HMS Tower (1917)

HMS Tower was a modified R-class destroyer of the Royal Navy, named after the White Tower of the Tower of London. She was built by Swan Hunter, and launched on 5 April 1917. She is noted for having the first modern Royal Navy ship's badge. She served as part of the Grand Fleet and Harwich Force.

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Tower.

Tower during sea trials
History
United Kingdom
Name: HMS Tower
Namesake: White Tower, Tower of London
Builder: Swan Hunter
Laid down: September 1916
Launched: 5 April 1917
Decommissioned: 17 May 1928
Motto: "God save King George and his Tower"
Fate: Sold for scrapping.
General characteristics
Class and type: R-class destroyer
Displacement:
Length: 276 ft (84.1 m)
Beam: 26 ft 9 in (8.15 m)
Draught: 9 ft 10 in (3.00 m)
Propulsion:
Speed: 36 knots (41.4 mph; 66.7 km/h)
Range: 3,440 nmi (6,370 km) at 15 kn (28 km/h)
Complement: 82
Armament:

She held the pennant number of F24 from January 1918 until she was sold in 1928. Prior to this the pennant number of F24 was held by HMS Rival for one year from January 1917 onwards.[1]

Ship's badge

Prior to 1917 there was no standard design for a ship's badge. The first modern ship's badge was designed by Mr George Richardson; Director of the Swan Hunter shipyard on the Tees; and Major Charles ffoulkes; the curator of the government endorsed museum for the collection of artefacts of war.

The Commanding Officer of Tower asked Richardson if he could offer a design for the badge for his ship. Richardson spoke to ffoulkes and together they came up with a design that showed the White Tower of the Tower of London, with the motto "God save King George and his Tower". This was encased in a circular rope frame, with a Naval Crown at the top, along with the name "Tower" set into a rectangular panel at the bottom. This design set the standard for all future ship's badges and became the design from which all today's badges are derived.[2] Major ffoulkes was subsequently requested to design others and the Admiralty Board set up a Ships' Badges Committee in 1918 to regulate ships' badges with him as the first Adviser on Heraldry.[3]

Tower was sold for scrap on 17 May 1928 and subsequently broken up by John Cashmore Ltd at Newport.

Notes
  1. http://www.worldnavalships.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2240 Jim Bryce's List of RN Pennant Numbers
  2. http://www.ships-badges.co.uk/history.htm Archived 19 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine Admiralty Ship's Badges - History
  3. http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/About/15.htm Naval, Military and R.A.F. insignia - College of Arms

Bibliography
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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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