HMS ''Desperate'' was a two funnel, 30-knot

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

ordered by the Royal Navy under the 1894 – 1895 Naval Estimates. She was launched in 1896, served in Home waters and the Mediterranean before World War I. She was based in Portsmouth during the war and was sold for breaking in 1920.

Construction

She was laid down as yard number 305 on 1 July 1895 at the John I. Thornycroft & Company shipyard at

Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district in West London, split between the London Borough of Hounslow, London Boroughs of Hounslow and London Borough of Ealing, Ealing. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist Wi ...

on the River Thames. She was launched on 15 February 1896. During her builder's trials her maximum average speed was 30.3 knots. She had her armament fitted in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

. She was completed and accepted by the Royal Navy in February 1897. During her acceptance trials and work ups her average sea speed was 25 knots. She received a set of spare

boiler A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, centra ...

s produced by Messrs. Thorneycroft & Co. in late 1902.

Service

After commissioning she was assigned to the Chatham Division of the Harwich Flotilla. On 26 June 1897 she was present at the Royal Naval Review at Spithead in celebration of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. She was reassigned to

Sheerness Sheerness () is a port town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 13,249, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby ...

in January 1900 for instructional purposes at the Sheerness school of gunnery, including as tender to HMS ''Wildfire''. Two months later, she was transferred to Chatham to relieve the destroyer in the Medway Fleet Reserve. She was involved in an accident at

West Pier The West Pier is a ruined pier in Brighton, England. Designed by Eugenius Birch and opening in 1866, it was the first pier to be Grade I listed in England but has become increasingly derelict since its closure to the public in 1975. only ...

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

in April 1900. The ship's boat carrying twelve seaman was swamped resulting in seven sailors drowning. Late in 1900 she was deployed to the

British Mediterranean Fleet The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between ...

based at Malta. Lieutenant Edward Oliver Gladstone was appointed in command in September 1901. In September 1902 she visited the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans and Anatolia, and covers an area of some . In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea, which in turn con ...

with other ships of the station for combined manoeuvres near

Nauplia Nafplio or Nauplio () is a coastal city located in the Peloponnese in Greece. It is the capital of the regional unit of Argolis and an important tourist destination. Founded in antiquity, the city became an important seaport in the Middle Ages du ...

. She remained in the Mediterranean until November 1913, when she was ordered to return to home waters. On her return to home waters she was assigned to the Portsmouth Local Defence Flotilla. On 30 August 1912 the Admiralty directed that all destroyer classes were to be designated by letters. She was assigned to the D class along with other destroyers built to the same overall specification. After 30 September 1913, she was known as a D-class destroyer and had the letter ‘D’ painted on the hull below the bridge area and on either the fore or aft funnel. For the test mobilization in July 1914 she was assigned to the Portsmouth Local Flotilla. In August 1914 she was in active commission tendered to HMS ''Excellent'', the Portsmouth gunnery school. She remained there for the duration of the First World War.

Fate

In 1919 ''Desperate'' was paid off then laid up in reserve awaiting disposal. She was sold on 20 May 1920 to

Thos. W. Ward Thos. W. Ward Ltd was a Sheffield, Yorkshire, business primarily working steel, engineering and cement. It began as coal and coke merchants. It expanded into recycling metal for Sheffield's steel industry, and then the supply and manufacture ...

of Sheffield for breaking at

Milford Haven Milford Haven ( ) is a town and community (Wales), community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, an estuary forming a natural harbour that has been used as a port since the Middle Ages. The town was ...

, Wales.

Pennant numbers

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Desperate Ships built in Chiswick 1896 ships D-class destroyers (1913) World War I destroyers of the United Kingdom Ships built by John I. Thornycroft & Company