The Daring Class

[Subdeacon Joe]

From FB: "We talked about the Spanish torpedo boat destroyer Destructor in the last post. This revolutionary forerunner to the modern destroyer was observed with much interest around the World. The Royal Navy knew of the threat that small torpedo boats would pose to their powerful capital ships. The legendary Jackie Fisher (Serving as Third Sea Lord at the time) ordered the development of a larger torpedo-boat destroyer to counter enemy torpedo boats. Several designs were ordered including the Daring class seen here.

 

The Daring class was notable for being the first of the torpedo-boat destroyers to be ordered, with the builder being John I. Thornycroft & Company. However, they were actually beaten to the punch by Yarrow Shipbuilders, who completed their Havock class first. A third class was also being built at the time, the Ferret class of Laird, Son & Company. All of the ships were of similar design, though were considered separate classes due to their different builders.

 

Though larger than typical torpedo boats, the Daring class were still relatively small. At 56m (185') in length and 5.8m (19') at the beam, they only displaced about 285 tons when fully loaded. Powered by new water tube boilers, the class produced over 4,000hp. This was enough for an impressive top speed of 27 knots, a very respectable performance for the time. 

 

Firepower was provided by a single 12-pounder (76mm) gun forward and three 6-pounder (57mm) guns in addition to a torpedo armament of three torpedo tubes. This allowed the Daring class to threaten larger warships while also possessing enough firepower to easily fend off small torpedo boats. 

 

First entering service in 1895, the Daring class served until 1912. They were joined by four other warships of similar design (Two of the Havock and two of the Ferret classes). Together, these torpedo boat destroyers laid the foundation for further development. Succeeding destroyers would grow larger, faster, and more powerful as the Royal Navy learned the intricacies of destroyer operations. 

 

Lastly, it's worth pointing out the unusual shape of the bow. The sloping, curved nature of the bow deck was a typical feature of warships of this period. It helped shed water from the bow in heavy seas, keeping the ships from getting swamped. While useful, it was later discontinued as it generated a lot of spray in gentle to moderate seas, making life miserable for the crew operating on deck."