Tribal Class Destroyer (1907)
Twelve destroyers of the Tribal Class (sometimes called Tribal Group, owing to greater diversity in detail than normal) were ordered in three installments as part of the 1905-1906, 1906-1907 and 1907-1908 Naval Programmes.
They had turbines and burned oil fuel and were the first destroyers to carry 4-in guns. All could steam in excess of 33 knots, well beyond the 25 knots of the "River" class.[1]
They were re-designated the "F" class in October 1913, and were among the ships comprising the Sixth Destroyer Flotilla, operating out of Dover.[2]
Armament
The diversity of this class certainly extended to the armament.[3]
12-pdr Guns
The five ships of the 1905-1906 programme, Afridi, Cossack, Ghurka, Mohawk and Tartar originally carried three 12-pdr guns carried two in tandem on the bridge and one right aft. [4]
In 1909, two more were added, presumably in echelon on the beam.[Inference] The weapons were 12-pdr 12 cwt QF guns on P V mountings with 100 steel common shells per gun.[5] This combination would also be used in the successive "H" class. The mountings could elevate to 20 degrees and depress to 10.
The sights were the only cam-worked 12-pdr sights in the Royal Navy, with range dials for 2150 fps, 1-in and .303-in aiming rifles. They could elevate to 20 degrees but their graduations ended at 19.25 degrees (8100 yards full charge). MV was corrected by adjustable pointer, +/- 100 fps.
Deflection gearing constant was 43.76, with 1 knot equalling 3.76 arc minutes, corresponding to mv 2197 at 2000 yards.
Drift was corrected by inclining the sight 2 degrees. Sighting lines on the left were 10.25 inches above the bore and 10 inches left. The trainer's sighting lines were 12.25 inches above the bore and 10 inches right. His sight could be used as a free sight. Open sights were provided (for the layer at least), but there is no sign of temperature correctors.
By 1920, the ships with 4-in guns had three 12-pdr 8 cwt guns on G I* mountings recoiling 13.25 inches and elevating to 30 degrees though the sights only went to 25 degrees (4000 yards). Those with only 12-pdrs were listed as having P I mountings recoiling 12 inches and able to elevate 25 degrees with sights to 30 degrees (8100/9500 yards).[6]
Also by 1920, these ships carried one QF 2-pdr pom-pom.[6]
4-in Guns
The seven later ships abandoned the use of 12-pdr guns to ship two 4-in guns, fore and aft. [7]
They were 4-in BL Mark VIII guns on P III mountings with 120 rounds per gun, half lyddite, half common.[8] This combination was also to serve aboard the successive "G" and "H" classes.
The mounting could elevate to 20 degrees and depress to 10 degrees, but though its sight could match the 20 degree elevation, the range dial was only graduated to 9,300 yards (14 degrees 44 arc minutes) at 2,225 fps.
The gear-worked sight had a range gearing contant of 54 and spiral-reading range dials were provided for 2225 fps, 1-in aiming rifle and .303-in aiming rifle. MV could be corrected by adjustable pointer to +/- 75 fps.
The deflection gearing constant was 50.69 with 1 knot equal to 3.05 arc minutes, corresponding to 2275 fps at 2000 yards. Drift was corrected by inclining the sight 2 degrees.
Sight lines were 10 inches above the bore, and 16 inches left and 15 inches right. Open sights and temperature correctors were provided.
Other Guns
To address the discovery in July 1916 that German destroyer guns outranged British 4-in weapons, Viking (in parallel with flotilla leader Swift) replaced her forward 4-in gun with a 6-in Mark VII on a P III mounting. The destroyer was quickly found too small to accomodate the weapon, and a 4-in QF Mark V gun was swapped in on a P X mounting.
Also in the same timeframe, Afridi landed her 12-pdr guns in exchange for two 4.7-in QF Mark III to VI guns on a P VI mounting. These proved workable, at an appreciable cost in reduced stability and radius of action. They were kept, but no other Tribals were so modified in light of the penalties.[9]
Torpedoes
Two single 18-in tubes on the centre line. The 1905-1906 programme ships had "light type" single tubes; the later ships may have had a different type.
In 1916, the torpedo in use was the 18-in Mark VII.[10]
Searchlights
The Tribals were the first British destroyers to have two rather than one searchlight.[11]
Fire Control
By 1915, at least, these ships had fixed voice pipes installed between decks with the last lengths being flexible (one voice pipe for gunnery, one for torpedoes) fitted between bridge and guns, torpedo tubes, and searchlights. A third voicepipe, entirely flexible, ran from bridge to the forward gun.[12]
Instruments
Rangefinders
Gunnery Control
Control Positions
Control Groups
Directors
Torpedo Control
Some of the ships were equipped with Fore Bridge Firing Gear, either upon completion or prior to 1911.[13]
Instruments
See Also
Footnotes
- ↑ Technical History and Index, Vol 4 Part 34, p. 10.
- ↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1906-1921, p. 72.
- ↑ March. British Destroyers, p. 84
- ↑ The Sight Manual, 1916, pp. 4, 96, 108, Plate 46.
- ↑ ammunition allotment from March. p. 84. He indicated P I mounting, but P V is documented here.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Technical History and Index Vol. 4, Part 34, p. 15.
- ↑ The Sight Manual, 1916, pp. 4, 88, 108, Plate 42.
- ↑ March, p. 84.
- ↑ Technical History and Index, Vol 4 Part 34, p. 14.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1916, p. 87.
- ↑ Manual of Gunnery, Vol. III., 1915., p. 161.
- ↑ Manual of Gunnery, Vol. III., 1915., p. 150.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1916, p. 31.
Bibliography
