HMS Rother (1904)

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

History
Royal Navy EnsignUnited Kingdom
NameRother
Ordered1902–1903 Naval Estimates
BuilderPalmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company, Jarrow
Laid down23 March 1903
Launched5 January 1904
CommissionedMay 1905
Out of serviceIn 1919 she was laid up in reserve awaiting disposal
Fate23 July 1919 sold to Thos. W. Ward of Sheffield for breaking at Briton Ferry, Glamorgan in Wales
General characteristics
Class and typePalmer Type River Class destroyer[1][2]
Displacement
  • 550 long tons (559 t) standard
  • 620 long tons (630 t) full load
  • 223 ft 6 in (68.12 m) o/a
  • 23 ft 6 in (7.16 m) Beam
  • 7 ft 4.5 in (2.248 m) Draught
Propulsion
Speed25.5 kn (47.2 km/h)
Range
  • 140 tons coal
  • 1,620 nmi (3,000 km) at 11 kn (20 km/h)
Complement70 officers and men
Armament
Service record
Part of:
Operations: World War I

HMS Rother was a Palmer type River-class destroyer ordered by the Royal Navy under the 1902–1903 Naval Estimates. Named after the River Rother, east of Sheffield, South Yorkshire in England, she was the first ship to carry this name in the Royal Navy.

Construction[edit]

She was laid down on 23 March 1903 at the Palmer's shipyard at Jarrow and launched on 5 January 1904. She was completed in May 1905. Her original armament was to be the same as the turtleback torpedo boat destroyers that preceded her. In 1906 the Admiralty decided to upgrade the armament by landing the five 6-pounder naval guns and shipping three 12-pounder 8 hundredweight (cwt) guns. Two would be mounted abeam at the forecastle break and the third gun would be mounted on the quarterdeck.

Pre-War[edit]

After commissioning she was assigned to the East Coast Destroyer Flotilla of the 1st Fleet and based at Harwich. On 27 April 1908 the Eastern Flotilla departed Harwich for live fire and night manoeuvres. During these exercises the cruiser Attentive rammed and sank the destroyer Gala then damaged the destroyer Ribble.

In January 1909 Rother completed a refit at Sheerness before rejoining the Eastern Flotilla at Harwich.[3] In April 1909 she was assigned to the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla on its formation at Harwich.[citation needed] On 2 November 1909 the destroyer Crusader collided with Rother near the Longsand lightvessel. Rother was repaired at Harwich by the depot ship Blenheim.[4] She remained part of the Flotilla until displaced by a Basilisk Class destroyer by May 1912.

Rother had her boilers retubed at Pembroke Dockyard in 1912, joining the 5th Destroyer Flotilla on completion of the refit.[5] She was assigned to the 5th Destroyer Flotilla of the 2nd Fleet with a nucleus crew. On 30 August 1912 the Admiralty directed all destroyers were to be grouped into classes designated by letters, with the River-class becoming known officially as the E-Class.[6] The class letters were painted on the hull below the bridge area and on one of the funnels.[7]

A reorganisation of the Royal Navy's destroyer force took place in 1912, with older destroyers, no longer suitable for fleet use, being used to equip Patrol Flotillas. By March 1913, Rother was part of the 9th Destroyer Flotilla, a patrol flotilla based on the Nore.[8][9]

World War I[edit]

The role of the patrol flotillas was to prevent enemy ships from carrying out minelaying or torpedo attacks in the approaches to ports on the East coast, and to prevent raids by enemy ships.[10] Shortly before the commencement of hostilities, the 9th Flotilla was deployed to its war station in the northern part of the East coast of England.[11] While still a member of the 9th Flotilla in March 1915,[12] by June that year she had transferred to the Local Defence Flotilla based at Portsmouth.[13] In June 1916, Rother was part of a Portsmouth-based Escort Flotilla.[14]

Rother remained part of the Portsmouth-based Escort Flotilla until August 1917,[15] but was listed as part of the 7th Destroyer Flotilla, employed on convoy escort duties on the East coast of England, in September 1917.[16] She remained employed on convoy duties of the East coast of Britain, and on 10 December 1917 left Lerwick in Shetland with sister ship Moy as escort of a convoy of ships for East coast ports.[17] Rother remained part of the 7th Flotilla in January 1918,[18] but by February that year had transferred to the Portsmouth-based 1st Destroyer Flotilla.[19] She remained part of the 1st Flotilla at the end of the war.[20]

Disposition[edit]

By May 1919 she was paid off and listed for sale.[21] On 23 June 1919 she was sold to Thos. W. Ward of Sheffield for breaking at Briton Ferry, Glamorgan in Wales.[22] She was not awarded a Battle Honour for her service.

Pennant Numbers[edit]

Pennant Number[23] From To
N32 6 Dec 1914 1 Sep 1915
D29 1 Sep 1915 1 Jan 1918
D73 1 Jan 1918 23 Jun 1919

References[edit]

  1. ^ Jane 1905, p. 76.
  2. ^ Moore 1990, p. 76.
  3. ^ "Naval Matters—Past and Prospective: Sheerness Dockyard". The Marine Engineer and Naval Architect. Vol. 31. February 1909. p. 259.
  4. ^ "Naval Matters—Past and Prospective: Sheerness Dockyard". The Marine Engineer and Naval Architect. Vol. 32. December 1909. p. 174.
  5. ^ "Naval Matters—Part and Prospective: Pembroke Dockyard". The Marine Engineer and Naval Architect. Vol. 35. August 1912. pp. 18–19.
  6. ^ Gardiner and Gray 1985, p. 18.
  7. ^ Manning 1961, plate 43, following p.48.
  8. ^ Manning 1961, p. 25.
  9. ^ "Fleets and Squadrons in Commission at Home and Abroad: Patrol Flotillas". The Navy List. March 1913. p. 269d. Retrieved 20 December 2020 – via National Library of Scotland.
  10. ^ Naval Staff Monograph No. 7 1921, pp. 75–76.
  11. ^ Naval Staff Monograph No. 7 1921, pp. 77–78, 102.
  12. ^ "Supplement to the Naval List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officer's Commands &c.: I.—Home and Atlantic Waters: Patrol Flotillas". The Navy List. March 1915. p. 15. Retrieved 20 December 2020 – via National Library of Scotland.
  13. ^ "Supplement to the Naval List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officer's Commands &c.: VII.—Local Defence Flotillas". The Navy List. June 1915. p. 17. Retrieved 20 December 2020 – via National Library of Scotland.
  14. ^ "Supplement to the Naval List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officer's Commands &c.: VI.—Local Defence Flotillas". The Navy List. June 1916. p. 17. Retrieved 20 December 2020 – via National Library of Scotland.
  15. ^ "Supplement to the Naval List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officer's Commands &c.: IV.—Miscellaneous Ships in Home Waters or on Detached Service". The Navy List. August 1917. p. 14. Retrieved 22 December 2020 – via National Library of Scotland.
  16. ^ "Supplement to the Naval List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officer's Commands &c.: VI.—Vessels Under Rear-Admiral Commanding East Coast of England: Seventh Destroyer Flotilla". The Navy List. September 1917. p. 16. Retrieved 22 December 2020 – via National Library of Scotland.
  17. ^ Newbolt 1931, p. 186
  18. ^ "Supplement to the Naval List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officer's Commands &c.: VI.—Vessels Under Rear-Admiral Commanding East Coast of England: Seventh Destroyer Flotilla". The Navy List. January 1918. p. 16. Retrieved 23 December 2020 – via National Library of Scotland.
  19. ^ "Supplement to the Naval List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officer's Commands &c.: IV.—Miscellaneous Ships in Home Waters or on Detached Service: Destroyers and Patrol Boats (under C.-in-C. Portsmouth): 1st Destroyer Flotilla". The Navy List. February 1918. p. 14. Retrieved 23 December 2020 – via National Library of Scotland.
  20. ^ "Supplement to the Naval List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officer's Commands &c.: VII.—Local Defence and Escort Flotillas: First Destroyer Flotilla". The Navy List. December 1918. p. 16. Retrieved 23 December 2020 – via National Library of Scotland.
  21. ^ "List of Obsolete Vessels, and Vessels for Sale". The Navy List. May 1919. p. 1105a. Retrieved 23 December 2020 – via National Library of Scotland.
  22. ^ Dittmar and Colledge 1972, p. 59.
  23. ^ ""Arrowsmith" List – Part 1 Destroyer Prototypes through "River" Class". Retrieved 1 June 2013.

Bibliography[edit]

  • 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, Randall, eds. (1985). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
  • Jane, Fred T. (1969) [First published by Sampson Low Marston: London 1905]. Jane's Fighting Ships 1905/6. New York: ARCO Publishing Company.
  • 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.
  • Monograph No. 7: The Patrol Flotillas at the Commencement of the War (PDF). Naval Staff Monographs (Historical). Vol. III. The Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division. 1921. pp. 71–107.
  • Moore, John E. (1990). Jane's Fighting Ships of World War I. Studio Editions. p. 76. ISBN 1 85170 378 0.
  • Newbolt, Henry (1931). Naval Operations Vol. V. History of the Great War. London: Longmans, Green & Co.
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