HMS ''Onslow'' was an built for the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
during the First World War. She took part in the
Battle of Jutland in 1916 and was sold for scrap in 1921.
Description
The Admiralty M class were improved and faster versions of the preceding .
[Gardiner & Gray, p. 76] They
displaced . The ships had an
overall length
The overall length (OAL) of an ammunition cartridge is a measurement from the base of the brass shell casing to the tip of the bullet, seated into the brass casing. Cartridge overall length, or "COL", is important to safe functioning of reloads i ...
of , a
beam of and a
draught of . They were powered by three
Parsons
Parsons may refer to:
Places
In the United States:
* Parsons, Kansas, a city
* Parsons, Missouri, an unincorporated community
* Parsons, Tennessee, a city
* Parsons, West Virginia, a town
* Camp Parsons, a Boy Scout camp in the state of Washingt ...
direct-drive
steam turbines, each driving one
propeller shaft
A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power and torque and rotation, usually used to connect ...
, using steam provided by four
Yarrow boiler
Yarrow boilers are an important class of high-pressure water-tube boilers. They were developed by
Yarrow & Co. (London), Shipbuilders and Engineers and were widely used on ships, particularly warships.
The Yarrow boiler design is characteristic ...
s. The turbines developed a total of and gave a maximum speed of . The ships carried a maximum of of
fuel oil that gave them a range of at . The ships' complement was 76 officers and
ratings.
[Friedman, p. 298]
The ships were armed with three single
QF Mark IV guns and two
QF 1.5-pounder (37 mm) anti-aircraft guns. These latter guns were later replaced by a pair of
QF 2-pounder (40 mm) "pom-pom" anti-aircraft guns. The ships were also fitted with two above water twin mounts for
torpedoes.
[
]
Construction and service
''Onslow'' was ordered under the Third War Programme in November 1914 and built by Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company at Govan
Govan ( ; Cumbric?: ''Gwovan'?''; Scots: ''Gouan''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'') is a district, parish, and former burgh now part of south-west City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south ba ...
. The ship was launched on 15 February 1916 and completed in April 1916. Her first commander was John Tovey
Admiral of the Fleet John Cronyn Tovey, 1st Baron Tovey, (7 March 1885 – 12 January 1971), sometimes known as Jack Tovey, was a Royal Navy officer. During the First World War he commanded the destroyer at the Battle of Jutland and then co ...
, (later Admiral of the Fleet).
On 24 April 1916, the Easter Rising against British rule broke out in Ireland. Two infantry brigades were ordered from Liverpool to Dublin to reinforce the British forces, with ''Onslow'' escorting the transports carrying these troops.[Naval Staff Monograph No. 31, pp. 128–129.] She saw action at the Battle of Jutland and was badly damaged, with her speed reduced to . Tovey pressed home the attack against first a cruiser and then a line of battlecruisers. ''Onslow'' was brought back to Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
despite the damage, having been towed out of action by the destroyer , under heavy fire. The report on the battle by Admiral Beatty stated that:
Both officers were awarded DSOs.
''Onslow'' was sold for breaking up on 26 October 1921.
Notes
Bibliography
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External links
Battle of Jutland Crew Lists Project - HMS ''Onslow'' Crew List
{{DEFAULTSORT:Onslow (1916)
Admiralty M-class destroyers
Ships built on the River Clyde
1916 ships
World War I destroyers of the United Kingdom