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]
Guns
Afridi, Cossack, Ghurka, Mohawk, and Tartar of the 1905-1906 programme carried three 12-pdr 12cwt QF on P I mountings. Two more were added in 1909. There were 100 steel common shell supplied per gun and 30 practice rounds for a quarter's use.
The later ships had two low velocity 4-in BL Mark VII on P III mountings with 120 31 pound rounds per gun, half being lyddite and half steel.
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.[4]
Searchlights
The Tribals were the first British destroyers to have two rather than one searchlight.[5]
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.[6]
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.[7]
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
- ↑ 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
