HMS Comet (1910)

Coordinates: 36°29′N 15°45′E / 36.483°N 15.750°E / 36.483; 15.750
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other ships with the same name, see HMS Comet.

Comet
History
United Kingdom
NameComet
NamesakeGreat January Comet of 1910
BuilderFairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company, Govan
Laid down1 February 1910
Launched23 June 1910
CompletedJune 1911
FateSunk in collision, 6 August 1918
General characteristics
Class and typeAcorn-class destroyer
Displacement772 long tons (784 t)
Length246 ft (75 m)
Beam25 ft 5 in (7.7 m)
Draught8 ft 6 in (2.6 m)
Installed power
Propulsion3 shafts; 1 steam turbine
Speed27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph)
Range1,540 nmi (2,850 km; 1,770 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement72
Armament

HMS Comet was one of 20 Acorn-class destroyers built for the Royal Navy in the 1910s. Completed in 1911 she saw active service in the First World War.

Design and description[edit]

The Acorn class marked a return to oil-firing as pioneered in the Tribal or F class of 1905 and HMS Swift of 1907. The Admiralty provided general specifications, but each shipyard did their own detailed design so that ships often varied in size.[1] The Acorns had an overall length of 246 feet (75 m), a beam of 25 feet 5 inches (7.7 m), and a deep draught of 8 feet 6 inches (2.6 m). The ships displaced 772 long tons (784 t) at deep load and their crew numbered 72 officers and ratings.[2]

The destroyers were powered by a single Parsons steam turbine that drove three propeller shafts using steam provided by four Yarrow boilers. The engines developed a total of 13,500 shaft horsepower (10,100 kW) and were designed for a speed of 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph). Comet reached a speed of 27.9 knots (51.7 km/h; 32.1 mph) from 13,726 shp (10,235 kW) during her sea trials.[3] The Acorns had a range of 1,540 nautical miles (2,850 km; 1,770 mi) at a cruising speed of 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).[2]

The primary armament of the ships consisted of a pair of BL 4-inch (102 mm) MK VIII guns in single, unprotected pivot mounts fore and aft of the superstructure. They were also armed with two single QF 12-pounder (3-inch (76 mm)) guns, one on each broadside between the forward and centre funnels. The destroyer were equipped with a pair of single rotating mounts for 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes amidships and carried two reload torpedoes.[4]

Construction and career[edit]

Comet, c. 1914–1918

Comet was ordered under the 1909–1910 Naval Programme from Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company. The ship was laid down at the company's Govan shipyard on 1 February 1910, launched on 23 June and commissioned in June 1911. She was torpedoed and sunk on 6 August 1918.[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Gardiner & Gray, p. 74
  2. ^ a b Friedman, p. 295
  3. ^ March, p. 109
  4. ^ Friedman, pp. 119, 295
  5. ^ Friedman, p. 306

Bibliography[edit]

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Jellicoe, John (1919). The Grand Fleet 1914–16: Its Creation, Development and Work. London: Cassell and Company. OCLC 859842281.

36°29′N 15°45′E / 36.483°N 15.750°E / 36.483; 15.750

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=HMS_Comet_(1910)&oldid=1091272541"