HMS Stag (1899) facts for kids

HMS Stag
Quick facts for kids History
United Kingdom
Name	Stag
Ordered	1897 – 1897 Naval Estimates
Builder	Thornycroft, Chiswick
Yard number	334
Laid down	16 April 1898
Launched	18 November 1899
Commissioned	September 1900
Fate	Sold for breaking, 17 May 1921
General characteristics
Class and type	Two funnel, 30 knot destroyer
Displacement	286 long tons (291 t) light 371 long tons (377 t) full load
Length	210 ft (64 m) o/a
Beam	19 ft 9 in (6.02 m)
Draught	7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)
Installed power	5,800 shp (4,300 kW)
Propulsion	3 × Thornycroft water tube boilers 2 × vertical triple-expansion steam engines 2 shafts
Speed	30 kn (56 km/h)
Complement	63 officers and men
Armament	1 × QF 12-pounder 12 cwt Mark Igun 5 × QF 6-pdr 8 cwt L/40 gun 2 × single tubes for 18-inch (450 mm) torpedoes
Service record
Operations:	World War I 1914 - 1918

HMS Stag was a fast destroyer built for the Royal Navy. She was part of the "D class" of destroyers, known for having two funnels and being able to reach speeds of 30 knots (about 55 km/h). Stag was the sixth ship to have this name. She was launched in 1899 and first served in the Mediterranean Sea. During World War I, she helped protect ships in the North Sea and Irish Sea. After the war, she was sold in 1921.

Building and Design

The British Admiralty ordered Stag from a company called Thornycroft on 7 September 1897. She was one of several "thirty-knotter" destroyers ordered that year. Stag was a slightly improved version of earlier designs. She had a bit more power and was wider.

Stag's design included three special water-tube boilers. These boilers made steam at high pressure. The steam powered two triple-expansion steam engines. These engines were very powerful, producing about 5,800 horsepower. The ship had two funnels to let out the smoke.

The ship was about 64 meters (210 feet) long overall. Her beam (width) was about 6 meters (19 feet 9 inches). Her draught (how deep she sat in the water) was about 2.3 meters (7 feet 6 inches). When fully loaded, she weighed about 371 tonnes (370.6 long tons). Her crew included 63 officers and sailors.

Stag was designed to be fast. She had to reach a speed of 30 knots (about 55 km/h) during her tests. For defense, she carried one main gun, a 12-pounder gun. She also had five smaller 6-pounder guns. For attacking other ships, she had two torpedo tubes. These tubes could fire 18-inch (450 mm) torpedoes. The front part of the ship had a curved, protective deck called a "turtleback forecastle".

Workers started building Stag on 16 April 1898 at Thornycroft's shipyard in Chiswick. She was launched into the water on 18 November 1899. During her official tests on 19 June 1900, Stag proved she was very fast. She reached 30.55 knots (about 56.6 km/h) over a measured mile. She was officially accepted into the Royal Navy in September 1900.

Early Years and Mediterranean Service

In February 1902, Lieutenant and Commander B. A. Austen took command of Stag. She was prepared for service at Chatham and joined the Instructional Flotilla. This group of ships helped train sailors. A few weeks later, Lieutenant John Maxwell D. E. Warren became her commander.

In September 1902, Stag was sent to the Mediterranean Sea. She was placed in the fleet reserve at Malta. This meant she was ready for action but not actively patrolling. Her crew returned home.

On 22 November 1910, Stag had a small accident. She collided with another destroyer, HMS Mallard. Both ships had some damage to their front parts. Two larger cruisers, HMS Aboukir and HMS Bacchante, helped them. The damaged destroyers were taken to Syracuse, Sicily for repairs. Stag stayed with the Mediterranean Fleet until 1913.

In 1912, the Admiralty decided to group all destroyers into classes. These classes were named by letters based on their speed and how they looked. Since Stag had two funnels and a contract speed of 30 knots, she was placed in the "D class". These class letters were painted on the ship's hull and on a funnel.

By February 1913, Stag was still part of the Mediterranean Fleet. However, by April, she was laid up at Malta. This meant she was temporarily out of service, waiting for new crews to arrive from Devonport. Stag left Malta in November 1911 and arrived in Plymouth on 1 December. When she returned to the UK, she joined the 6th Destroyer Flotilla. This group was based at Devonport and patrolled the coast. Their job in peacetime was to train, but in wartime, they would defend the East Coast. They would stop enemy ships and protect ports. In January, Stag moved to the 8th Destroyer Flotilla, based at Chatham.

World War I Service

In July 1914, just before World War I began, Stag was still with the 8th Destroyer Flotilla. This group was based at Chatham. On 27 July, as war seemed likely, the 8th Flotilla was ordered to Rosyth. Their mission was to defend the Firth of Forth. On 3 August, the day before the United Kingdom declared war on Germany, the flotilla was ordered to sea to begin its wartime duties.

On 25 September 1914, while on patrol near the Isle of May, Stag reported that two torpedoes had just missed her. She believed an unknown submarine had fired them. However, later records from Germany showed that no submarine was in a position to attack Stag that day. So, her report was likely a mistake.

Stag remained with the 8th Flotilla until July 1917. In August, she moved to the 7th Destroyer Flotilla. This group was responsible for escorting convoys (groups of merchant ships) along the east coast of England. Stag stayed with the 7th Flotilla until January 1918. In February, she returned to the 8th Destroyer Flotilla on the Firth of Forth. By March, she had moved again, this time to the Irish Sea Flotilla. She remained based in Ireland, helping to protect ships in the Irish Sea, until the end of the war.

End of Service

In January 1919, after the war ended, Stag was laid up at the Nore. This meant she was taken out of active service. She was sold on 17 May 1921 to a company called Thos. W. Ward. They broke her up for scrap metal at Grays, Essex on the Thames Estuary.

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