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HMSHighflyer(1898)

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For other ships with the same name, seeHMS Highflyer.

Highflyerat anchor
History
United Kingdom
NameHMSHighflyer
BuilderFairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering,Govan
Laid down7 June 1897
Launched4 June 1898
ChristenedEthel, Mrs. Francis Elgar
Commissioned7 December 1899
FateSold forscrap,10 June 1921
General characteristics
Class and typeHighflyer-classprotected cruiser
Displacement5,650 long tons (5,740 t)
Length
  • 350 ft (110 m) (p.p.)
  • 372 ft (113 m) (o/a)
Beam54 ft (16.5 m)
Draught21 ft 6 in (6.6 m)
Installed power
Propulsion
Speed20kn(37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement470
Armament
Armour

HMSHighflyerwas thelead shipof theHighflyer-classprotected cruisersbuilt for theRoyal Navyin the 1890s. She spent her early career asflagshipfor theEast IndiesandNorth America and West Indies Stations.She was reduced toreservein 1908 before again becoming the flagship in the East Indies in 1911. She returned home two years later and became atraining ship.When World War I began in August 1914, she was assigned to the9th Cruiser Squadronin the Central Atlantic to intercept Germancommerce raidersand protectAlliedshipping.

Days after the war began, she intercepted a Dutch ship carrying German troops and gold. She then sank the Germanarmed merchant cruiserSMSKaiser Wilhelm der Grosseoff the coast ofSpanish Sahara.Highflyerspent most of the rest of the war on convoy escort duties and was present inHalifaxduring theHalifax Explosionin late 1917. She became flagship of the East Indies Station after the war. The ship was sold forscrapin 1921.

Design and description

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The two 6-inch guns on hersister shipHermes's quarterdeck

Highflyerwas designed todisplace5,650 long tons (5,740 t). The ship had anoverall lengthof 372 feet (113.4 m), abeamof 54 feet (16.5 m) and adraughtof 29 feet 6 inches (9.0 m). She was powered by two 4-cylindertriple-expansion steam engines,each driving one shaft, which produced a total of 10,000indicated horsepower(7,500 kW) designed to give a maximum speed of 20knots(37 km/h; 23 mph).Highflyerreached a speed of 20.1 knots (37.2 km/h; 23.1 mph) from 10,344 ihp (7,714 kW), during hersea trials.The engines were powered by 18Belleville boilers.[1]She carried a maximum of 1,125 long tons (1,143 t) of coal and her complement consisted of 470 officers and ratings.[2]

Her main armament consisted of 11quick-firing (QF)6-inch (152 mm) Mk I guns.[3]One gun was mounted on theforecastleand two others were positioned on thequarterdeck.The remaining eight guns were placedport and starboardamidships.[4]They had a maximum range of approximately 10,000 yards (9,100 m) with their 100-pound (45 kg) shells.[5]Eightquick-firing (QF)12-pounder 12 cwt gunswere fitted for defence againsttorpedo boats.One additional12-pounder 8 cwt guncould be dismounted for service ashore.[2]Highflyeralso carried six3-pounderHotchkiss gunsand two submerged18-inchtorpedo tubes.[1]

The ship's protectivedeckarmour ranged in thickness from 1.5 to 3 inches (38 to 76 mm). The engine hatches were protected by 5-inch (127 mm) of armour. The main guns were fitted with 3-inchgun shieldsand theconning towerhad armour 6 inches thick.[1]

Construction and service

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Highflyerwaslaid downbyFairfield Shipbuilding & Engineeringat their shipyard inGovan,Scotlandon 7 June 1897, andlaunchedon 4 June 1898, when she was christened by Mrs. Elgar, wife ofFrancis Elgar,a director of the shipbuilding company, who held a speech.[6]She was completed on 7 December 1899[1]andcommissionedby CaptainFrederic Brocktemporarily for the Training squadron.[7]

In February 1900 she received her first commissioned, to serve in theIndian Oceanas the flagship ofRear-Admiral Day Bosanquet,theCommander-in-Chief, East Indies,[8]based atTrincomalee.She visitedRangoonandBombayin January 1901.[9]CaptainArthur Christianwas appointed in command of the ship in June 1902, asFlag captainto Rear-AdmiralCharles Carter Drury,[10]who succeeded Bosanquet as Commander-in-Chief of the Station. She was atMauritiusin August 1902 where she took part in local celebrations for theCoronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra,[11]and in November that year visitedColombo.[12]

She was transferred to the North America and West Indies Station in 1904 and served as its flagship until November 1906 when returned to the East Indies Station.Highflyerwas placed in reserve atDevonport Royal Dockyardin 1908 and then assigned to the reserve Third Fleet in 1910. She was again assigned as the flagship of the Commander-in-Chief, East Indies, in February 1911 until departing for home in April 1913. In August 1913 she became the training ship for Special EntryCadets.[13]

In August 1914 she was allocated to the 9th Cruiser Squadron, underRear AdmiralJohn de Robeck,on theFinisterre station.She leftPlymouthon 4 August, in the company of the admiral onHMSVindictive.[14]The Dutchocean linerTubantia,was returning from South America when the war began with £500,000 in gold destined for banks in London, a large portion of which was intended for the German Bank of London.[15]She was also carrying about 150 German reservists insteerageand a cargo of grain destined for Germany.[15][16]She was stopped and boarded by an officer and crewmen fromHighflyer,[16]and escorted into port at Plymouth.[15]

She was then transferred to theCape Verdestation, to support Rear AdmiralArchibald Stoddart's5th Cruiser Squadronin the hunt for the Germanarmed merchant cruiserSSKaiser Wilhelm der Grosse.She had been sighted atRío de Oro,a Spanish anchorage on theSaharancoast. On 26 AugustHighflyerfound the German ship taking on coal from threecolliers.Highflyer's captain demanded that the Germans surrender. The captain ofKaiser Wilhelm der Grosseclaimed the protection of neutral waters, but as he was breaking that neutrality himself by staying for more than a week, his claim was denied.Fightingbroke out at 15:10, and lasted until 16:45, when the crew ofKaiser Wilhelm der Grosseabandoned ship and escaped to the shore. The German ship was sunk, with the British losing one man killed (Richard James Lobb) and five injured in the engagement.[17]In mid-1916 thePrize Courtawarded the crew ofHighflyer£2,680 for the sinking of the German ship.[18]

On 15 OctoberHighflyerbriefly became the flagship of the Cape Verde station, when Stoddard was ordered toPernambuco,Brazil. Later in the same month she was ordered to accompany the transport ships carrying theCapegarrisonback to Britain and then searched the Atlantic coast of North Africa for the Germanlight cruiserSMSKarlsruhe.After theBattle of Coronelin November,Highflyercame back under the control of Admiral de Robeck, as part of a squadron formed to guard West Africa against AdmiralMaximilian von Spee.This squadron, consisting of the cruisersHMSWarrior,HMSBlack Prince,HMSDonegalandHighflyerwas in place offSierra Leonefrom 12 November, but was soon dispersed after thebattle of the Falklandsin December.[19]Highflyerthen took part in the search for the commerce raiderKronprinz Wilhelm,coming close to catching her in January 1915.[20]She remained on the West Africa station until she was transferred to the North America and West Indies Squadron in 1917.[21]

This was the period ofunrestricted submarine warfare,and theAdmiraltyeventually decided to operate a convoy system in the North Atlantic. On 10 July 1917Highflyerprovided the escort for convoy HS 1, the first convoy to sail from Canada to Britain.[22]She was in Halifax for the Halifax Explosion on 6 December 1917 when the Frenchammunition shipSSMont-Blancexploded destroying much of the city.Highflyerlaunched awhaleboatbefore the explosion to investigate the fire aboardMont-Blanc;the ship exploded before they reached her, killing nine of ten men in the boat. Many aboard the ship were injured by blast and she was lightly damaged herself. Her crew provided medical care to survivors and helped to clear debris. She departed Halifax on 11 December to escort a convoy to Plymouth.[23]

Highflyerreturned to the East Indies Station in 1918 and waspaid offatBombayin March 1919. She was recommissioned in July as the station flagship and served until she was paid off in early 1921[24]and sold for scrap there on 10 June.[25]

Notes

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  1. ^"Cwt" is the abbreviation forhundredweight,12 cwt referring to the weight of the gun.

Footnotes

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  1. ^abcdChesneau & Kolesnik, p. 79
  2. ^abFriedman 2012, p. 336
  3. ^Friedman 2011, p. 87
  4. ^Friedman 2012, p. 171
  5. ^Friedman 2011, pp. 87–88
  6. ^"Naval & Military intelligence".The Times.No. 35535. London. 6 June 1898. p. 12.
  7. ^"Naval & Military Intelligence".The Times.No. 36040. London. 16 January 1900. p. 9.
  8. ^"Naval & Military Intelligence".The Times.No. 36399. London. 11 March 1901. p. 10.
  9. ^"Naval & Military intelligence".The Times.No. 36347. London. 9 January 1901. p. 8.
  10. ^"Naval & Military intelligence".The Times.No. 36758. London. 3 May 1902. p. 14.
  11. ^"Mauritius and the Coronation".The Times.No. 36873. London. 15 September 1902. p. 4.
  12. ^"Naval & Military intelligence".The Times.No. 36926. London. 15 November 1902. p. 12.
  13. ^Friedman 2012, p. 170; Gardiner & Gray, p. 13
  14. ^Corbett, Vol. I, pp. 41–42
  15. ^abc"British capture $2,500,000 prize".The Washington Post.8 August 1914. p. 1.
  16. ^ab"3,600 refugees home on 2 ships".The New York Times.18 August 1914. p. 5.
  17. ^Corbett, Vol. I, pp. 134–35
  18. ^"Prize Money for Warship".The Argus.Melbourne. 5 July 1916. p. 10.Retrieved29 November2012– via National Library of Australia.
  19. ^Corbett, Vol. I, pp. 329, 365, 371
  20. ^Corbett, Vol. II, pp. 245, 252–53
  21. ^Friedman 2012, p. 170
  22. ^Newbolt, Vol. V, pp. 52–53
  23. ^Transcript
  24. ^Gardiner & Gray, p. 13
  25. ^Colledge, p. 163

Bibliography

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Sources

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