HMS Brisk (1910)
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 Brisk | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | Brisk |
| Builder | Brown, Clydebank |
| Laid down | 21 February 1910 |
| Launched | 20 September 1910 |
| Commissioned | June 1911 |
| Out of service | 15 November 1921 |
| Fate | Sold to be broken up |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Class & type | Acorn-class destroyer |
| Displacement | 780 long tons (790 t) normal |
| Length | 246 ft (75 m) o.a. |
| Beam | 25 ft 5 in (7.7 m) |
| Draught | 8 ft 6 in (2.6 m) |
| Installed power | 4 Yarrow boilers 13,500 shp (10,100 kW) |
| Propulsion | 2 Brown-Curtis steam turbines, 2 shafts |
| Speed | 27 kn (50 km/h; 31 mph) |
| Range | 1,540 nmi (2,850 km; 1,770 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Complement | 72 |
| Armament |
|
HMS Brisk was one of 20 Acorn-class (later H-class) destroyers built for the Royal Navy that served in the First World War. The Acorn class were smaller than the preceding Beagle class but oil-fired and better armed. Launched in 1910, Brisk was the first destroyer equipped with two Brown-Curtis steam turbines and two shafts. At the start of the war, the ship served with the Second Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet. The destroyer spent most of the war in anti-submarine warfare and was upgraded for this purpose with increasing capacity for attack with depth charges. Despite being involved in many actions, the ship did not sink any enemy boats, although the ship did rescue many survivors of ships sunk, including the troop ship SS Mendi, as well as surviving a torpedo attack from the German submarine U-84 and hitting a mine, all in 1917. Having spent most of the war in the seas around the British Isles, Brisk ended the war as part of the Aegean Squadron of the Mediterranean Fleet. After the Armistice, Brisk was placed in reserve before being sold to be broken up in 1921.
After the preceding coal-burning Beagle class, the Acorn-class destroyers saw a return to oil-firing. Pioneered by the Tribal class of 1905 and HMS Swift of 1907, using oil enabled a more efficient design, leading to a smaller vessel which also had increased deck space available for weaponry.[1] Unlike previous destroyer designs, where the individual yards had been given discretion within the parameters set by the Admiralty, the Acorn class were a set, with the propulsion machinery the only major variation between the different ships.[2] This enabled costs to be reduced.[3] The class was later renamed the H class.[4]
Brisk was 240-foot (73 m) long between perpendiculars and 246 ft (75 m) overall, with a beam of 25 ft 5 in (7.7 m) and a deep draught of 8 ft 6 in (2.6 m). Displacement was 780 long tons (870 short tons; 790 tonnes) normal and 855 long tons (869 t) full load.[5] Power was provided by two Brown-Curtis steam turbines, each driving a single shaft.[6] The destroyer was the first to have this arrangement rather than the traditional triple Parsons turbines. This also meant that Brisk was the first Royal Navy destroyer with two shafts.[7] The turbines were fed by four Yarrow boilers. Three funnels were fitted, the foremost tall and thin, the central short and thick and the aft narrow.[8] The engines were rated at 13,500 shaft horsepower (10,100 kW) and design speed was 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph). On trial, Brisk achieved 27.6 knots (51.1 km/h; 31.8 mph).[4] The vessel carried 170 long tons (170 t) of fuel oil which gave a range of 1,540 nautical miles (2,850 km; 1,770 mi) at a cruising speed of 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph).[5][6]
Armament consisted of a single BL 4 in (102 mm) Mk VIII gun carried on the forecastle and another aft. Two single QF 12-pounder 3 in (76 mm) guns were mounted between the first two funnels.[9] Two rotating 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes were mounted aft of the funnels, with two reloads carried, and a searchlight fitted between the tubes.[10] The destroyer was later modified to carry a single Vickers QF 3-pounder 2 in (47 mm) anti-aircraft gun and depth charges for anti-submarine warfare.[11] At least one paravane was also fitted.[12] The ship's complement was 72 officers and ratings.[6]
