HMS ''Success'' was a B-class

torpedo boat 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 in ...

of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. She was launched on 21 March 1901. On 27 December 1914 she was wrecked off

Fife Ness Fife Ness () is a headland forming the most eastern point in Fife, Scotland. Anciently the area was called Muck Ross, which is a corruption of the Scottish Gaelic ''Muc-Rois'' meaning "Headland of the Pigs". It is situated in the area of Fife k ...

during heavy gales.

Design and construction

HMS ''Success'' was ordered on 30 March 1899 from

William Doxford & Sons William Doxford & Sons Ltd, often referred to simply as Doxford, was a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British shipbuilder, shipbuilding and marine engineering company. History William Doxford founded the company in 1840. From 18 ...

as part of the

British Admiralty The Admiralty was a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, department of the Government of the United Kingdom that was responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. Historically, its titular head was the Lord High Admiral of the ...

's 1899–1900 shipbuilding programme,Lyon 2001, p. 84. one of twelve "thirty-knotter" destroyers ordered from various shipyards under this programme.Lyon 2001, p. 25. ''Success'' closely resembled Doxford's , ordered under the 1897–1898 programme, with the major difference being that the ship had three funnels rather than four.Lyon 2001, pp. 83–84. ''Success'' was

long overall Length overall (LOA, o/a, o.a. or oa) is the maximum length of a vessel's hull measured parallel to the waterline. This length is important while docking the ship. It is the most commonly used way of expressing the size of a ship, and is also u ...

and

between perpendiculars Length between perpendiculars (often abbreviated as p/p, p.p., pp, LPP, LBP or Length BPP) is the length of a ship along the summer load line from the forward surface of the stem, or main bow perpendicular member, to the after surface of the ster ...

, with a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Radio beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially lo ...

of and a draught of .

Displacement Displacement may refer to: Physical sciences Mathematics and physics *Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...

was light and full load.Chesneau and Kolesnick 1979, pp. 96. Four

Thornycroft boiler Three-drum boilers are a class of water-tube boiler used to generate steam, typically to power ships. They are compact and of high evaporative power, factors that encourage this use. Other boiler designs may be more efficient, although bulkier, an ...

s fed two triple-expansion engines rated at which drove two propeller shafts, giving a speed of .Brassey 1902, p. 275. Armament was as standard for the "thirty-knotters", with a QF 12 pounder 12 cwt ( calibre) gun on a platform on the ship's

conning tower A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armoured, from which an officer in charge can conn (nautical), conn (conduct or control) the vessel, controlling movements of the ship by giving orders to those responsible for t ...

(also used as the ship's bridge), with a secondary armament of five 6-pounder guns, and two 18 inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes.Lyon 2001, pp. 98–99.Friedman 2009, p. 40. ''Success'' was

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one ...

at Doxford's

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

shipyard as

yard number The yard (symbol: yd) is an English unit of length in both the British imperial and US customary systems of measurement equalling 3 feet or 36 inches. Since 1959 it has been by international agreement standardized as exactly 0.9 ...

282 on 18 September 1899, launched on 21 March 1901 and completed in May 1902.

Service history

''Success'' was commissioned at

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 ...

on 9 June 1902 by Commander

Douglas Nicholson Admiral Sir Douglas Romilly Lothian Nicholson, KCMG, KCVO (4 March 1867 – 8 February 1946) was a senior Royal Navy officer who commanded the Reserve Fleet. Naval career Born the son of Sir Lothian Nicholson, a former Governor of Gibraltar, a ...

and the crew of , which had been docked for repairs after going aground. She succeeded the latter ship in the Portsmouth instructional flotilla, and took part in the fleet review held at

Spithead Spithead is an eastern area of the Solent and a roadstead for vessels off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds except those from the southeast, with the Isle of Wight lying to the south-west. Spithead and the ch ...

on 16 August 1902 for the

coronation A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special v ...

of King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

. Commander

Hubert Brand Admiral Sir Hubert George Brand, (20 May 1870 – 14 December 1955) was a senior Royal Navy officer who served as Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel. Background Brand was the second son of Henry Brand, 2nd Viscount Hampden, Governor ...

was appointed in command on 20 December 1902, but left after only three weeks in mid-January 1903 to take the command of HMS ''Arab'', which succeeded the ''Success'' as senior officer′s ship in the Portsmouth flotilla.

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Success (1901) Lively-class destroyers Ships built on the River Wear 1901 ships B-class destroyers (1913) World War I destroyers of the United Kingdom Maritime incidents in December 1914 World War I shipwrecks in the North Sea