HMS Octavia (1916)
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_RMG_N02472.jpg) Sister ship HMS Orpheus in 1918 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS Octavia |
| Ordered | November 1914 |
| Builder | Doxford, Sunderland |
| Launched | 21 June 1916 |
| Completed | November 1916 |
| Out of service | 5 November 1921 |
| Fate | Sold to be broken up |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Admiralty M-class destroyer |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 265 ft (80.77 m) p.p. |
| Beam | 26 ft 9 in (8.15 m) |
| Draught | 16 ft 3 in (4.95 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 34 knots (63.0 km/h; 39.1 mph) |
| Range | 3,450 nmi (6,390 km; 3,970 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Complement | 76 |
| Armament |
|
HMS Octavia was an 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. The vessel was launched on 21 June 1916 and joined the Grand Fleet. Octavia joined the Thirteenth Destroyer Flotilla, which, in 1917, participated in a large anti-submarine warfare operation in the North Sea. The sortie led to three German submarines being sunk, although Octavia was not directly involved in these attacks. In 1918, the flotilla was involved in one of the final sorties of the Grand Fleet, but again the destroyer saw no action at the time. After the Armistice that marked the end of the First World War, Octavia was placed in reserve, decommissioned and, on 5 November 1921, sold to be broken up.
Octavia was one of twenty-two Admiralty M-class destroyer destroyers ordered by the British Admiralty in November 1914 as part of the Third War Construction Programme.[1] The M-class was an improved version of the earlier L-class destroyer destroyers, originally envisaged to reach the higher speed of 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph) in order to counter rumoured German fast destroyers, although the eventual specification was designed for a more economic 34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph).[2]
The destroyer was 265 feet (80.77 m) long between perpendiculars, with a beam of 26 feet 9 inches (8.15 m) and a draught of 16 feet 3 inches (4.95 m). Displacement was 950 long tons (970 t) normal and 1,021 long tons (1,037 t) deep load. Power was provided by three Yarrow boilers feeding two Brown-Curtis steam turbines rated at 25,000 shaft horsepower (19,000 kW) and driving two shafts.[3] Three funnels were fitted and 296 long tons (301 t) of oil was carried, giving a design range of 3,450 nautical miles (6,390 km; 3,970 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).[4]
Armament consisted of three single 4-inch (102 mm) Mk IV QF 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) 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 76 officers and ratings.[4]
