HMS Laforey (1913)
Encyclopedia
HMS Laforey was the lead ship of the her class
of destroyer
built for the Royal Navy
. Launched a year before the First World War
began, she was attached to the Dover Patrol
. Laforey saw action in several engagements with German torpedo boat
s, including the Battle off Noordhinder Bank
and the Action of 17 March 1917
. Laforey was sunk in 1917 by a British mine after convoying several freighters to France. She was named for Francis Laforey
, captain of HMS Spartiate
at the Battle of Trafalgar
in 1805.
in 1913, following construction by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company
.
The destroyer was fitted with three QF 4 in (101.6 mm) Mk IV gun
s, one QF 2-pounder pom-pom Mk. II gun
, and four 21 in (533.4 mm) torpedo tube
s in two twin mounts. Laforey was designed to operate in British coastal waters against enemy surface and submarine shipping.
, where she escorted troopships across the Strait of Dover
: carrying soldiers from Britain to France, and wounded back to Britain. Ships on this duty had to remain alert for enemy submarines, destroyers, and sea mines in addition to the usual hazards of crossing the English Channel
.
In 1915, Laforey, three of her sister ship
s, and four naval trawler
s engaged and destroyed a pair of German torpedo boats in the Battle off Noordhinder Bank
.
During 1917, operations in the English Channel became more dangerous as German units became more adventurous in their operations against the link between Britain and France. Just four days before Laforey was lost, a raid by German destroyers
sank the destroyer with all but 10 hands.
On 23 March 1917, Laforey and sister ship, were escorting several cargo ships to France, using the Folkstone to Boulogne
route. The merchant ships arrived safely, but at around 16:30, after the destroyers had begun the return trip, a large explosion occurred amidships on Laforey. The ship immediately broke in half, and the stern
rapidly sank. The bow
remained afloat for a short time before sinking, during which Laertes struggled to rescue survivors. Only 18 of the 77 aboard survived.
Laforey class destroyer (1913)
The Laforey class was a class of 22 torpedo boat destroyers of the Royal Navy, twenty of which were built under the Naval Programme of 1912 - 1913 and a further two under the War Emergency Programme of 1914. As such they were the last pre-war British destroyer design. All served during World War I...
of 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...
built 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...
. Launched a year before the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
began, she was attached to the Dover Patrol
Dover Patrol
The Dover Patrol was a Royal Navy command of the First World War, notable for its involvement in the Zeebrugge Raid on 22 April 1918. The Dover Patrol formed a discrete unit of the Royal Navy based at Dover and Dunkirk for the duration of the First World War...
. Laforey saw action in several engagements with German torpedo boat
Torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval vessel designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other large, slow and...
s, including the Battle off Noordhinder Bank
Battle off Noordhinder Bank
The Battle off Noordhinder Bank on 1 May 1915 was a naval action between a squadron of four British naval trawlers supported by a flotilla of four British destroyers, and a pair of German torpedo boats from the Flanders Flotilla. The battle began when the two torpedo boats were sent on a search and...
and the Action of 17 March 1917
Action of 17 March 1917
The Action of 17 March 1917 was a German raid on British shipping in the Strait of Dover as well as the harbours of Ramsgate and Margate. Two flotillas of German torpedo boats set out from the coast of Flanders and split...
. Laforey was sunk in 1917 by a British mine after convoying several freighters to France. She was named for Francis Laforey
Francis Laforey
Admiral Sir Francis Laforey, 2nd Baronet, KCB was an officer of the British Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, whose distinguished service record included numerous frigate commands in Home waters and in the West Indies...
, captain of HMS Spartiate
HMS Spartiate
HMS Spartiate has been the name of two ships of the Royal Navy. The first was a captured French prize, the second was mostly likely named after this ship.*Spartiate was a 74 gun third rate ship of the line...
at the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
in 1805.
Specifications
Laforey was launched at GovanGovan
Govan is a district and former burgh now part of southwest City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south bank of the River Clyde, opposite the mouth of the River Kelvin and the district of Partick....
in 1913, following construction by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company
Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company
The Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Limited was a British shipbuilding company in the Govan area on the Clyde in Glasgow. Fairfields, as it is often known, was a major warship builder, turning out many vessels for the Royal Navy and other navies through the First World War and the...
.
The destroyer was fitted with three QF 4 in (101.6 mm) Mk IV gun
QF 4 inch naval gun Mk IV, XII, XXII
The QF 4-inch gun Mk IV was introduced in 1911 as a faster-loading light gun successor to the BL 4 inch Mk VIII gun, and was the main gun on most Royal Navy and British Empire destroyers in World War I.-Mk IV gun:...
s, one QF 2-pounder pom-pom Mk. II gun
QF 2 pounder naval gun
The 2-pounder gun, officially designated the QF 2-pounder and universally known as the pom-pom, was a 1.575 inch British autocannon, used famously as an anti-aircraft gun by the Royal Navy. The name came from the sound that the original models make when firing...
, and four 21 in (533.4 mm) torpedo tube
Torpedo tube
A torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units installed aboard surface vessels...
s in two twin mounts. Laforey was designed to operate in British coastal waters against enemy surface and submarine shipping.
Service
During the First World War, Laforey was assigned to the Dover PatrolDover Patrol
The Dover Patrol was a Royal Navy command of the First World War, notable for its involvement in the Zeebrugge Raid on 22 April 1918. The Dover Patrol formed a discrete unit of the Royal Navy based at Dover and Dunkirk for the duration of the First World War...
, where she escorted troopships across the Strait of Dover
Strait of Dover
The Strait of Dover or Dover Strait is the strait at the narrowest part of the English Channel. The shortest distance across the strait is from the South Foreland, 6 kilometres northeast of Dover in the county of Kent, England, to Cap Gris Nez, a cape near to Calais in the French of...
: carrying soldiers from Britain to France, and wounded back to Britain. Ships on this duty had to remain alert for enemy submarines, destroyers, and sea mines in addition to the usual hazards of crossing the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
.
In 1915, Laforey, three of her sister ship
Sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...
s, and four naval trawler
Naval trawler
A naval trawler is a vessel built along the lines of a fishing trawler but fitted out for naval purposes. Naval trawlers were widely used during the First and Second world wars. Fishing trawlers were particularly suited for many naval requirements because they were robust boats designed to work...
s engaged and destroyed a pair of German torpedo boats in the Battle off Noordhinder Bank
Battle off Noordhinder Bank
The Battle off Noordhinder Bank on 1 May 1915 was a naval action between a squadron of four British naval trawlers supported by a flotilla of four British destroyers, and a pair of German torpedo boats from the Flanders Flotilla. The battle began when the two torpedo boats were sent on a search and...
.
During 1917, operations in the English Channel became more dangerous as German units became more adventurous in their operations against the link between Britain and France. Just four days before Laforey was lost, a raid by German destroyers
Action of 17 March 1917
The Action of 17 March 1917 was a German raid on British shipping in the Strait of Dover as well as the harbours of Ramsgate and Margate. Two flotillas of German torpedo boats set out from the coast of Flanders and split...
sank the destroyer with all but 10 hands.
On 23 March 1917, Laforey and sister ship, were escorting several cargo ships to France, using the Folkstone to Boulogne
Boulogne-sur-Mer
-Road:* Metropolitan bus services are operated by the TCRB* Coach services to Calais and Dunkerque* A16 motorway-Rail:* The main railway station is Gare de Boulogne-Ville and located in the south of the city....
route. The merchant ships arrived safely, but at around 16:30, after the destroyers had begun the return trip, a large explosion occurred amidships on Laforey. The ship immediately broke in half, and the stern
Stern
The stern is the rear or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite of the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Originally, the term only referred to the aft port section...
rapidly sank. The bow
Bow (ship)
The bow is a nautical term that refers to the forward part of the hull of a ship or boat, the point that is most forward when the vessel is underway. Both of the adjectives fore and forward mean towards the bow...
remained afloat for a short time before sinking, during which Laertes struggled to rescue survivors. Only 18 of the 77 aboard survived.