HMS Test (1905)
HMS Test was a Laird-type River-class destroyer purchased by the Royal Navy under the 1908–1909 Naval Estimates in December 1909. Named after the River Test in southern England by the city of Southampton, she was the first ship to carry this name in the Royal Navy.
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Test |
| Builder | Cammell Laird, Birkenhead |
| Laid down | December 1904 |
| Launched | 6 May 1905 |
| Acquired | 1908 – 1909 Naval Estimates |
| Commissioned | December 1905 |
| Out of service | Laid up in reserve 1919 |
| Fate | 30 August 1919 sold to Loveridge and Company for breaking |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Laird-type River-class destroyer[1][2] |
| Displacement |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 25.5 kn (47.2 km/h) |
| Range |
|
| Complement | 70 officers and men |
| Armament |
|
| Service record | |
| Part of: |
|
| Operations: | World War I 1914 - 1918 |
Construction
Built on speculation, she was laid down in December 1904 at the Cammell Laird shipyard at Birkenhead and launched on 6 May 1905. She was purchased and completed in December 1909.
Pre-War
Upon commissioning she was assigned to the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla based at Harwich. She remained until displaced by a Basilisk-class destroyer by May 1912. She went into reserve assigned to the 5th Destroyer Flotilla of the 2nd Fleet with a nucleus crew.
On 30 August 1912 the Admiralty directed all destroyer classes were to be designated by alpha characters starting with the letter 'A'. The ships of the River class were assigned to the E class. After 30 September 1913, she was known as an E-class destroyer and had the letter ‘E’ painted on the hull below the bridge area and on either the fore or aft funnel.[3]
World War I
In early 1914 when displaced by G-class destroyers she joined the 9th Destroyer Flotilla based at Chatham tendered to HMS St George. The 9th Flotilla was a patrol flotilla tasked with anti-submarine and counter-mining patrols in the Firth of Forth area.[4]
On 16 December 1914 under division leader Doon along with Waveney, Test and Moy were sent to patrol off Hartlepool. During the German battle-cruiser raid on Hartlepool, she was undamaged and suffered no casualties during the engagement.[5][6]
In August 1915 with the amalgamation of the 9th and 7th Flotillas she was deployed to the 7th Destroyer Flotilla based at the River Humber. She remained employed on the Humber Patrol participating in counter-mining operations and anti-submarine patrols for the remainder of the war.[7]
Disposition
In 1919 Test was paid off and laid up in reserve awaiting disposal. On 30 August 1919 she was sold to Loveridge and Company for breaking.[8]
Pennant numbers
| Pennant Number[8] | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| N34 | 6 Dec 1914 | 1 Sep 1915 |
| D32 | 1 Sep 1915 | 1 Jan 1918 |
| D87 | 1 Jan 1918 | 13 Sep 1918 |
| H84 | 13 Sep 1918 | 30 Aug 1919 |
References
- Jane, Fred T. (1969) [1905]. Jane's Fighting Ships 1905/6. New York: first published by Sampson Low Marston, London 1905, Reprinted ARCO Publishing Company. p. 75.
- Jane, Fred T. (1990). Jane's Fighting Ships of World War I. Jane’s Publishing © 1919. p. 76. ISBN 978-1-85170-378-4.
- Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906 to 1922. Conway Maritime Press. 2006 [1985]. p. Page 17 to 19. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
- "Naval Database".
- "Raid on Hartlepool from Naval History.net". Retrieved 1 June 2013.
- "Naval Review Volume VII, No 2, May 1919, Pages 247 to 254" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 December 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
- "History of the Great War, Naval Operations, Volume III, Spring 1915 to June 1916 (Part 1 of 2), by Sir Julian S Corbett, Chapter XIII, Loss of Argyl and Natal". Retrieved 1 June 2013.
- ""Arrowsmith" List – Part 1 Destroyer Prototypes through "River" Class". Retrieved 1 June 2013.
Bibliography
- Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
- Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J. J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. Shepperton, UK: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0380-7.
- Friedman, Norman (2009). British Destroyers: From Earliest Days to the Second World War. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-049-9.
- Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
- Manning, T. D. (1961). The British Destroyer. London: Putnam & Co. OCLC 6470051.
- March, Edgar J. (1966). British Destroyers: A History of Development, 1892–1953; Drawn by Admiralty Permission From Official Records & Returns, Ships' Covers & Building Plans. London: Seeley Service. OCLC 164893555.