She returned to Home Waters in 1906.

On 30 August 1912, the Admiralty directed all destroyer classes were to be designated by alpha characters starting with the letter 'A'. Since her design speed was 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) and she had three funnels, she was assigned to the C class. After 30 September 1913, she was known as a C-class destroyer and had the letter ‘C’ painted on the hull below the bridge area and on either the fore or aft funnel.^[13]

World War I

In July 1914 Fawn was deployed in the 6th Destroyer Flotilla based at Dover. In November 1916 she was transferred to the 7th Flotilla on the Humber River. During her deployment there she was involved in anti-submarine and counter-mining patrols.

Disposition

In 1919 Fawn was paid off and laid-up in reserve awaiting disposal. She was sold on 23 July 1919 to Thos. W. Ward of Sheffield for breaking at New Holland, Lincolnshire, on the Humber Estuary.^[14]

She was awarded the Battle Honour Belgian Coast 1914 – 18 for her service.

Pennant numbers

Pennant number[14]	From	To
P94	6 Dec 1914	1 Sep 1915
D55	1 Sep 1915	1 Jan 1918
D38	1 Jan 1918	13 Sep 1918
H38	13 Sep 1918	23 Jul 1919

References

Note: All tabular data under General Characteristics only from the listed Jane's Fighting Ships volume unless otherwise specified

1. Jane, Fred T. (1969) [1905]. Jane’s Fighting Ships 1905. New York: first published by Sampson Low Marston, London 1905, Reprinted ARCO Publishing Company. p. 77.
2. Jane, Fred T. (1990) [1919, reprinted]. Jane’s Fighting Ships of World War I. Jane’s Publishing © 1919. p. 77. ISBN 1 85170 378 0.
3. Jane, Fred T. (1969) [1898]. Jane's All the World's Fighting Ships 1898. New York: first published by Sampson Low Marston, London 1898, Reprinted ARCO Publishing Company. pp. 84 to 85.
4. Jane, Fred T. (1990) [1919, reprinted]. Jane’s Fighting Ships of World War I. Jane’s Publishing © 1919. p. 76. ISBN 1 85170 378 0.
5. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36348. London. 10 January 1901. p. 8.
6. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36545. London. 28 August 1901. p. 8.
7. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36732. London. 3 April 1902. p. 4.
8. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36715. London. 14 March 1902. p. 9.
9. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36779. London. 28 May 1902. p. 9.
10. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36790. London. 10 June 1902. p. 12.
11. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36867. London. 8 September 1902. p. 8.
12. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36983. London. 21 January 1903. p. 8.
13. Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Conway Maritime Press. 2006 [1985, reprinted 1986, 1997, 2002, 2006]. pp. 17 to 19. ISBN 0 85177 245 5.
14. ""Arrowsmith" List – Part 1 Destroyer Prototypes through "River" Class". Retrieved 1 June 2013.

Bibliography

• Chesneau, Roger & Kolesnik, Eugene M., eds. (1979). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-133-5.
• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
• Dittmar, F. J. & Colledge, J. J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. Shepperton, UK: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0380-7.
• Friedman, Norman (2009). British Destroyers: From Earliest Days to the Second World War. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-049-9.
• Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
• Lyon, David (2001) [1996]. The First Destroyers. London: Caxton Editions. ISBN 1-84067-3648.
• Manning, T. D. (1961). The British Destroyer. London: Putnam & Co. OCLC 6470051.
• March, Edgar J. (1966). British Destroyers: A History of Development, 1892–1953; Drawn by Admiralty Permission From Official Records & Returns, Ships' Covers & Building Plans. London: Seeley Service. OCLC 164893555.