.gif)
HMS Lurcher (1912)
Encyclopedia
HMS Lurcher was a modified Acheron-class destroyer
, named after the lurcher
-type dog, and the fifth ship of the Royal Navy
to bear the name; when new she was the fastest ship in the Royal Navy.
maintained that it was possible to build strong, seaworthy
destroyer
s with a speed of 32 kn (62.7 km/h), and a contract for three such boats was placed with Yarrow & Company of Scotstoun
, Glasgow
. The "Firedrake Specials", "Special I class" or "Yarrow Specials" were a little larger than the rest of the class but carried the same armament. Lurcher, Firedrake
and Oak
were, however, distinctive in appearance and at least 4 knots faster than the rest of their class. They all exceeded their contract speed, Lurcher making over 35 knots (68.6 km/h); she became part of the 1st Destroyer Flotilla.
Lurcher and Firedrake were assigned to the Eighth Submarine Flotilla under the command of Commodore Keyes, and were based at Parkeston Quay, Harwich
. Both ships were employed in escorting, towing and exercising with submarines of their flotilla, and the more notable episodes are detailed below:
in Lurcher, leading Firedrake, two D-class
and six E-class
submarines eastwards into the North Sea
. Also at sea were the destroyers of Commodore Reginald Tyrwhitt
. The plan was to place elements of the High Seas Fleet
between Royal Navy surface ships and bottomed Royal Navy submarines. Unknown to Keyes and Tyrwhitt, the Admiralty
had added significant reinforcements at the last minute.
Keyes' despatch reads:
Battle was joined at 7:00 on 28 August in misty conditions. Due to lack of information about reinforcements sent by the Admiralty
, great potential existed for fratricidal
attacks; at 8:15 am Firedrake and Lurcher came close to attacking the cruisers Lowestoft
and Nottingham
.
.jpg)
After the German cruiser Mainz
was heavily damaged and disabled, Commodore Goodenough
ordered his ships to cease firing on her at 12:55 pm and a rescue operation was undertaken. Liverpool
, accompanied by Lurcher and Firedrake, manoeuvred close to Mainz in an effort to recover the surviving crew. Boats from Liverpool were deployed to retrieve those who had abandoned ship while Lurcher positioned alongside Mainz to transfer the crew who remained on board. By 1:10pm the Royal Navy
ships withdrew as the height of tide was high enough to allow larger German Navy
units to enter the area. Although the operation had been something of a shambles in the mist, the results were clear: Three German light cruisers and a destroyer sunk against no Royal Navy losses.
and E5
towards the Skagerrak
. This was the first act in a long saga that culminated in a British submarine flotilla in the Baltic
.
had advance warning of the intended raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby
through signals intelligence. Commodore Keyes was ordered to send eight submarines and his two command destroyers, Firedrake and Lurcher, to take stations off the island of Terschelling
to catch the German ships should they turn west into the English Channel
. On 16 December, as the situation developed, the submarines were ordered to move to the Heligoland Bight
in order to intercept returning German ships. They failed, although one torpedo was fired at SMS Posen
by HMS E11
, which missed. As a last ditch attempt to catch Hipper
, the Admiralty
ordered Keyes to take his two destroyers and attempt to torpedo Hipper as he returned home around 2 am. on 17 December. Keyes himself had considered this and wanted to try, but the message was delayed and failed to reach him until too late.
, to little avail; it transpired later that she had been mined off the Belgian coast on 4 January.
, E53
and D6
to patrol positions between Southwold
and the Dutch coast, but were not involved in the Battle of Jutland
, which occurred further to the East.
In May 1917 Lurcher collided with and sank HM Submarine C17
, which was later repaired and returned to service.
and Walmer
came across HM Submarine C25
on the surface 15 miles (24.1 km) miles east of Orford Ness
. Their machine-gun attack killed the commanding officer and four other men, as well as mortally wounding the Coxswain
. The steering gear, compasses and radio were all damaged. The first lieutenant, Sub Lieutenant Cobb, attracted the attention of HMS E51
at about 12:45, and a tow was established. The seaplanes carried out further attacks on both submarines between 3:18 and 3:45pm, and it wasn't until the arrival of Lurcher that the enemy seaplanes were driven off.
of Newport
for breaking on 9 June 1921.
Acheron class destroyer
The Acheron class was a class of twenty-three destroyers of the British Royal Navy, all built under the 1910-11 Programme and completed between 1911 and 1912, which served during World War I. A further six ships were built to the same design for the Royal Australian Navy as River-class destroyers...
, named after the lurcher
Lurcher
The lurcher is a type of dog originating in Ireland and parts of Great Britain. While not a pure breed, it is generally a cross between a sighthound and any other breed, usually a pastoral dog or terrier, dependent on the attributes desired by the breeder; originally stealth and cunning...
-type dog, and the fifth ship of 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...
to bear the name; when new she was the fastest ship in the Royal Navy.
Pennant Numbers
| Pennant Number | From | |To |
|---|---|---|
| H01 | 6 December 1914 | 1 January 1918 |
| H65 | 1 January 1918 | Early 1919 |
| H90 | Early 1919 | 10 October 1921 |
Construction
Sir Alfred YarrowAlfred Yarrow
Sir Alfred Fernandez Yarrow, 1st Baronet, of Homestead was a British shipbuilder who started a shipbuilding dynasty, Yarrow Shipbuilders.-Life and career:...
maintained that it was possible to build strong, seaworthy
Seakeeping
Seakeeping ability is a measure of how well-suited a watercraft is to conditions when underway. A ship or boat which has good seakeeping ability is said to be very seaworthy and is able to operate effectively even in high sea states....
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 with a speed of 32 kn (62.7 km/h), and a contract for three such boats was placed with Yarrow & Company of Scotstoun
Scotstoun
Scotstoun is a historic district of Glasgow, Scotland, west of Glasgow City Centre. It is bounded by Yoker and Knightswood to the west, Victoria Park, Broomhill and Whiteinch to the east, Jordanhill to the north and the River Clyde to the south...
, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. The "Firedrake Specials", "Special I class" or "Yarrow Specials" were a little larger than the rest of the class but carried the same armament. Lurcher, Firedrake
HMS Firedrake (1912)
HMS Firedrake was a modified Acheron-class destroyer, named after the firedrake of Teutonic mythology, and the sixth ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name.-Pennant Numbers:-Construction:...
and Oak
HMS Oak (1912)
HMS Oak was a modified Acheron-class destroyer of the Royal Navy. Launched in 1912, she saw extensive service during World War I as a tender to the Flagship of the Grand Fleet, and for this purpose she was painted white, instead of the usual warship grey. She was sold in 1921 to be scrapped...
were, however, distinctive in appearance and at least 4 knots faster than the rest of their class. They all exceeded their contract speed, Lurcher making over 35 knots (68.6 km/h); she became part of the 1st Destroyer Flotilla.
World War One
At the start of World War IWorld 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...
Lurcher and Firedrake were assigned to the Eighth Submarine Flotilla under the command of Commodore Keyes, and were based at Parkeston Quay, Harwich
Harwich
Harwich is a town in Essex, England and one of the Haven ports, located on the coast with the North Sea to the east. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the northeast, Ipswich to the northwest, Colchester to the southwest and Clacton-on-Sea to the south...
. Both ships were employed in escorting, towing and exercising with submarines of their flotilla, and the more notable episodes are detailed below:
The Battle of Heligoland Bight
On 26 August 1914 Commodore Keyes hoisted his broad pennantBroad pennant
A broad pennant is a swallow-tailed tapering flag flown from the masthead of a ship to indicate the presence of a commodore on board. It is so called because its dimensions are roughly 2:3....
in Lurcher, leading Firedrake, two D-class
British D class submarine
There were plans for a further two, D9 and D10, but these were launched at Chatham Dockyard as HMS E1 and HMS E2.-See also:*Not to be confused with the United States D class submarine of 1909-1910.-Sources:...
and six E-class
British E class submarine
The British E class submarines started out as improved versions of the British D class submarine. All of the first group and some of the second group were completed before the outbreak of World War I....
submarines eastwards into the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
. Also at sea were the destroyers of Commodore Reginald Tyrwhitt
Reginald Tyrwhitt
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Reginald Yorke Tyrwhitt, 1st Baronet, GCB, DSO was a senior officer of the Royal Navy in World War I who commanded light forces stationed at Harwich on the east coast of England during the first part of the war.-Naval career:Tyrwhitt entered the Navy as a cadet in July, 1885...
. The plan was to place elements of the High Seas Fleet
High Seas Fleet
The High Seas Fleet was the battle fleet of the German Empire and saw action during World War I. The formation was created in February 1907, when the Home Fleet was renamed as the High Seas Fleet. Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz was the architect of the fleet; he envisioned a force powerful enough to...
between Royal Navy surface ships and bottomed Royal Navy submarines. Unknown to Keyes and Tyrwhitt, 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 added significant reinforcements at the last minute.
Keyes' despatch reads:
Battle was joined at 7:00 on 28 August in misty conditions. Due to lack of information about reinforcements sent by 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...
, great potential existed for fratricidal
Fratricide
Fratricide is the act of a person killing his or her brother....
attacks; at 8:15 am Firedrake and Lurcher came close to attacking the cruisers Lowestoft
HMS Lowestoft (1913)
HMS Lowestoft was a Town-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy launched on 23 April 1913 from Chatham Dockyard. She was part of the Birmingham subgroup....
and Nottingham
HMS Nottingham (1913)
The fifth HMS Nottingham was launched in 1913 and commissioned in 1914. A light Town class light cruiser of , in length and a complement of 401 men, she had thick armour plating and was armed with nine guns, one 13-pounder anti-aircraft gun and two torpedo tubes...
.
SMS Mainz
SMS Mainz was a light cruiser of the Kolberg class in the Imperial German Navy, launched in 1909, with 4,400 tons displacement. She was armed with twelve 10.5 cm guns and had a top speed of 27 knots...
was heavily damaged and disabled, Commodore Goodenough
William Goodenough
Admiral Sir William Edmund Goodenough GCB, MVO was a senior Royal Navy officer of World War I.-Naval career:Goodenough joined the Royal Navy in 1882. He was appointed Commander of the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth in 1905...
ordered his ships to cease firing on her at 12:55 pm and a rescue operation was undertaken. Liverpool
HMS Liverpool (1909)
HMS Liverpool was a 4,800 ton Town-class light cruiser of the British Royal Navy commissioned in 1909. Named for the port city of Liverpool, the cruiser served continuously in home waters subordinated to the Home Fleet from 1909 through the initial stages of the First World War.During the war,...
, accompanied by Lurcher and Firedrake, manoeuvred close to Mainz in an effort to recover the surviving crew. Boats from Liverpool were deployed to retrieve those who had abandoned ship while Lurcher positioned alongside Mainz to transfer the crew who remained on board. By 1:10pm 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...
ships withdrew as the height of tide was high enough to allow larger German Navy
Kaiserliche Marine
The Imperial German Navy was the German Navy created at the time of the formation of the German Empire. It existed between 1871 and 1919, growing out of the small Prussian Navy and Norddeutsche Bundesmarine, which primarily had the mission of coastal defense. Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded...
units to enter the area. Although the operation had been something of a shambles in the mist, the results were clear: Three German light cruisers and a destroyer sunk against no Royal Navy losses.
Submarines in the Baltic
On 22 September 1914 Firedrake and Lurcher towed the submarines E1HMS E1
HMS E1 was a British E class submarine built by Chatham Dockyard and cost £101,700. E1 was laid down on 14 February 1911. She was launched on 9 November 1912 and was commissioned on 6 May 1913...
and E5
HMS E5
HMS E5 was a British E class submarine built by Vickers Barrow-in-Furness. She was laid down on 9 June 1911 and was commissioned on 28 June 1913. She cost £106,700.-Service history:...
towards the Skagerrak
Skagerrak
The Skagerrak is a strait running between Norway and the southwest coast of Sweden and the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea area, which leads to the Baltic Sea.-Name:...
. This was the first act in a long saga that culminated in a British submarine flotilla in the Baltic
British submarine flotilla in the Baltic
A British submarine flotilla operated in the Baltic Sea for three years during the First World War. The squadron of nine submarines was attached to the Russian Baltic Fleet. The main task of the flotilla was to prevent the import of iron ore from Sweden to Imperial Germany...
.
Raid on Scarborough
By 14 December 1914 the AdmiraltyAdmiralty
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 advance warning of the intended raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby
Raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby
The raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby, which took place on 16 December 1914, was an attack by the Imperial German Navy on the British seaport towns of Scarborough, Hartlepool, West Hartlepool, and Whitby. The attack resulted in 137 fatalities and 592 casualties, many of which were civilians...
through signals intelligence. Commodore Keyes was ordered to send eight submarines and his two command destroyers, Firedrake and Lurcher, to take stations off the island of Terschelling
Terschelling
Terschelling is a municipality and an island in the northern Netherlands, one of the West Frisian Islands.Waddenislanders are known for their resourcefulness in using anything and everything that washes ashore. With few trees to use for timber, most of the farms and barns are built with masts...
to catch the German ships should they turn west into 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...
. On 16 December, as the situation developed, the submarines were ordered to move to the Heligoland Bight
Heligoland Bight
The Heligoland Bight, also known as Helgoland Bight, is a bay which forms the southern part of the German Bight, itself a bay of the North Sea, located at the mouth of the Elbe river...
in order to intercept returning German ships. They failed, although one torpedo was fired at SMS Posen
SMS Posen
SMS Posen "SMS" stands for "Seiner Majestät Schiff", or "His Majesty's Ship" was one of four battleships in the , the first dreadnoughts built for the German Imperial Navy...
by HMS E11
HMS E11
HMS E11 was an E-class submarine of the Royal Navy launched on 23 April 1914. E11 was one of the most successful submarines in action during the 1915 naval operations in the Dardanelles Campaign, sinking over 80 vessels of all sizes in three tours of the Sea of Marmara.-European operations:In...
, which missed. As a last ditch attempt to catch Hipper
Franz von Hipper
Franz Ritter von Hipper was an admiral in the German Imperial Navy . Franz von Hipper joined the German Navy in 1881 as an officer cadet. He commanded several torpedo boat units and served as watch officer aboard several warships, as well as Kaiser Wilhelm II's yacht Hohenzollern...
, 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...
ordered Keyes to take his two destroyers and attempt to torpedo Hipper as he returned home around 2 am. on 17 December. Keyes himself had considered this and wanted to try, but the message was delayed and failed to reach him until too late.
Search for HM Submarine C31
On 7 January 1915 both Lurcher and Firedrake carried out a search for the missing submarine C31HMS C31
HMS C31 was a C-class submarine built by Vickers, Barrow for the Royal Navy. She was laid down on 7 January 1909 and was commissioned on 19 November 1909....
, to little avail; it transpired later that she had been mined off the Belgian coast on 4 January.
Battle of Jutland
Lurcher sailed from Harwich on 30 May in company with HM Submarines E31HMS E31
HMS E31 was a British E class submarine built by Scotts, Greenock. She was laid down in December 1914 and was commissioned on 8 January 1916.-Service history:...
, E53
HMS E53
HMS E53 was a British E class submarine built by William Beardmore and Company, Dalmuir. She was laid down on an unknown date and was commissioned in March 1916.HMS E53 was sold on 6 September 1922....
and D6
HMS D6
HMS D6 was a British D class submarine built by Vickers, Barrow. D6 was laid down on 24 February 1910, launched 24 October 1911 and was commissioned on 19 April 1912. D6 was the first of the D class to be armed with guns forward of the conning tower.-Sinking:D6 was sunk by UB-73 73 miles north of...
to patrol positions between Southwold
Southwold
Southwold is a town on the North Sea coast, in the Waveney district of the English county of Suffolk. It is located on the North Sea coast at the mouth of the River Blyth within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town is around south of Lowestoft and north-east...
and the Dutch coast, but were not involved in the Battle of Jutland
Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland was a naval battle between the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet during the First World War. The battle was fought on 31 May and 1 June 1916 in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark. It was the largest naval battle and the only...
, which occurred further to the East.
Collision with HM Submarine C17
HMS C17
HMS C17 was a C-class submarine built by HM Dockyard, Chatham for the Royal Navy. She was laid down on 11 March 1907 and was commissioned on 13 May 1909....
, which was later repaired and returned to service.
Rescue of HM Submarine C25
At about noon on 6 July 1918 a squadron of five German seaplanes returning from a daylight raid on LowestoftLowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
and Walmer
Walmer
Walmer is a town in the district of Dover, Kent in England: located on the coast, the parish of Walmer is six miles north-east of Dover. Largely residential, its coastline and castle attract many visitors...
came across HM Submarine C25
HMS C25
HMS C25 was a British C class submarine built by Vickers, Barrow. She was laid down on 27 February 1908 and was commissioned on 28 May 1909.-Service history:...
on the surface 15 miles (24.1 km) miles east of Orford Ness
Orford Ness
Orford Ness is a cuspate foreland shingle spit on the Suffolk coast in Great Britain, linked to the mainland at Aldeburgh and stretching along the coast to Orford and down to North Wier Point, opposite Shingle Street. It is divided from the mainland by the River Alde, and was formed by longshore...
. Their machine-gun attack killed the commanding officer and four other men, as well as mortally wounding the Coxswain
Coxswain
The coxswain is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives us a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from cox, a coxboat or other small vessel kept aboard a ship, and swain, which can be rendered as boy, in authority. ...
. The steering gear, compasses and radio were all damaged. The first lieutenant, Sub Lieutenant Cobb, attracted the attention of HMS E51
HMS E51
HMS E51 was a British E class submarine built originally ordered from Yarrow, Scotstoun but transferred to Scotts, Greenock on 3 March 1915. HMS E51 was laid down on 30 November 1916 and commissioned on 27 January 1917....
at about 12:45, and a tow was established. The seaplanes carried out further attacks on both submarines between 3:18 and 3:45pm, and it wasn't until the arrival of Lurcher that the enemy seaplanes were driven off.
Disposal
Lurcher survived the war and was sold to J CashmoreJohn Cashmore Ltd
John Cashmore Ltd was a company based at Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales...
of Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
for breaking on 9 June 1921.
Commanding officers
| From | To | |Captain |
|---|---|---|
| 29 October 1912 | 13 December 1913 | |Commander Commander Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval... Claude Lionel Cumberlege RN 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... |
| 1914 | 1915 | |Commander Commander Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval... Wilfred Tomkinson RN 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... |