HMS Afridi (1907)

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Ship class=Tribal-class destroyer

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Ship displacement=*872 long tons (886 t) normal 966 long tons (982 t) deep load

Ship length=*263 ft 6 in (80.31 m) overall length 250 ft (76.20 m) length between perpendiculars

Ship beam=25 ft (7.62 m)

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Ship draught=7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)

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Ship propulsion=*Steam turbines, 5 oil-fired Yarrow boilers 3 shafts 14,250 shp (10,630 kW) 92.5 tons fuel oil capacity

Ship speed=33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph)

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Ship armament=*5 × QF 12-pounder 12 cwt naval gun Mark I 2 × single British 18 inch torpedo tubes (450 mm)

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HMS Afridi was a commissioned into the Royal Navy after her launch in 1907 and ultimately scrapped in 1919. Throughout the First World War, she operated with the 6th Destroyer Flotilla in both the North Sea and the English Channel, also serving within the Dover Patrol.

Though not conclusively proven, it is believed that explosive sweeps deployed by Afridi led to the sinking of the German submarine SM UB-13, which left Zeebrugge on 23 April 1916 for a patrol near the mouth of the River Thames and subsequently disappeared without any further communication.

Construction and design

In September 1905, HMS Afridi was ordered from Armstrong Whitworth, becoming one of five Tribal-class destroyers commissioned under the Royal Navy’s 1905–06 construction programme. The Admiralty provided broad specifications but delegated detailed design responsibilities to the builders; nevertheless, all designs required approval by the Director of Naval Construction prior to contract finalisation. The vessels were expected to achieve speeds up to 33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph) and maintain a cruising range of 1,500 nautical miles (2,800 km; 1,700 mi), with an endurance of eight hours at maximum speed. Propulsion was to be provided by steam turbines powered by oil-fired boilers, with cruising turbines incorporated to enhance operational range. A minimum freeboard of 15 feet 6 inches (4.72 m) at the bow was mandated. Initial armament consisted of two or three QF 12-pounder (3-inch, 76 mm) guns—specifically the older 12 cwt model selected for cost efficiency—and two single-mounted 18-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes. During construction it became apparent that this weaponry was insufficient; consequently, subsequent Tribal-class vessels ordered in 1906–07 were equipped with two 4-inch (102 mm) guns. In October 1908, a decision was made to augment the firepower of the first five Tribals—including Afridi—by fitting an additional two 12-pounder guns prior to their commissioning.

Armstrong's design featured five Yarrow boiler water-tube boilers supplying steam to Parsons turbines rated at 14,250 shaft horsepower (10,630 kW), which drove three propeller shafts—each with its own propeller—through three short funnels. The two forward-mounted twelve-pounders were positioned side-by-side on the forecastle deck, with a third gun located aft. The vessel carried two spare torpedoes.

Construction began at Armstrong's Elswick yard in August 1906 and she was launched on 8 May 1907. Her sea trials were marked by difficulties including issues with propellers and turbines compounded by adverse weather and labour disputes causing delays. Ultimately, she reached her contractual speed in February 1909 by achieving 33.25 knots (61.58 km/h; 38.26 mph), though this required pushing her engines beyond standard output to approximately 21,000 shaft horsepower (16,000 kW).

Service

Afridi was officially commissioned on 10 September 1909, arriving 26 months behind the initially agreed schedule. It was the final destroyer constructed by Armstrongs, and subsequently joined the 1st Destroyer Flotilla. By 1913, Afridi had been reassigned to the 4th Destroyer Flotilla, which was stationed at Portsmouth. That October, the Tribal-class destroyers were formally classified as the F class, leading to the letter "F" being painted on Afridi's bow.

Due to their limited operational range unsuitable for extended open sea missions, the Tribal-class vessels were redeployed in February 1914 to Dover, where they formed the 6th Destroyer Flotilla. When the First World War began, this flotilla became the core of the Dover Patrol, with Afridi serving within this unit throughout the conflict. At the war’s outset, submerged submarines were primarily detected using indicator nets, which trapped submarines and signaled their presence through attached buoys. On 20 February 1915, the destroyer Viking noticed a disturbance in these nets within the Dover Straits and alerted Afridi to deploy her explosive anti-submarine sweep, but no submarine was located. Later, on 6 April 1915, when a periscope belonging to the German submarine SM U-33 was sighted by the drifter Hyacinth, Afridi was summoned due to proximity. Although U-33 tore through part of the netting, no indicator buoys were triggered, allowing it to evade capture.

Following the torpedoing of the cross-Channel ferry Sussex by German submarine SM UB-29 on 24 March 1916, Afridi was among several destroyers dispatched to respond to distress calls and assist in rescue efforts.

To address the threat posed by German destroyers equipped with superior 105 mm guns that outmatched British vessels in the Dover Patrol, several Tribal-class ships underwent rearmament. Between April and October 1917, Afridi replaced her original 12-pounder guns with two 4.7-inch (120 mm) QF guns and received additional armaments including a single 2-pounder "pom-pom" autocannon for anti-aircraft defense and a Maxim machine gun.

During the night of 22–23 April, Afridi participated in an assault on the German-controlled port of Ostend in Belgium, coordinated simultaneously with an attack on Zeebrugge. The mission aimed to prevent German surface ships and submarines from utilizing these ports. In this operation, Afridi escorted blockships HMS Sirius and HMS Brilliant, which were intended to be scuttled at the harbor entrance while monitors provided heavy bombardment. However, unlike Zeebrugge's partial success, the Ostend attack failed as blockships ran aground before blocking access to the harbor.

In November 1919, Afridi, along with Zubian, Cossack, and Viking, was listed for sale at Immingham. The ship was sold for dismantling on 9 December that year and ultimately sunk as a target vessel on 9 April 1930.

Bibliography

• Brook, Peter (1999). Armstrong Warships for Export: 1867–1927. Gravesend, UK: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-89-4.
• Burt, R.A. (1986). Warships Illustrated No 7: British Destroyers During World War One. London: Arms & Armour Press. ISBN 0-85368-753-6.
• Template:Cite Colledge2006
• Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J. J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. Shepperton, UK: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0380-7.
• Friedman, Norman (2009). British Destroyers: From Their Origins to the Second World War. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-049-9.
• Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
• Manning, T. D. (1961). The British Destroyer. London: Putnam & Co. OCLC 6470051.
• March, Edgar J. (1966). A History of British Destroyers: Development from 1892 to 1953; Drawn from Official Records, Returns, Ships' Covers & Building Plans by Admiralty Permission. London: Seeley Service. OCLC 164893555.
• Monograph No. 29: Home Waters—Part IV: February to July 1915 (PDF). Naval Staff Monographs (Historical). Vol. XIII. The Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division. 1925.

External links

• HMS Afridi Index of 19th Century Naval Vessels Archived 25 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine
• "HMS Afridi (1907)". www.tynebuiltships.com. Retrieved 6 March 2017.