The Brazen class formed part of a general class of forty turtleback destroyer

Destroyer

In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...

s capable of 30 knots built around the end of the 19th and the start of the 20th century for the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

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The Admiralty

Admiralty

The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...

 had specified the general design and specification of the destroyers but left it to the builders to handle the detail. As a result although the destroyers were all similarly capable there were differences between them in terms of exact dimensions, type of boiler

Boiler

A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...

 and engine

Engine

An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines burn a fuel to create heat which is then used to create motion...

s and the number of funnel

Funnel

A funnel is a pipe with a wide, often conical mouth and a narrow stem. It is used to channel liquid or fine-grained substances into containers with a small opening. Without a funnel, spillage would occur....

s. They were seaworthy and well built but suffered from being lively which meant they were uncomfortable in heavy seas. Although specified for 30 knots this was with a light load, and in service 27 knots was normal.

In 1913 all the three-funnelled destroyers were reclassified as C-class destroyers

C class destroyer (1913)

The C class as designated in 1913 was a heterogeneous group of torpedo boat destroyers built for the Royal Navy in the late-1890s. They were constructed to the individual designs of their builders to meet Admiralty specifications. The uniting feature of the class was a top speed of 30 knots, a...

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Ships

Name	Launched	Fate
HMS Brazen	3 July 1896	Broken up in 1919
HMS Electra	14 July 1896	Broken up in 1920
HMS Recruit	22 August 1896	Torpedoed in 1915
HMS Vulture	22 March 1898	Broken up in 1919