HMS Ready (1916)

HMS Ready was a destroyer of the M class which served with the Royal Navy. Launched by Thornycroft on 14 October 1916, the vessel was the one of two similar ships ordered as part of the Fifth War Construction Programme. They differed from the remainder of the M class in having more powerful engines. On commissioning, Ready operated within the Grand Fleet until it was disbanded at the end of the First World War. The vessel was credited with helping to sink a German Q-ship in 1917. After the war, the destroyer was transferred to HMNB Portsmouth, but retired and was sold to be broken up on 13 July 1926 after almost a decade of service.

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Ready.
Sister ship HMS Patriot
History
United Kingdom
Name: Ready
Builder: Thornycroft, Woolston, Southampton
Yard number: 828
Laid down: 2 September 1915
Launched: 26 August 1916
Commissioned: 31 October 1916
Decommissioned: 13 July 1926
Fate: Broken up at Garston, Liverpool
General characteristics
Class and type: Thornycroft M-class destroyer
Displacement:
  • 1,033 long tons (1,050 t) standard
  • 1,208 long tons (1,227 t) full
Length: 274 ft (83.5 m)
Beam: 27 ft 6 in (8.4 m)
Draught: 10 ft (120.0 in)
Propulsion:
Speed: 35 kn (40 mph; 65 km/h)
Range: 3,450 nmi (6,390 km) at 20 kn (37 km/h)
Complement: 82
Armament:

Design and development
Main article: M-class destroyer

Ready was one of two M-class destroyers ordered by the British Admiralty from John I. Thornycroft & Company in May 1915 as part of the Fifth War Construction Programme.[1] Ready and Rapid differed from the Admiralty design in having more powerful engines, which gave them a higher potential speed.[2] Thornycroft had previously delivered four other M-class destroyers to the Admiralty to slightly different specifications.[3]

The destroyer was 274 feet (84 m) long overall and 265 feet (81 m) long between perpendiculars, with a beam of 27 feet 6 inches (8.38 m) and a draught of 10 feet (3.0 m).[3] Displacement was 1,033 long tons (1,050 t) normal and 1,208 long tons (1,227 t) full load.[4] Three Yarrow boilers fed steam to two sets of Brown-Curtis steam turbines rated at 27,500 shp (20,500 kW) and driving two shafts, giving a design speed of 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph), although the ship reached 34.36 knots (63.63 km/h; 39.54 mph) during trials.[3] Three funnels were fitted, the centre one being wider than the others, a feature shared with other destroyers designed by Thornycroft.[4] 275 long tons (279 t) of oil were carried, giving a design range of 1,620 nautical miles (3,000 km; 1,860 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph).[5]

Armament consisted of three QF 4-inch (102 mm) Mark IV guns on the ship's centreline, with one on the forecastle, one aft and one between the second and third funnels.[3] Four 21 in (533 mm) torpedoes were carried in two twin rotating mounts.[1] By 1920, the ship was equipped with a single 2-pounder (40 mm) pom-pom anti-aircraft gun.[6] Fire control included a single Dumaresq and a Vickers range clock.[7] The vessel had a complement of 82 officers and ratings.[3]

Construction and service

Ready was laid down on 2 September 1915 and launched on 26 August 1916.[8] The ship was given the yard number 828.[1]

On commissioning in October 1916, the ship joined the Grand Fleet, allocated to the Fifteenth Destroyer Flotilla.[9] The flotilla was involved in anti-submarine patrols during June 1917 which, although involving twelves attacks, did not lead to the destruction of any submarines.[10] From 31 October to 2 November 1917, the 15th Flotilla made a sortie into the Kattegat, sinking the German Q-ship K (also known as Kronprinz Wilhelm) on 2 November and nine trawlers.[11][12] Ready, together with the destroyer leader Parker, and the destroyers Rigorous, Rocket, Rob Roy, Sharpshooter and Trenchant, was awarded a bounty for sinking Konprinz Wilhelm.[13]

Ready continued to serve with the Fifteenth Destroyer Flotilla until the end of the war.[14] When the Grand Fleet was disbanded, Ready was allocated to the defence flotilla at HMNB Portsmouth.[15] However, in 1923, the Navy decided to scrap many of the older destroyers in preparation for the introduction of newer and larger vessels.[16] The destroyer was sold to King to be broken up at Garston, Liverpool on 13 July 1926.[8]

Pennant numbers
Pennant Number Date
G71September 1915[17]
G87January 1917[17]
G84January 1918[17]

References

Citations
  1. Gardiner & Gray 1985, p. 80.
  2. Friedman 2009, p. 308.
  3. Parkes & Prendegast 1919, p. 110.
  4. Gardiner & Gray 1985, p. 79.
  5. March 1966, p. 143.
  6. March 1966, p. 146.
  7. "Fire Control in H.M. Ships". The Technical History and Index: Alteration in Armaments of H.M. Ships during the War. 3 (23): 31. 1919.
  8. Colledge & Warlow 2006, p. 333.
  9. "Supplement to the Monthly Naval List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officers' Commands, &c.: Destroyer Flotillas of the Grand Fleet". The Navy List: 12. November 1916. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  10. Newbolt 1931, pp. 54–56.
  11. Fock 1989, p. 376
  12. Gröner, Jung & Maass 1993, pp. 533–534
  13. "List of Prize and Salvage Awards". The Navy List: 2410. October 1920. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  14. "Supplement to the Monthly Naval List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officers' Commands, &c.: Destroyer Flotillas of the Grand Fleet". The Navy List: 12. October 1918. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  15. "Local Defence and Training Establishments, Patrol Flotillas, Etc". The Navy List: 704. January 1921. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  16. Friedman 2009, p. 180.
  17. Dittmar & Colledge 1972, p. 68.

Bibliography
  • Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006). Ships of the Royal Navy: A Complete Record of All Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy From the 15th Century to the Present. London: Chatham. ISBN 1-93514-907-5.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0380-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Fock, Harald (1989). Z-Vor! Internationale Entwicklung und Kriegseinsätze von Zerstörern und Torpedobooten 1914 bis 1939 (in German). Herford, Germany: Koehlers Verlagsgesellschaft mBH. ISBN 3-7822-0207-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Friedman, Norman (2009). British Destroyers: From Earliest Days to the First World War. Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-049-9.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • 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.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1993). Die deutschen Kriegschiff 1915–1945: Band 8/1: Flußfahrezeuge, Ujäger, Vorpostenboote, Hilfsminensucher, Küstenschutzverbände (Tiel 1) (in German). Bonn: Bernard & Graefe Verlag. ISBN 3-7637-4807-5.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • March, Edgar J. (1966). British Destroyers: A History of Development 1892–1953. London: Seeley Service & Co. ISBN 1-84832-049-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Newbolt, Henry (1931). Naval Operations: Vol. V. History of the Great War. London: Longmans, Green and Co. Retrieved 25 March 2020.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Parkes, Oscar; Prendegast, Maurice (1919). Jane’s Fighting Ships. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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