HMS Ursa (1917)
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 Sister ship HMS Undine | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS Ursa |
| Namesake | Ursa, the Lain name for bear |
| Ordered | March 1916 |
| Builder | Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company, Jarrow |
| Launched | 23 July 1917 |
| Completed | 16 October 1917 |
| Out of service | 13 July 1926 |
| Fate | Sold to be broken up |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Modified Admiralty R-class destroyer |
| Displacement | 1,035 long tons (1,052 t) (normal) |
| Length | 276 ft (84.1 m) (o.a.) |
| Beam | 27 ft (8.2 m) |
| Draught | 11 ft (3.4 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 36 knots (41.4 mph; 66.7 km/h) |
| Range | 3,450 nmi (6,390 km) at 15 kn (28 km/h) |
| Complement | 82 |
| Armament |
|
HMS Ursa was a modified Admiralty R-class destroyer that served in the Royal Navy during the First World War. The Modified R class added attributes of the Yarrow Later M class to improve the capability of the ships to operate in bad weather. Launched in 1917, the vessel saw service as part of the Grand Fleet. The destroyer took part in the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight while being commanded by Commander John Tovey, who later became Admiral of the Fleet and led the successful action against the battleship Bismark. The vessel was also one of the first destroyers to launch a torpedo at the enemy during the battle. After the war, Ursa was transferred to the Home Fleet, but was sold to be broken up in 1928.
Ursa was one of eleven Modified R-class destroyers ordered by the British Admiralty in March 1916 as part of the Eighth War Construction Programme.[1] The design was a development of the existing R class, adding features from the Yarrow Later M class which had been introduced based on wartime experience.[2] The forward two boilers were transposed and vented through a single funnel, enabling the bridge and forward gun to be placed further aft. Combined with hull-strengthening, this improved the destroyer's ability to operate at high speed in bad weather.[3]
Ursa was 276 feet (84.1 m) long overall and 265 feet (80.8 m) long between perpendiculars, with a beam of 27 feet (8.2 m) and a draught of 11 feet (3.4 m).[2] Displacement was 1,035 long tons (1,052 t) normal and 1,085 long tons (1,102 t) at deep load. Power was provided by three Yarrow boilers feeding two Brown-Curtis geared steam turbines rated at 27,000 shaft horsepower (20,000 kW) and driving two shafts, to give a design speed of 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph).[1] Two funnels were fitted. A total of 296 long tons (301 t) of fuel oil were carried, giving a design range of 3,450 nautical miles (6,390 km; 3,970 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).[3]
Armament consisted of three single 4-inch (102 mm) Mk V QF guns on the ship's centreline, with one on the forecastle, one aft on a raised platform and one between the funnels. Increased elevation extended the range of the gun by 1,800 metres (2,000 yd) to 11,000 metres (12,000 yd). A single 2-pounder 40 mm (1.6 in) "pom-pom anti-aircraft gun was carried on a platform between two twin mounts for 21 in (533 mm) torpedoes. The ship had a complement of 82 officers and ratings.[3]
