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HMSNymphe(1911)

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For other ships with the same name, seeHMS Nymphe.

History
United Kingdom
NameNymphe
NamesakeAn alternative spelling ofnymph,a femalenature deityinAncient Greek folklore
BuilderR. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company,Hebburn
Laid down8 December 1909
Launched31 January 1911
CompletedMay 1911
FateSold to bebroken up9 May 1921
General characteristics (as built)
Class and typeAcorn-classdestroyer
Displacement
Length
  • 246 ft (75 m) (o.a.)
  • 240 ft (73 m) (p.p.)
Beam25 ft 5 in (7.7 m)
Draught8 ft 6 in (2.6 m)
Installed power4White-Forster boilers13,500shp(10,100kW)
PropulsionParsonssteam turbines,3shafts
Speed27kn(50 km/h; 31 mph)
Range1,540nmi(2,850 km; 1,770 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement72
Armament

HMSNymphewas one of 20Acorn-class(later H-class)destroyersbuilt for theRoyal Navythat served in theFirst World War.TheAcornclass were smaller than the precedingBeagleclassbutoil-fired and better armed. Launched in 1911, the ship served with the2nd Destroyer Flotilla,joining theGrand Fleetat the start of the war in 1914, and was transferred toPortsmouthin early 1916. She joined the5th Destroyer Flotillain theMediterraneanin 1918. She was placed inreservein 1919 and was sold in 1921 to bebroken up.

Design and description

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Main article:Acorn-class destroyer

After the preceding coal-burningBeagleclass,theAcorn-classdestroyersaw a return tooil-firing. Pioneered by theTribal classof 1905 andHMSSwiftof 1907, using oil enabled a more efficient design, leading to a smaller vessel which also had increased deck space available for weaponry.[1]Unlike previous destroyer designs, where the individual yards had been given discretion within the parameters set by theAdmiralty,theAcornclass were a set, with the propulsion machinery the only major variation between the different ships.[2]This enabled costs to be reduced.[3]The class was later renamed H class.[4]

Nymphehad a length of 240 feet (73 m)between perpendicularsand 246 ft (75 m)overall,with abeamof 25 ft 5 in (7.7 m) and a deepdraughtof 8 ft 6 in (2.6 m).Displacementwas 730long tons(820short tons;740tonnes)normaland 855 long tons (869 t)full load.[5]Power was provided byParsonssteam turbinesfed by fourWhite-Forster boilersand driving threeshafts.[6]Threefunnelswere fitted, the foremost tall and thin, the central short and thick and theaftnarrow.[7]The engines were rated at 13,500 shaft horsepower (10,100 kW) which gave a design speed of 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph). On trial,Nympheachieved 28.7 knots (53.2 km/h; 33.0 mph).[4]The vessel carried 170 long tons (170 t) of fuel oil which gave a range of 1,540nautical miles(2,850 km; 1,770 mi) at a cruising speed of 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph).[5][6]

Armament consisted of two singleBL 4 in (102 mm) Mk VIIIguns, one carried on theforecastleand another aft. Two singleQF 12-pounder 3 in (76 mm) gunswere mounted between the first two funnels.[8]Two rotating21-inch (533 mm)torpedo tubeswere mounted aft of the funnels, with two reloads carried, and asearchlightfitted between the tubes.[9]The destroyer was later modified to carry a singleVickersQF 3-pounder2 in (47 mm)anti-aircraftgun anddepth chargesforanti-submarine warfare.[10]Theship's complementwas 72 officers andratings.[6]

Construction

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The 20 destroyers of theAcornclass were ordered by the Admiralty under the 1909–1910 Naval Programme. One of three in the class sourced fromR. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company,Nymphewaslaid downat the company'sHebburnshipyard on 8 December 1909 with yard number 1315 andlaunchedon 31 January 1911.[11]The ship was completed in May 1911, the seventh ship inRoyal Navyservice to be named for thenymph,and the sixth to use the variant spelling "nymphe."

Service history

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1911–1914

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Oncommissioningin 1911,Nymphejoined the rest of theAcorn-class destroyers in the2nd Destroyer Flotilla,an element of the2nd Divisionof theHome Fleet.Nympheand hersister shipsAcorn,Alarm,Larne,Lyra,Nemesis,andRiflemanconducted high-speedtrialsin the Atlantic Ocean offBerehaven,Ireland, on 1 July 1911 and all achieved 28knots(52 km/h; 32 mph) despite rough weather. All suffered damage, however, and by the time they reachedPortsmouth,England, on 4 July 1911, they all were leaking and had water in theirfuel oilbunkers,requiring repair bydivers.Nymphesuffered the greatest damage, with flooding in hermagazinesas well, ruining herammunition.[11]On 16 October 1911, a 6-pounder gun aboardNympheburst during night-firing exercises offWeymouth,England, slightly injuring oneofficer.[11]

The 2nd Destroyer Flotilla was transferred to theFirst Fleetin 1912. In late April 1914,Nympheand two other destroyers patrolled inDundrum Bay,County Down, on the coast of Ireland to interdict the smuggling of weapons into Ireland.[11]In July 1914,Nymphewas one of 20 destroyers in the First Fleet's Second Flotilla.[11]

World War I

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World War Ibegan on 28 July 1914, and the United Kingdom entered the war on the side of theAllieson 4 August 1914. With the outbreak of war, the First Fleet became theGrand Fleet.[11]

At 10:30 on 15 October 1914, theImperial German NavysubmarineU-9torpedoedand sank theprotected cruiserHMSHawkein theNorth SeaoffAberdeen,Scotland.Nympheand the destroyersAlarm,Lyra,andNemesisput to sea that day to patrol in the eastern approaches toScapa Flow.At about 13.30NymphesightedU-9′speriscope,alerted the other destroyers, and steered to ramU-9.Nymphe′s ramming attempt failed.U-9fired a torpedo which missedNymphe′sbowby an only a few feet before passing down herstarboardside, then passed in front ofNemesisand forcedAlarmto take evasive action by making a hard turn to port.[11]

Nympheaccompanied the Grand Fleet when it put to sea for exercises on 15 March 1915. Operating in heavy seas, she soon collided withNemesis,and the fleet's destroyers received orders to return to port because of the bad weather.[11]

In February 1916,Nymphewas the lastAcorn-class destroyer operating with the Grand Fleet, and by March 1916 she had left the fleet and was based at Portsmouth. In May 1916 she was serving as a temporarytenderto the shore establishmentHMSVernon,the Royal Navy Torpedo School at Portsmouth. From July to November 1916 she was part of the Portsmouth Local Defence Flotilla, also known as the Port Defence Flotilla. During the night of 7–8 December 1916, she came to the assistance of themerchant shipSSConch,which had been carrying a cargo ofbenzenewhen the German submarineUB-23torpedoed her offSt Alban's Head.NymphefoundConchengulfed by a massive fire and rescued herchief engineerand some other members of her crew.[11]

Nympheserved with the Paravane Department at Portsmouth from January 1917 to February 1918, developing theparavaneas a weapon for use against submarines andnaval mines.She was listed as part of the Portsmouth Escort Flotilla in January 1917 and the Portsmouth Local Defence Flotilla in June 1917 while performing her paravane work.[11]

On 17 May 1917,Nymphecame to the defence of the BritishsteamerFlorence Louise.The German submarineUB-40had stoppedFlorence Louisein theEnglish Channeland ordered her crew to abandon ship so that she could sinkFlorence Louise.Florence Louise′s crew had already taken to thelifeboatswhenNymphearrived and forcedUB-40to submerge.Florence Louise′s crew returned to their ship and resumed their voyage unescorted. A few hours later,UB-40again stopped her, ordered her crew to abandon ship again, and sank her with explosive charges.[11]

Nymphesuffered an internal explosion while operating in the English Channel on 9 July 1917. The explosion killed four members of her crew and injured a fifth man who later died of his injuries.[11]

Nympheserved another tour as tender for HMSVernonin March and April 1918. She then was assigned to service in theMediterranean,where she rejoined the rest of theAcornclass when she became poart of the5th Destroyer Flotillain May 1918.[11]

On the evening of 18 June 1918,Nymphebecame the victim of afriendly fireincident while on patrol with the destroyerHMSDefenderin theStrait of Otranto.Also in the area was a unit of threeUnited States Navysubmarine chasers—USSSC-94,USSSC-151,andUSSSC-227— on anantisubmarinepatrol. At 21:00, the submarine chasers′hydrophonesdetected sounds which their crews assumed were coming from a submarine. The submarine chasers followed the sounds until 22:40, when they grew louder and the submarine chaser crews interpreted them as coming from a submarine on the surface. All three submarine chasers headed toward the source of the sound atflank speedand soon sightedNympheandDefender,identifying them merely as two low-lying objects in the water which the submarine chaser crews believed wereCentral Powerssubmarines. The submarine chasers challenged the British destroyers with recognition signals flashed several times by blinker light.NympheandDefenderdid not respond, so the submarine chasers opened fire, withSC-94firing two rounds andSC-151firing one. One ofSC-94′s shots hitNymphe,severing a steam line and putting one of hersteam enginesout of commission.NympheandDefenderimmediately flashed lights at the submarine chasers, which ceased fire, went alongside the destroyers, and discovered their identities. When the submarine chaser crews asked why the destroyers had not answered the recognition signals, the crews ofNympheandDefenderreplied that they had orders not to use recognition signals, a restriction unknown to the submarine chaser crews because of a lack of a unified Allied command in the area.DefendertookNympheintow,and the submarine chasers resumed their antisubmarine patrol. Discussing the incident in a letter to the BritishAdmiralty,the commander ofUnited States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters,Vice AdmiralWilliam Sims,wrote: "While it appears that, under attendant circumstances, thecommanding officersof the submarine chasers were justified in opening fire on the destroyers, I nevertheless wish to express regret that the incident occurred, and that H.M.S.Nympheshould have sustained damage. "[12]

In July and August 1918 the 5th Destroyer Flotilla was based atBrindisi,Italy.On 2 October 1918,Nymphesupported theAllied bombardmentofAustro-Hungarianforces atDurazzo,Albania,protecting the southern flank of the main bombardment force and supporting a force of U.S. Navy submarine chasers. In November 1918, she was one of 14 H-class destroyers in the 5th Destroyer Flotilla, which by then was based atMudrosin theAegean Sea.World War I ended with thearmistice with Germanyof 11 November 1918.[11]

Later service and disposal

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From December 1918 to February 1919,Nymphewas part of theBritish Aegean Squadron,as were all other surviving ships of her class exceptLyra.In February 1919, she was listed as part of the destroyer flotilla atMalta.In November 1919, she was not listed as an active ship.[11]She was sold on 9 May 1921 to bebroken up.

References

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Citations

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  1. ^Brown 2010,p. 69.
  2. ^Brassey 1912,p. 28.
  3. ^Brown 2010,p. 68.
  4. ^abParkes & Prendergast 1969,p. 113.
  5. ^abFriedman 2009,p. 295.
  6. ^abcPreston 1985,p. 74.
  7. ^Friedman 2009,p. 119.
  8. ^March 1966,p. 112.
  9. ^Friedman 2009,p. 211.
  10. ^Friedman 2009,p. 147.
  11. ^abcdefghijklmnoRickard, J (22 April 2021), HMS Nymphe (1911), Accessed 30 March 2023
  12. ^Doughty, Leonard, Jr., Lieutenant Commander, "Mistaken Attacks in the World War,"Proceedings,October 1934.

Bibliography

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  • Brassey, Thomas(1912).The Navy Annual 1912.Portsmouth: J. Griffin & Co.
  • Brown, David K. (2010).The Grand Fleet: Warship Design and Development 1906–1922.Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing.ISBN978-1-84832-085-7.
  • Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006).Ships of the Royal Navy: a complete record of all fighting ships of the Royal Navy from the 15th century to the present.London: Chatham.ISBN978-1-85367-566-9.
  • Friedman, Norman (2009).British Destroyers: From Earliest Days to the First World War.Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing.ISBN978-1-84832-049-9.
  • March, Edgar J. (1966).British Destroyers: A History of Development, 1892–1953.London: Seeley Service.OCLC164893555.
  • Parkes, Oscar; Prendergast, Maurice (1969).Jane's Fighting Ships 1919.Newton Abbott: David & Charles.OCLC907574860.
  • Preston, Antony (1985). "Great Britain and Empire Forces". In Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Randal (eds.).Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921.London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 1–104.ISBN978-0-85177-245-5.


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