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HMS Griffon was a B-class torpedo boat destroyer of the British Royal Navy. She was completed by Laird, Son & Company, Birkenhead, in 1896.

History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Griffon
Builder	Laird, Son & Co., Birkenhead
Laid down	7 March 1896
Launched	21 November 1896
Completed	November 1897
Fate	Scrapped, 1920
General characteristics
Class and type	Earnest-class destroyer
Displacement	395 long tons (401 t)
Length	210 ft (64 m)
Beam	21.5 ft (6.6 m)
Draught	9.75 ft (3.0 m)
Propulsion	vertical triple-expansion steam engines Coal-fired Normand boilers 6,300 hp (4,698 kW)
Speed	30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Complement	63
Armament	1 × QF 12-pounder gun 2 × 18 inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes

Construction

Griffon was ordered on 9 January 1896 as one of six 30-knotter destroyers programmed to be built by Lairds under the 1895–1896 programme.[1] These followed on from four very similar destroyers ordered from Lairds as part of the 1894–1895 programme.[2]

Griffon was 218 ft 0 in (66.45 m) long overall and 213 ft 0 in (64.92 m) between perpendiculars, with a beam of 21 ft 6 in (6.55 m) and a draught of 9 ft 6 in (2.90 m). Displacement was 355 long tons (361 t) light and 415 long tons (422 t) deep load. Like the other Laird-built 30-knotters, Griffon was propelled by two triple expansion steam engines, fed by four Normand boilers, rated at 6,300 ihp (4,700 kW), and was fitted with four funnels.[2][3]

Armament was the standard for the 30-knotters, i.e. a QF 12 pounder 12 cwt (3 in (76 mm) calibre) gun on a platform on the ship's conning tower (in practice the platform was also used as the ship's bridge), with a secondary armament of five 6-pounder guns, and two 18 inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes.[4][5]

Griffon was laid down as Yard number 622 on 7 March 1896 and launched on 21 November that year.[1] She reached a speed of 30.11 kn (34.65 mph; 55.76 km/h) during sea trials,[6] and was completed in November 1897.[1]

Service

Griffon departed for the Mediterranean Squadron, together with sister ship Earnest, in September 1898,[1] and was still serving in the Mediterranean in January 1900.[7] She visited Greek waters in September 1902,[8] and Lieutenant Harry Charles John Roberts West was appointed in command when she was back at Malta in late October 1902.[9] Griffon returned to British waters in 1906.[1] In early 1910, Griffon, part of the Nore Destroyer Flotilla, was refitted at Chatham Dockyard.[10]

On 30 August 1912 the Admiralty directed all destroyers were to be grouped into classes designated by letters based on contract speed and appearance. As a four-funneled 30-knotter destroyer, Griffon was assigned to the B Class.[11][12] In 1912, older destroyers were transferred to patrol flotillas,[13] with Griffon forming part of the Seventh Flotilla, based at Devonport, by March 1913.[14][13] Griffon remained part of the Seventh Flotilla in June 1914.[15][16] Griffon entered refit at Pembroke Dockyard in July 1914.[17]

In January 1915, Griffon was based at Scapa Flow, as one of a force of 29 destroyers used for local patrols of this key anchorage, the base for the Grand Fleet.[18][19] Griffon remained attached to the Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow in February 1918,[20] but by March 1918 had transferred to the Irish Sea Flotilla.[21] On 19 May 1918, she was one of several warships dispatched to investigate a sighting report of a periscope by an airship off the Lleyn Peninsula in North Wales. No submarine was destroyed in the resulting operations.[22] Griffon was based at Holyhead on Anglesey for operations in the Irish sea at the end of the war.[23][24]

Disposal

In January 1919, Griffon was listed as being temporarily based at Devonport Naval Base.[25] In April 1920, she was listed as for sale,[26] and she was sold for scrap to Castle of Plymouth on 1 July 1920.[27]

Pennant numbers

Pennant number[27]	From	To
D39	1914	September 1915
D81	September 1915	January 1918
D45	January 1918	Retirement

References

Bibliography

• Brassey, T. A., ed. (1898). The Naval Annual 1898. Portsmouth, UK: J Griffin and Co.
• Chesneau, Roger & Kolesnik, Eugene M., eds. (1979). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-133-5.
• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
• 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 Earliest Days 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.
• Lyon, David (2001) [1996]. The First Destroyers. London: Caxton Editions. ISBN 1-84067-3648.
• Manning, T. D. (1961). The British Destroyer. London: Putnam & Co. OCLC 6470051.
• 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.

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