HMS Fury (1911)


HMS Fury was one of 20 destroyers built for the Royal Navy that served in the First World War. The Acorn class was smaller than the preceding but oil-fired and better armed. Launched in 1910, Fury served with the Second Destroyer Flotilla, joining the Grand Fleet at the start of the war. Soon afterwards, in August 1914, the destroyer assisted in the unsuccessful attempt to rescue the stricken dreadnought battleship. In 1916, the vessel was transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet, joining the Fifth Destroyer Flotilla. After the Armistice in 1918, the destroyer was placed in reserve. Fury was sold to be broken up in 1921.

Design and description

After the preceding coal-burning, the saw a return to oil-firing. Pioneered by the of 1905 and of 1907, using oil enabled a more efficient design, leading to a smaller vessel which also had increased deck space available for weaponry. Unlike previous destroyer designs, where the individual yards had been given discretion within the parameters set by the Admiralty, the Acorn class was a set, with the propulsion machinery the only major variation between the different ships. This enabled costs to be reduced. The ships was later renamed H class.
Fury had a length of between perpendiculars and overall, with a beam of and a deep draught of. Displacement was normal and full load. Power was provided by [C. A. C. A. Parsons and Company|Parsons and Company|Parsons] steam turbines, fed by four Yarrow boilers. Parsons supplied a set of direct-drive turbines that drove three shafts. Three funnels were fitted. The engines were rated at and design speed was. On trial, Fury achieved. The vessel carried of fuel oil which gave a range of at a cruising speed of.
Armament consisted of a single BL Mk VIII gun carried on the forecastle and another aft. Two single QF 12-pounder guns were mounted between the first two funnels. Two rotating [British 21 inch torpedo|] torpedo tubes were mounted aft of the funnels, with two reloads carried, and a searchlight fitted between the tubes. The destroyer was later modified to carry a single Vickers QF 3-pounder anti-aircraft gun and depth charges for anti-submarine warfare. The ship's complement was 72 officers and ratings.

Construction and career

The 20 destroyers of the Acorn class were ordered by the Admiralty under the 1909-1910 Naval Programme. Fury was laid down by A. & J. Inglis at the company's Pointhouse shipyard in Glasgow on 3 March 1910, launched on 23 April the following year and completed in February 1912. The vessel was the tenth ship in Royal Navy service to be given the name, the first recorded use being in 1779. On commissioning, Fury joined the Second Destroyer Flotilla.
After the British Empire declared war on Germany at the beginning of the First World War in August 1914, the Flotilla became part of the Grand Fleet based at Scapa Flow. After the dreadnought battleship struck a naval mine on 27 October, Fury was one of the vessels sent out as a rescue party. Despite taking the line to, in succession, the ocean liner, light cruiser and collier Thornhill, none of the ships were able to save the stricken ship. On 8 August 1915, the destroyer joined an anti-submarine patrol led by Admiral Bayly off the southern coast of Ireland. The ships did not see any submarines.
During the following year, as the need for destroyers in the Mediterranean Sea became more acute, the destroyer was transferred to the Fifth Destroyer Flotilla of the Mediterranean Fleet. The flotilla was busy for the remainder of the war. The introduction of convoys had improved the survivability of merchant ships, but submarine activity was still significant. At the same time, the Otranto Barrage required between 27 and 31 destroyers on station each day. On 20 January 1918, Fury was back in the United Kingdom for repairs but soon returned to Mediterranean service.
After the Armistice of 11 November 1918, the Royal Navy needed to return to a peacetime level of strength and both the number of ships and the amount of staff reduced to save money. Fury was placed in reserve at Devonport. This position did not last long. The harsh conditions of wartime operations, particularly the combination of high speed and poor weather, exacerbated by the fact that the hull was not galvanised, meant that the destroyer was worn out. Fury was sold to be broken up by Rees of Llanelly on 4 November 1921.