HMS Desperate (1896) facts for kids

Fame, a ship just like Desperate
Quick facts for kids History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Desperate
Ordered	10 May 1895
Builder	John I Thornycroft, Chiswick
Cost	£54,579
Yard number	305
Laid down	1 July 1895
Launched	15 February 1896
Commissioned	February 1897
Out of service	Laid up in reserve 1919
Fate	Sold for breaking, 20 May 1920
General characteristics
Class and type	Two funnel, 30 knot destroyer
Displacement	272 long tons (276 t) standard 352 long tons (358 t) full load
Length	210 ft (64 m) o/a
Beam	19 ft 6 in (5.94 m)
Draught	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Installed power	5,700 shp (4,300 kW)
Propulsion	3 × water tube boilers 2 × vertical triple-expansion steam engines 2 shafts
Speed	30 kn (56 km/h)
Range	80 tons coal 1,310 nmi (2,430 km) at 11 kn (20 km/h)
Complement	65 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 gun on a Mark I* low angle mount 2 × single tubes for 18-inch (450mm) torpedoes
Service record
Operations:	World War I 1914 - 1918

HMS Desperate was a fast destroyer (a type of warship) built for the Royal Navy in the late 1800s. She was known as a "30-knot" ship because of her speed. Launched in 1896, she served in different parts of the world, including the Mediterranean Sea, before World War I. During the war, she was based in Portsmouth, England. After the war, she was sold in 1920.

Building the Desperate

The ship was built at the John I. Thornycroft & Company shipyard in Chiswick, England. Her construction began on July 1, 1895. She was launched into the water on February 15, 1896. During her tests, she reached an amazing average speed of 30.3 knots. After her weapons were added in Portsmouth, the Royal Navy officially accepted her in February 1897. During her first sea trials, her average speed was about 25 knots.

In late 1902, Desperate received new spare boilers from the same company that built her.

Life at Sea: Desperate's Service

After joining the Royal Navy, Desperate was first sent to the Chatham Division of the Harwich Flotilla. On June 26, 1897, she took part in a special event. This was the Royal Naval Review at Spithead, celebrating Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.

Early Duties and Training

In January 1900, Desperate moved to Sheerness. Here, she helped with training at the Sheerness school of gunnery. She acted as a support ship for HMS Wildfire. A couple of months later, she moved to Chatham. Her job there was to replace another destroyer, Spitfire, in the Medway Fleet Reserve.

Mediterranean Adventures

In April 1900, an accident occurred near West Pier, Brighton. A boat from the ship was swamped, and sadly, some sailors were lost. Later in 1900, Desperate was sent to the British Mediterranean Fleet. This fleet was based in Malta. In September 1901, Lieutenant Edward Oliver Gladstone became her new commander. In September 1902, she visited the Aegean Sea with other ships. They took part in practice exercises near Nauplia.

Desperate stayed in the Mediterranean until November 1913. Then, she was ordered to return to her home waters in England.

World War I Service

On August 30, 1912, the Admiralty (the government body in charge of the Royal Navy) decided to give all destroyer classes letters. Desperate was put into the D class. This was because she matched the design of other destroyers in that group. After September 30, 1913, she was known as a D-class destroyer. She even had the letter 'D' painted on her hull near the bridge and on one of her funnels.

In July 1914, just before World War I began, she was part of the Portsmouth Local Flotilla. When the war started in August 1914, she was actively serving. She was attached to HMS Excellent, which was the gunnery school in Portsmouth. Desperate stayed there for the entire First World War.

The End of Desperate's Journey

In 1919, after the war, Desperate was taken out of service. She was kept in reserve, waiting to be sold. On May 20, 1920, she was sold to a company called Thos. W. Ward from Sheffield. They broke her up for scrap metal in Milford Haven, Wales.

Ship's Numbers

Ships often have special numbers called pennant numbers. These numbers help identify them. Here are the numbers Desperate had: