HMS ''Badger'' was an
''Acheron''-class destroyer of the
Royal Navy that served during the
First World War and was sold for breaking in 1921. She was the eighth Royal Navy ship to be named ''Badger'', after the
mammal of the same name.
Construction
She was built under the 1910-11 shipbuilding programme by
William Denny & Brothers
William Denny and Brothers Limited, often referred to simply as Denny, was a Scottish shipbuilding company.
History
The shipbuilding interests of the Denny family date back to William Denny (born 1779), for whom ships are recorded being built ...
of
Dumbarton and was launched on 11 July 1911. She and her sister-ship
''Beaver'' were completed with geared steam turbines for evaluation purposes and were known as "Parsons Specials".
Pennant numbers
Career
Pre-war
''Badger'' served with the
First Destroyer Flotilla
The 1st Destroyer Flotilla, also styled as the First Destroyer Flotilla, was a naval formation of the British Royal Navy from 1909 to 1940 and again from 1947 to 1951.
History
Pre-war history
In May 1906, the First Destroyer Flotilla was at ...
from 1911 and, with her flotilla, joined the
British Grand Fleet
The Grand Fleet was the main battlefleet of the Royal Navy during the First World War. It was established in August 1914 and disbanded in April 1919. Its main base was Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands.
History
Formed in August 1914 from the ...
in 1914 on the outbreak of the First World War.
The Battle of Heligoland Bight
She was present on 28 August 1914 at the
Battle of Heligoland Bight, detached from the First Destroyer Flotilla along with ''Jackal'', ''Beaver'' and ''Sandfly''. She shared in the prize money for the engagement.
The Ramming of ''U-19''
On 24 October 1914 she became the first
Allied
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
ship to successfully attack a
German Navy U-boat when she rammed off the
Dutch coast.
''U-19'' was severely damaged but managed to return to port, was repaired and survived the war.
The Battle of Jutland
The
1st Destroyer Flotilla
The 1st Destroyer Flotilla, also styled as the First Destroyer Flotilla, was a naval formation of the British Royal Navy from 1909 to 1940 and again from 1947 to 1951.
History
Pre-war history
In May 1906, the First Destroyer Flotilla was at ...
served at
Jutland; it was ''Badgers distressing duty to rescue the crew of , which had blown up after a German salvo penetrated the magazines. Of the crew of 1,021, only two officers and four crew were rescued. ''Badger''s commanding officer at the time of the battle was
Commander
Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain.
...
C A Fremantle.
SS ''Lanfranc''
On 17 April 1917 at 1930 hrs, was torpedoed four miles northeast of
Le Havre by while bound for
Southampton. At the time she had 387 patients, of which 167 were German
prisoners of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold priso ...
, and of these patients, 326 were cot-bound. Approximately 570 survivors were picked up by ''Badger'' and , aided by and the French patrol boat ''Roitelet'', and taken to
Portsmouth.
Service off Durazzo
Lieutenant Commander Geoffrey Corlett received the Italian Naval Decoration for service off
Durazzo in Albania while serving as the captain of HMS ''Badger''.
SS ''Tuscania''
At 0700 hrs on 4 February 1918, ''Badger'' joined convoy HX-20 along with seven other Royal Navy destroyers from
Lough Swilly,
Northern Ireland. At 1845 the next day, while transiting the
North Channel North Channel may refer to:
*North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland)
*North Channel (Ontario), body of water along the north shore of Lake Huron, Canada
*North Channel, Hong Kong
*Canal du Nord, France
{{geodis ...
,
SS ''Tuscania'' of 14,348 GRT was torpedoed by . The ship was packed with
United States soldiers, and 210 people died in the sinking.
Post-war
In common with most of her class, she was laid up after the
First World War and in May 1921 she was sold for
breaking.
Bibliography
;Notes
;References
*
External links
*
Battle of Jutland Crew Lists Project - HMS Badger Crew List
{{DEFAULTSORT:Badger (1911)
Acheron-class destroyers of the Royal Navy
Ships built on the River Clyde
1911 ships
World War I destroyers of the United Kingdom