HMS Ghurka (1907)

HMS ''Ghurka'' was a ''Tribal''-class destroyer built in 1907 for the Royal Navy. She served as part of the Dover Patrol during the First World War, playing a part in the sinking of the German submarine in 1915, and was sunk by a German mine in 1917.

Construction and design

HMS ''Ghurka'' was ordered from Hawthorn Leslie as one of five Tribal-class destroyers purchased under the 1905–06 shipbuilding programme.Friedman 2009, p. 108. The Tribals derived from a requirement by the First Sea Lord "Jackie" Fisher, for a steam turbine powered, oil-fueled destroyer capable of at least . Armament was specified as three 12 pounder (3 inch, 76 mm) 12 cwt guns and two 18 inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes. The Hawthorn Leslie design for ''Ghurka'' was powered by steam turbines fed by five Yarrow boilers, driving three propeller shafts and rated at . The ship was fitted with three low funnels.Gardiner and Gray 1985, pp. 71–72.Friedman 2009, pp. 106–108. A high-pressure turbine drove the centre shaft, while the exhaust steam from this turbine fed two low-pressure turbines on the outer shafts. Separate cruising turbines were also fitted to the outer shafts. Two of the 12 pounder guns were mounted on the ship's forecastle, with the remaining gun situated aft.

''Ghurka'' was laid down at Hawthorn Leslie's shipyard at Hebburn on the River Tyne on 6 February 1906 and launched on 29 April 1907.Friedman 2009, p. 305. She reached an average speed of over a six-hour run during trials, and was completed in December 1908. Prior to commissioning, ''Ghurka''s armament was reinforced by adding another two 12 pounder guns.Friedman 2009, p. 110.

Incidents while Under Construction

On 9 January 1908 steamer ''Hartley'' proceeding with a cargo of coal sheered and collided with ''Ghurka'' moored near the Hawthorn Leslie's shipyard in South Shields, and dealt extensive damage to the destroyers port quarter.London Standard, January 11, 1908, p.3

On 13 August 1908 steamer ''City of Naples'' while swinging preparing to proceed down river Tyne in South Shields collided with ''Ghurka'' moored near Hebburn Buoys, dealing considerable damage to the destroyer's starboard side.London Standard, August 15, 1908, p.3

Service

From 1910 to 1913, ''Ghurka'' served as part of the First Destroyer Flotilla, and then joined the Fourth Flotilla, based at Portsmouth.Manning 1961, p. 25. In October that year, the Tribals were officially designated the F class, and as such the letter "F" was painted on ''Ghurka''s bows.Gardiner and Gray 1985, p. 72.Friedman 2009, p. 100.

The short range of the Tribal class meant that they were unsuitable for long range operations, so, on the outbreak of the First World War, ''Ghurka'', along with the rest of her class, joined the Sixth Destroyer Flotilla based at Dover as part of the Dover Patrol.Bacon 1918 Volume II, p. 626. ''Ghurka'' was damaged in a collision with her sister Tribal-class destroyer on 23 August 1914, requiring repair in dry dock.

On 4 March 1915, the German submarine became caught in nets laid across the Straits of Dover to indicate the passage of submarines, and the disturbance in the net was spotted by the drifter ''Roburn'', which called up the nearby destroyer patrol, which included ''Ghurka'', as well as , and . ''Viking'' detonated her explosive anti-submarine sweep without effect, but after the submarine was spotted by ''Maori'', ''Ghurka'' used her own explosive sweep to force the German submarine to the surface. After briefly being shelled, the submarine was scuttled and abandoned, the crew surrendering.Grant 1964, p. 22. On 10 March 1915, ''Ghurka'' made another attack with an explosive sweep which at the time was believed to have probably sunk another submarine, but it was later discovered to be unsuccessful.

Another role of the Dover Patrol was shore bombardment, and ''Ghurka'' took part as an escort in the bombardment of Zeebrugge on 23 August 1915.Bacon 1918 Volume I, pp. 83–85.

''Ghurka'' was sunk on 8 February 1917 after hitting a German mine off Dungeness.Dittmar and Colledge 1972, p. 60. Only five of the crew survived,Bacon 1918 Volume I, pp. 132–133. with 74 killed. The wreck is located at a depth of 30 metres at (off Dungeness). It is designated as a "protected place" under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986.

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External links

SI 2008/0950
Designation under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986


, Index of 19th Century Naval Vessels

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghurka (1907)
Tribal-class destroyers (1905)
Ships built on the River Tyne
1907 ships
World War I destroyers of the United Kingdom
World War I shipwrecks in the English Channel
Protected Wrecks of the United Kingdom
Wreck diving sites in the United Kingdom
Maritime incidents in 1917
Ships sunk by mines