HMS Negro (1916) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids History |
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|---|---|
 United Kingdom |
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| Builder | Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company |
| Launched | 8 March 1916 |
| Fate | Sank following collision 21 December 1916 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Admiralty M-class destroyer |
| Displacement |
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| Length | 269 ft (82 m) |
| Beam | 27 ft 6 in (8.38 m) |
| Draught |
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| Propulsion | 3 shafts, steam turbines, 25,000 shp (18,642 kW) |
| Speed | 34 knots (39.1 mph; 63.0 km/h) |
| Range | 237–298 tons fuel oil |
| Complement | 80 |
| Armament |
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'HMS Negro was a fast warship called an Admiralty M-class destroyer in the Royal Navy. She was built by a company called Palmers and launched on March 8, 1916. Sadly, Negro sank after a crash with another ship, HMS Hoste, in the North Sea on December 21, 1916. Explosives from Hoste went off, causing serious damage to Negros hull. This ship was the second Royal Navy vessel to be named Negro.
Contents
Understanding the Admiralty M-Class Destroyers
The Admiralty M-class destroyers were improved versions of earlier ships, designed to be quicker. These ships were quite large, weighing about 971 long tons (which is about 987,000 kilograms).
Key Features of the Destroyers
Each destroyer was about 273 feet (83.2 meters) long. They were 26 feet 8 inches (8.1 meters) wide and sat about 9 feet 8 inches (2.9 meters) deep in the water.
How They Moved: Power and Speed
These ships used three steam turbine engines, each turning a propeller. These engines produced a lot of power, allowing the ships to reach a top speed of 34 knots (about 39 miles per hour or 63 kilometers per hour). They could carry enough fuel oil to travel about 2,100 nautical miles (3,900 kilometers) at a speed of 15 knots. A crew of 76 officers and sailors worked on each ship.
Weapons on Board
The destroyers were armed with three large 4-inch (102 mm) guns. They also had two smaller 1.5-pounder (37 mm) anti-aircraft guns to shoot down enemy aircraft. Later, these smaller guns were replaced with two 2-pounder (40 mm) "pom-pom" anti-aircraft guns. For attacking other ships, they had two sets of twin torpedo tubes that fired 21-inch (533 mm) torpedoes.
Building HMS Negro
When World War I started, the Royal Navy needed many new destroyers quickly. This was to replace ships that might be lost in battle. Because of this urgent need, the navy ordered many ships of existing designs, like the M-class.
Negro was one of ten M-class destroyers ordered in November 1914. Her construction began in January 1915 at the Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company shipyard in Jarrow. She was officially launched on March 8, 1916, and was ready for service by May 1916.
HMS Negro's Time in Service
After being completed, Negro joined the 13th Destroyer Flotilla, which was part of the Grand Fleet. She was too new to join her group in the Battle of Jutland in May 1916. However, after the battle, she helped escort the damaged battleship Warspite safely back to port.
On August 18, 1916, the Grand Fleet sailed out to respond to German ships. The two fleets did not meet. As the British fleet headed home, the light cruiser Falmouth was hit by two torpedoes from a German submarine. Negro, along with other destroyers, rushed to help. They escorted the damaged Falmouth towards the Humber estuary. Even with many destroyers protecting her, Falmouth was hit by two more torpedoes on August 20 and sank the next day.
The Sinking of HMS Negro
On December 19, 1916, the Grand Fleet left Scapa Flow for training exercises. On December 20, the ship Hoste had a problem with her steering. She was sent back to Scapa, with Negro as her escort.
In the early morning of December 21, the weather was very bad, with strong winds and rough seas. Hoste's steering failed again, causing her to suddenly turn. Negro, following about 400 yards (366 meters) behind, crashed into Hoste.
The collision caused two depth charges (underwater explosives) to fall from Hoste's back. These charges exploded, severely damaging Hostes rear and tearing a hole in the bottom of Negros hull. Negros engine room quickly filled with water, and she sank fast. Despite efforts to rescue them, 51 officers and men from Negros crew died.
Other destroyers, Marmion and Marvel, tried to tow the damaged Hoste back to safety. After a few hours, Hoste began to sink. Even in the terrible storm, Marvel bravely pulled alongside Hoste twelve times to rescue her crew. Marvel was damaged from the repeated bumps, but she managed to save all but four of Hoste's crew before Hoste finally sank. In total, 8 officers and 126 men were rescued by Marvel.
