.jpg) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMSSerpent |
| Builder | Devonport Dockyard |
| Laid down | 9 November 1885 |
| Launched | 10 March 1887 |
| Completed | March 1888 |
| Fate | Wrecked 10 November 1890 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Archer-classtorpedo cruiser |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 240 ft (73.15 m)oa |
| Beam | 36 ft (10.97 m) |
| Draught | 14 ft 6 in (4.42 m) |
| Installed power | 4,500 ihp (3,400 kW) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 17.5 kn (32.4 km/h) |
| Range | 7,000 nmi (13,000 km) |
| Complement | 176 men |
| Armament |
|
| Armour |
|
HMSSerpent, was anArcher-classtorpedo cruiser of theRoyal Navy.Serpent was built atDevonport Dockyard, entering service in 1888. She was lost when she ran aground offCape Vilan in northwest Spain with the loss of 173 people out of 176 in her crew.
Serpent waslaid down atDevonport Dockyard on 9 November 1885 as a member of theArcher-class oftorpedo cruisers, waslaunched on 10 March 1887 and completed in March 1888.[1]
Torpedo cruisers were small, relatively fast, ships intended to defend the fleet against attacks by hostiletorpedo boats, while themselves being capable of attacking hostile fleets with torpedoes. TheArcher class were enlarged derivatives of the earlierScout-class, which carried a heavier armament.[2]
Serpent was 240-foot (73.15 m)long overall and 225-foot (68.58 m)between perpendiculars, with abeam of 36-foot (10.97 m) and adraught of 14-foot-6-inch (4.42 m).Displacement was 1,770 long tons (1,800 t) normal and 1,950 long tons (1,980 t) full load.[1] The ship's machinery, built byHarland & Wolff,[3] consisted of two horizontalcompound steam engines rated at 4,500 indicated horsepower (3,400 kW), which were fed by four boilers and drove two shafts for a speed of 17.5 knots (32.4 km/h; 20.1 mph).[1] 475 tons of coal were carried, sufficient to give a range of 7,000 nautical miles (13,000 km; 8,100 mi),[3] and three masts were fitted.[1]
Armament consisted of six6-inch (5 ton) guns, backed up by eight3-pounder QF guns and two machine guns. Three 14-inchtorpedo tubes completed the ship's armament. Armour consisted of a3⁄8 inch (10 mm) deck, with 1 inch (25 mm) gunshields and 3 inches (76 mm) protecting the ship'sconning tower. The ship had a complement of 176 officers and ratings.[1]
Serpent took part in the 1888 Fleet manoeuvres, where her machinery proved unreliable, and in the 1889 manoeuvres.[3] On 8 November 1890,Serpent left Devonport to relieve the sloopAcorn on the West African Station.[3] On the night of 10 November,Serpent was caught in a heavy storm in theBay of Biscay and attempted to reach shelter, but ran aground onCape Vilan near the village ofCamariñas inGalicia, northwest Spain. All but three of her crew were killed.[3][4] The resultingcourt martial investigating the cause of the loss ofSerpent concluded that the ship had been lost as a result of a navigation error.[5]
The dead are buried where they were washed ashore at the English cemetery,Costa da Morte,[6]Galicia.43°07′19″N9°11′31″W / 43.122°N 9.192°W /43.122; -9.192
The anchor was located in 2024 adorning a house in Muxía (La Coruña), though it was recovered from the sea about 25 years previously.[1][7]
Media related toSerpent (ship, 1888) at Wikimedia Commons