HMS Flirt
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMSFlirt
Ordered	1896 – 1897 Naval Estimates
Builder	Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron CompanyJarrow-on-Tyne
Laid down	5 September 1896
Launched	15 May 1897
Commissioned	April 1899
Honours and awards	Belgian Coast 1914 - 1915
Fate	Sunk 26/27 October 1916 in combat
General characteristics
Class and type	Palmer three funnel, 30 knotdestroyer
Displacement	390 long tons (396 t) standard 440 long tons (447 t) full load
Length	220 ft (67 m)o/a
Beam	20 ft 9 in (6.32 m)
Draught	9 ft 9 in (2.97 m)
Installed power	6,200 ihp (4,600 kW)
Propulsion	4 ×Reed water tube boilers 2 × vertical triple-expansionsteam engines 2 shafts
Speed	30 kn (56 km/h)
Range	91 tons coal
Complement	60 officers and men
Armament	1 ×QF 12-pounder 12 cwt Mark I naval gun 5 ×QF 6-pdr 8 cwt naval guns on a Mark I* low angle mount 2 × singletubes for18-inch (450mm) torpedoes
Service record
Operations:	World War I 1914 - 1918

HMSFlirt was aPalmer three funnel, 30 knotdestroyer ordered by the Royal Navy under the 1896 – 1897 Naval Estimates. She was the fifth ship to carry this name since it was introduced in 1782 for a 14-gun brig in service until 1795.^[1]

TheBritish Admiralty ordered two destroyers,Flirt andFawn fromPalmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company for theRoyal Navy as part of the 1896–1897 shipbuilding programme,^[2] which included a total of 20 destroyers (17 "thirty-knotters" and three "specials" which were required to reach a higher speed).^[3] The two destroyers were repeats of the six destroyers ordered from Palmers under the 1895–1896 programme.^[2]

Flirt's hull was 220 feet (67.06 m)long overall and 215 feet (65.53 m)between perpendiculars, with abeam of 20 feet 9 inches (6.32 m) and adraught of 9 feet 9 inches (2.97 m). FourReed water tube boilers fed steam at 250 pounds per square inch (1,700 kPa) totriple expansion steam engines rated at 6,200indicated horsepower (4,600 kW) and driving two propeller shafts.Displacement was 390long tons (400 t) light and 440 long tons (450 t) deep load.^[4] Three funnels were fitted,^[5] and 91 tons of coal carried.^[6]Flirt, like the other "thirty-knotters" was contractually required to maintain a speed of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) for a continuous run of three hours and over 6 consecutively measured runs of 1 mile (1.6 km) duringsea trials.^[7]

Armament was specified as a singleQF 12 pounder 12 cwt (3 in-calibre or 76 mm) gun on a platform on the ship'sconning tower (in practice the platform was also used as the ship's bridge), backed up by five 6-pounder guns, and two 18-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes.^[8][9] She had a crew of 60^[6] to 63 officers and men.^[10]

Flirt waslaid down on 5 September 1896 at the Palmers' shipyard atJarrow-on-Tyne asYard number 722 and launched on 15 May 1897.^[2] During sea trials she made her contracted speed requirement of 30 knots.^[6] She was completed and accepted by the Royal Navy in April 1899.^[2]

After commissioningFlirt was assigned to the East Coast Flotilla of the 1st Fleet based at Harwich. She served in the Portsmouth instructional flotilla under the command of CommanderMichael Henry Hodges until she was paid off in January 1901.^[11] CommanderBrian Barttelot was appointed in command on 1 August 1902.^[12] She took part in thefleet review held atSpithead on 16 August 1902 for thecoronation of KingEdward VII.^[13]

From August to October 1907,Flirt underwent a refit atPortsmouth Dockyard, but collided with a harbour wall on 8 October when returning to harbour after steam trials, damaging her bow.^[14] After repair she joined theHarwich destroyer flotilla.^[15]

On 30 August 1912 the Admiralty directed all destroyers were to be grouped into classes designated by letters based on contract speed and appearance. As a three-funneled destroyer with a contract speed of 30 knots,Flirt was assigned to theC Class.^[16][17] The class letters were painted on the hull below the bridge area and on a funnel.^[18]

For the test mobilization in July 1914 she was assigned to the6th Destroyer Flotilla based at Dover. During her deployment there she was involved in anti-submarine, counter-mining patrols and defending the drifters of the Dover Barrage.

On 28 October 1914Flirt took part in operations off the Belgian coast.

On the night of 26/27 October 1916 the German Navyraided the Dover Barrage with two and a half flotillas of torpedo boats and destroyers.Flirt responded to gunfire from the drifter line. She found the drifterWaveney II on fire and sent a boat to assist. When unidentified ships approached she issued a challenge and was immediately fired upon by the Germans.Flirt was lost; the only survivors were those dispatched to aidWaveney II.

She was awarded the battle honour "Belgian Coast 1914 – 15" for her service.

Captain Evans tells in his bookKeeping the Seas that the life boat carrying the last survivors ofFlirt wasdepth charged by a passing destroyer who thought it was a submarine. A real enemy submarine in the area also "took a look at them" and in the darkness mistook them for a British submarine, and dived to escape destruction.

• Brassey, T. A. (1902).The Naval Annual 1902. Portsmouth, UK: J. Griffin and Co.
• Chesneau, Roger; Kolesnik, Eugene M, eds. (1979).Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. London: Conway Maritime Press.ISBN 0-85177-133-5.
• 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.
• Evans, E.R.G.R. (1919).Keeping the Seas. Toronto: S.B. Gundy published in Canada for Humphrey Milford.
• 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.
• Lyon, David (2001) [1996].The First Destroyers. London: Caxton Editions.ISBN 1-84067-3648.
• Manning, T. D. (1961).The British Destroyer. London: Putnam & Co.OCLC 6470051.
• 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.
• Moore, John (1990).Jane's Fighting Ships of World War I. London: Studio Editions.ISBN 1-85170-378-0.

• Ships built on the River Tyne
• 1897 ships
• C-class destroyers (1913)
• World War I destroyers of the United Kingdom
• Maritime incidents in 1916
• World War I shipwrecks in the English Channel

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from February 2017
• Use British English from February 2017