HMS Oriole (1916)

Sister ship HMS Orpheus in 1918
History
United Kingdom
NameHMS Oriole
OrderedFebruary 1915
BuilderPalmers, Jarrow
Launched31 July 1916
CompletedNovember 1916
Out of service9 May 1921
FateSold to be broken up
General characteristics
Class & typeAdmiralty M-class destroyer
Displacement
Length265 ft (81 m) (p.p.)
Beam26 ft 9 in (8 m)
Draught16 ft 3 in (5 m)
Installed power3 Yarrow boilers, 25,000 shp (19,000 kW)
PropulsionParsons steam turbines, 3 shafts
Speed34 knots (63.0 km/h; 39.1 mph)
Range2,530 nmi (4,690 km; 2,910 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement76
Armament

HMS Oriole was a Repeat Admiralty M-class destroyer which served in the Royal Navy during the First World War. The M class were an improvement on the previous L-class, capable of higher speed, armed with three 4-inch (102 mm) guns and four 21 in (533 mm) torpedoes. Launched in 1916, the vessel initially joined the Grand Fleet with the Thirteenth Destroyer Flotilla but, in 1917, was transferred to the Fourth Destroyer Flotilla based at Devonport to provide an escort for convoys travelling from the South. The convoy model, with its escorts, proved increasingly successful at enabling merchant shipping to sail safely, despite changes in tactics by the German submarines. After the Armistice that marked the end of the First World War in 1918, Oriole was placed in reserve, decommissioned and, in 1921, sold to be broken up.

Design and development

Oriole was one of sixteen Repeat Admiralty M-class destroyers ordered by the British Admiralty in February 1915 as part of the Fourth War Construction Programme.[1] The M class was an improved version of the earlier L-class destroyers, required to reach a higher speed in order to counter rumoured German fast destroyers. The remit was to have a maximum speed of 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph) and, although the eventual design did not achieve this, the greater performance was appreciated by the navy. It transpired that the German ships did not exist.[2] The Repeat M class differed from the prewar vessels in having a raked stem and design improvements based on wartime experience.[3]

The destroyer was 265 feet (81 m) long between perpendiculars, with a beam of 26 feet 9 inches (8 m) and a draught of 16 feet 3 inches (5 m). Displacement was 950 long tons (970 t) normal and 1,021 long tons (1,037 t) at full load. Power was provided by three Yarrow boilers feeding Parsons steam turbines rated at 25,000 shaft horsepower (19,000 kW) and driving three shafts, to give a design speed of 34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph).[3] Three funnels were fitted and 296 long tons (301 t) of oil was carried, giving a design range of 2,530 nautical miles (4,690 km; 2,910 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). Actual range was less with sister ship Murray stated as having an endurance of 2,230 nautical miles (4,130 km; 2,570 mi).[4]

Armament consisted of three single QF 4-inch (102 mm) Mk IV guns on the ship's centreline, with one on the forecastle, one aft on a raised platform and one between the middle and aft funnels. A single 2-pounder 40 mm (2 in) "pom-pom" anti-aircraft gun was carried, while torpedo armament consisted of two twin mounts for 21 in (533 mm) torpedoes.[5] The ship had a complement of 80 officers and ratings.[6]

Construction and career

Laid down at their shipyard in Jarrow, Oriole was launched by Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company on 31 July 1916 and completed during November the same year.[3] The destroyer was the first Royal Navy ship to bear the name.[7] On commissioning, Oriole was initially deployed as part of the Grand Fleet, joining the Thirteenth Destroyer Flotilla based at Rosyth.[8][9] However, the Admiralty identified a greater need for convoy escorts.[10] During 1917, the warship was transferred to the Fourth Destroyer Flotilla based at Devonport, remaining there until the end of the war.[11][12] The flotilla provided escorts for convoys sailing from the south.[13] Convoys proved an increasingly effective method to protect merchant shipping, despite changes in tactics by the German submarine commanders.[14]

After the armistice, the Grand Fleet was disbanded and Oriole was placed in reserve with a reduced company at the Nore on 25 March 1919.[15] However, the end of the war meant that the Royal Navy returned to a peacetime level of mobilisation and both the number of ships and the amount of staff needed to be reduced to save money.[16] The harsh conditions of wartime service, exacerbated by the fact that the hull was not galvanised and operations often required high speed in high seas, meant that the destroyer was worn out and ready for retirement.[17] Oriole was decommissioned, and sold to Thos. W. Ward at Rainham, Kent, on 9 May 1921 to be broken up.[18]

Pennant numbers

Pennant number Date
G44September 1915[19]
F16January 1917[20]
D1AJanuary 1918[21]
D06March 1918[22]
F86January 1919[23]

References

Citations

  1. ↑ McBride 1991, p. 45.
  2. ↑ Friedman 2009, p. 132.
  3. 1 2 3 Parkes & Prendergast 1969, p. 109.
  4. ↑ Friedman 2009, p. 296.
  5. ↑ March 1966, p. 174.
  6. ↑ Preston 1985, p. 79.
  7. ↑ Manning & Walker 1959, p. 325.
  8. ↑ "Destroyer Flotillas of the Grand Fleet". The Navy List: 12. January 1917. Retrieved 11 August 2026 – via National Library of Scotland.
  9. ↑ Naval Staff Monograph No. 35 1939, p. 265.
  10. ↑ Newbolt 1928, p. 383.
  11. ↑ "Miscellaneous Ships in Home Waters or on Detached Service". The Navy List: 14. October 1917. Retrieved 11 August 2026 – via National Library of Scotland.
  12. ↑ "Local Defence and Escort Flotillas". The Navy List: 14. October 1918. Retrieved 11 August 2026 – via National Library of Scotland.
  13. ↑ Newbolt 1931, p. 58.
  14. ↑ Newbolt 1931, pp. 202, 203.
  15. ↑ "644 Oriole", The Navy List, p. 818, July 1920, retrieved 11 August 2026 – via National Library of Scotland
  16. ↑ Moretz 2002, p. 79.
  17. ↑ Preston 1985, p. 80.
  18. ↑ Colledge & Warlow 2006, p. 251.
  19. ↑ Bush & Warlow 2021, p. 64.
  20. ↑ Bush & Warlow 2021, p. 46.
  21. ↑ Bush & Warlow 2021, p. 61.
  22. ↑ Dittmar & Colledge 1972, p. 64.
  23. ↑ Bush & Warlow 2021, p. 52.

Bibliography

  • Bush, Steve; Warlow, Ben (2021). Pendant Numbers of the Royal Navy: A Complete History of the Allocation of Pendant Numbers to Royal Navy Warships & Auxiliaries. Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-526793-78-2.
  • Colledge, J.J.; Warlow, Ben (2006). Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of All Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy. London: Chatham Press. ISBN 978-1-93514-907-1.
  • Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 978-0-71100-380-4.
  • Friedman, Norman (2009). British Destroyers: From Earliest Days to the Second World War. Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-049-9.
  • Manning, Thomas Davys; Walker, Charles Frederick (1959). British Warship Names. London: Putnam. OCLC 780274698.
  • March, Edgar J. (1966). British Destroyers: A History of Development, 1892–1953; Drawn by Admiralty Permission From Official Records & Returns, Ships' Covers & Building Plans. London: Seeley Service. OCLC 164893555.
  • McBride, Keith (1991). "British 'M' Class Destroyers of 1913–14". In Gardiner, Robert (ed.). Warship 1991. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 34–49. ISBN 978-0-85177-582-1.
  • Monograph No. 35: Home Waters Part IX: 1st May 1917 to 31st July 1917 (PDF). Naval Staff Monographs (Historical). Vol. XIX. Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division. 1939.
  • Moretz, Joseph (2002). The Royal Navy and the Capital Ship in the Interwar Period. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-71465-196-5.
  • Newbolt, Henry (1928). Naval Operations: Volume IV. History of the Great War. London: Longmans, Green and Co. OCLC 1049894132.
  • Newbolt, Henry (1931). Naval Operations: Volume V. History of the Great War. London: Longmans, Green and Co. OCLC 220475309.
  • Parkes, Oscar; Prendergast, Maurice (1969). Jane's Fighting Ships 1919. Newton Abbott: David & Charles. OCLC 907574860.
  • Preston, Antony (1985). "Great Britain and Empire Forces". In Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Randal (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 1–104. ISBN 978-0-85177-245-5.
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