1. Construction and design

2. Service history

3. Notes

4. References

5. External links

HMS Boxer was an {{sclass-|Ardent|destroyer}} which served with the Royal Navy, launched on 28 November 1894.^[1] She spent several years operating with the Mediterranean Fleet and remained active during the First World War. She was sunk in a collision on 8 February 1918.

Construction and design

On 12 October 1893, the British Admiralty placed an order for three torpedo boat destroyers ({{HMS|Ardent|1894|2}}, Boxer and {{HMS|Bruizer|1895|2}}) with the shipbuilder Thornycroft under the 1893–1894 shipbuilding programme for the Royal Navy as a follow-on to the two prototype destroyers ({{HMS|Daring|1893|2}} and {{HMS|Decoy|1894|2}}) ordered from Thornycroft under the 1892–1893 programme.^[2]{{#tag:ref|Three more destroyers were ordered from Yarrow on the same date, while a further 30 destroyers were later ordered from other shipbuilders under the same programme.^[3]|group=lower-alpha}}

The Admiralty did not specify a standard design for destroyers, laying down broad requirements, including a trial speed of {{convert|27|kn|mph km/h}}, a "turtleback" forecastle and armament, which was to vary depending on whether the ship was to be used in the torpedo boat or gunboat role.^[4] As a torpedo boat, the planned armament was a single QF 12 pounder 12 cwt ({{convert|3|in|mm|abbr=on}} calibre) gun on a platform on the ship's conning tower (in practice the platform was also used as the ship's bridge), together with a secondary gun armament of three 6-pounder guns, and two 18 inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes. As a gunboat, one of the torpedo tubes could be removed to accommodate a further two six-pounders.^[5][6]

Thornycroft's design (known as the {{sclass-|Ardent|destroyer|0}}) was {{convert|201|ft|8|in|m}} long overall and {{convert|201|ft|6|in|m}} between perpendiculars, with a beam of {{convert|19|ft|m|2}} and a draught of {{convert|7|ft|3+1/4|in|m|2}}. Displacement was {{convert|245|LT|t}} light and {{convert|301|LT|t}} full load.^[7] Three Thornycroft water-tube boilers fed steam to 2 four-cylinder triple-expansion steam engines rated at {{convert|4200|ihp|kW}}. Two funnels were fitted.^[7][8] The ship's complement was 45 officers and men.^[9]

Service history

In May 1896 Boxer joined the Mediterranean Squadron,^[10] taking part in trials to determine the optimum colour scheme for torpedo craft in order to reduce the chance of being spotted in night attacks.^[11] She remained part of the Mediterranean Squadron in 1901.^[12] From 1 January 1902 she was commanded by Lieutenant Bertram Owen Frederick Phibbs.^[13] She underwent repairs to re-tube her boilers in 1902,^[14] following which Lieutenant Phibbs was back in command when she visited Lemnos in August.^[15][16]

By June 1915, the First World War had brought a return to active service, with Boxer forming part of the Portsmouth Local Defence Flotilla.^[23] Boxer collided with the merchant ship SS St Patrick in the English Channel in bad weather on 8 February 1918, sinking as a result, with the loss of one crewman.^[24][25][26]

Notes

References

• {{cite book|last=Brassey|first=T.A.|title=The Naval Annual 1902|year=1902|publisher=J. Griffin and Co|location=Portsmouth, UK|ref=harv}}
• {{cite book|last1=Dittmar|first1=F.J.|last2=Colledge|first2=J.J.|title=British Warships 1914–1919|year=1972|publisher=Ian Allan|location=Shepperton, UK|isbn=0-7110-0380-7|ref=harv}}
• {{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=British Destroyers: From Earliest Days to the Second World War|year=2009|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|location=Barnsley, UK|isbn=978-1-84832-049-9|ref=harv}}
• {{cite book|last1=Gardiner|first1=Robert|last2=Gray|first2=Randal|title=Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921|year=1985|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=London|isbn=0-85177-245-5|ref=harv}}
• {{cite book|last=Kemp|first=Paul|title=The Admiralty Regrets: British Warship Losses of the 20th Century|year=1999|publisher=Sutton Publishing|location=Stroud, UK|isbn=0-7509-1567-6|ref=harv}}
• {{cite book|last=Lyon|first=David|title=The First Destroyers|year=2001|publisher=Caxton Editions|location=London|isbn=1-84067-3648|ref=harv}}
• {{cite book |last = Manning | first =T.D. |title = The British Destroyer |publisher = Putnam| date = 1961 | location = London|oclc=6470051 |ref = harv}}

External links

• wrecksite.eu : HMS Boxer

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