The ''Faulknor'' class were a

class Class or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...

flotilla leader A flotilla leader was a warship of late 19th century and early 20th century navies suitable for commanding a flotilla of destroyers or other small warships, typically a small cruiser or a large destroyer (known as a destroyer leader). The flotil ...

s that were under construction in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

for the

Chilean Navy The Chilean Navy ( es, Armada de Chile) is the naval warfare service branch of the Chilean Armed Forces. It is under the Ministry of National Defense. Its headquarters are at Edificio Armada de Chile, Valparaiso. History Origins and the Wars ...

at the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Six ships were ordered by Chile, of which the first two (''Almirante Lynch'' and ''Almirante Condell'') were delivered to Chile before the outbreak of the war. The remaining four ships were purchased by the British, taken over and completed for the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

for wartime service. In common with Royal Navy convention, they were named after famous Royal Navy captains of the past, in this case the members of the

Faulknor family The Faulknor family was an English family from Northamptonshire, of which several generations served as officers in the Royal Navy. William Faulknor William Faulknor (d. 25 February 1725) first appears as fourth lieutenant of the '' Royal William ...

Design

The six s were a private design by

J. Samuel White J. Samuel White was a British shipbuilding firm based in Cowes, taking its name from John Samuel White (1838–1915). It came to prominence during the Victorian era. During the 20th century it built destroyers and other naval craft for both the ...

that were significantly larger and heavier armed than their contemporaries. They had four funnels, a tall, narrow fore funnel and three broad, short funnels behind. They were initially armed with six single QF 4-inch guns, unusually arranged with four on the

forecastle The forecastle ( ; contracted as fo'c'sle or fo'c's'le) is the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or, historically, the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters. Related to the latter meaning is the phrase " be ...

- two sited in front of the wheelhouse and two sited abreast it - the remaining pair being sited on the quarterdeck. These guns were of a novel Elswick design for the Chileans and when the ships were rearmed they were replaced with standard Royal Navy models. As rearmed in 1918 they carried a BL 4.7-inch gun on the forecastle and another on a bandstand between the after pair of funnels, retained the pair of guns abreast the wheelhouse and had two QF 2-pounder pom-poms. Compared to other Royal Navy ships, the class was noted for the lavish officer's accommodations ordered by the Chileans. This included silver-plated chandeliers in the captain's quarters.Dunn 2017 chapter 14, section "The second battle of the Dover Strait" One of the four ships taken over by the Royal Navy was sunk in 1916, but the other three were returned to the friendly nation of Chile in 1920, at which point the

Thornycroft type leader The Thornycroft type leader or ''Shakespeare'' class were a class (ship), class of five Flotilla leader, destroyer leaders designed by John I. Thornycroft & Company and built by them at Woolston, Hampshire, Woolston, Southampton for the Royal Na ...

''Rooke'' was renamed ''Broke'' to maintain this famous name (that of Admiral Sir Philip Bowes Vere Broke of the ''Shannon'') in the Navy List.

Service

All of the class were present at the

Battle of Jutland The Battle of Jutland (german: Skagerrakschlacht, the Battle of the Skagerrak) was a naval battle fought between Britain's Royal Navy Grand Fleet, under Admiral John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German Navy ...

on 31 May to 1 June 1916 where ''Broke'' collided with and sank the ''Acasta''-class destroyer ''Sparrowhawk''. Also in this action, ''Tipperary'', serving with the 4th Destroyer Flotilla, was hit by 5.9-inch (150 mm) fire from the secondary battery of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

dreadnought The dreadnought (alternatively spelled dreadnaught) was the predominant type of battleship in the early 20th century. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's , had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her ...

''Westfalen'' and sank with the loss of 185 hands from her crew of 197. In April 1917, ''Broke'' took part in an action known as the Battle of Dover Strait with equally large singleton ''Swift'' during which she was damaged. ''Botha'' was damaged in the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

on 21 March 1918 off the coast of

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

when she rammed and sank the German torpedo boat ''A-19'' and was then torpedoed in error by the French destroyer ''Capitaine Mehl''.

Ships

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * {{WWI British ships Destroyer classes Ship classes of the Royal Navy de:Faulknor-Klasse fr:Classe Almirante Lynch

Design

Service

Ships

See also

Citations

Bibliography