HMS ''Blonde'' was the lead ship of her class of scout cruisers built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. She led the

Seventh Destroyer Flotilla The 7th Destroyer Flotilla, also styled as the Seventh Destroyer Flotilla, was a military formation of the Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish ki ...

in the

Mediterranean Fleet The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between t ...

from completion until 1912. The ship was temporarily assigned to 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 ...

before she joined the Fourth Battle Squadron in 1913. During the First World War, ''Blonde'' was assigned to various

battleship A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...

squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, de ...

s of the Grand Fleet. The ship was converted into a minelayer in 1917, but never actually laid any mines. She was reduced to reserve in 1919 and sold for

scrap Scrap consists of Recycling, recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap Waste valorization, has monetary ...

in 1920.

Design and description

Designed to provide

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

flotillas with a

command ship Command ships serve as the flagships of the commander of a fleet. They provide communications, office space, and accommodations for a fleet commander and their staff, and serve to coordinate fleet activities. An auxiliary command ship features ...

capable of outclassing enemy destroyers with her 10 guns, ''Blonde'' proved too slow in service from the start of her career. Her speed was inadequate to match the speeds of the destroyers she led in her flotilla.Preston 1985, p. 50 Displacing , the ship had an overall length of , a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...

of and a deep draught of . She was powered by four

Parsons Parsons may refer to: Places In the United States: * Parsons, Kansas, a city * Parsons, Missouri, an unincorporated community * Parsons, Tennessee, a city * Parsons, West Virginia, a town * Camp Parsons, a Boy Scout camp in the state of Washingto ...

steam turbine A steam turbine is a machine that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam and uses it to do mechanical work on a rotating output shaft. Its modern manifestation was invented by Charles Parsons in 1884. Fabrication of a modern steam turbin ...

s, each driving one shaft. The turbines produced a total of , using steam produced by 12 Yarrow boilers, and gave a maximum speed of . She carried a maximum of of coal and of

fuel oil Fuel oil is any of various fractions obtained from the distillation of petroleum (crude oil). Such oils include distillates (the lighter fractions) and residues (the heavier fractions). Fuel oils include heavy fuel oil, marine fuel oil (MFO), bun ...

.Friedman 2009, p. 295 Her crew consisted of 314 officers and ratings. Her main armament consisted of 10 breech-loading (BL) four-inch Mk VII guns. The forward pair of guns were mounted side by side on a platform on the forecastle, three pairs were

port and starboard Port and starboard are nautical terms for watercraft and aircraft, referring respectively to the left and right sides of the vessel, when aboard and facing the bow (front). Vessels with bilateral symmetry have left and right halves which are ...

amidships, and the two remaining guns were on the centreline of the

quarterdeck The quarterdeck is a raised deck behind the main mast of a sailing ship. Traditionally it was where the captain commanded his vessel and where the ship's colours were kept. This led to its use as the main ceremonial and reception area on bo ...

, one ahead of the other. The guns fired their shells to a range of about . Her secondary armament was four quick-firing (QF) three-pounder Vickers Mk I guns and two submerged torpedo tubes. As a scout cruiser, the ship was only lightly protected to maximize her speed. She had a curved protective deck that was thick on the slope and on the flat. Her

conning tower A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer in charge can conn the vessel, controlling movements of the ship by giving orders to those responsible for the ship's engine, rudder, lines, and gro ...

was protected by four inches of armour.

Construction and service

''Blonde'', the eighth and last ship of that name, was laid down on No. 5 Slipway at

Pembroke Royal Dockyard Pembroke Dock ( cy, Doc Penfro) is a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, northwest of Pembroke on the banks of the River Cleddau. Originally Paterchurch, a small fishing village, Pembroke Dock town expanded rapidly followin ...

, on 6 December 1909 and launched on 22 July 1910 by Lady Frances Williams, wife of

Sir Osmond Williams, 1st Baronet Sir Arthur Osmond Wynn Williams JP DL (17 March 1849 – 28 January 1927) was a Welsh Liberal Party politician. Early life He was born at Llanfihangel-y-Traethau, Merionethshire, Wales on 17 March 1849. He was the eldest surviving son of ...

.Phillips 2014, p. 297 She was completed in May 1911 with

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Thomas Bonham in command and became the leader of the

in the Mediterranean through 1912. On 14 August 1911, the cruiser took part in practice with the

. Captain Arthur Hulbert assumed command of the ship and the First Destroyer Flotilla of the

First Fleet The First Fleet was a fleet of 11 ships that brought the first European and African settlers to Australia. It was made up of two Royal Navy vessels, three store ships and six convict transports. On 13 May 1787 the fleet under the command ...

on 10 May 1912. He was lost at sea on 12 January 1913 and replaced by Captain Thomas Shelford. He was relieved by Captain William Blunt on 25 April and transferred to the scout cruiser, , when that ship was assigned to the flotilla. The ship had been transferred to the Fourth Battle Squadron as of 18 June and Captain Albert Scott assumed command on 5 July. The ship was still assigned to the Fourth Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet in

Scapa Flow Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern end in June 2009 Scapa Flow (; ) is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray,S. C. George, ''Jutland to Junkyard'', 1973. South Ronaldsay and ...

at the start of the war in August 1914. Captain

John Casement Admiral John Moore Casement CB (13 September 1877 – 25 January 1952) was a Royal Navy officer who commanded the 3rd Battle Squadron. Naval career Educated at Fettes College and Britannia Royal Naval College, Casement joined the Royal Na ...

was in command 20 March–21 May 1916. On 11 January 1916 ''Blonde'' and the Flotilla leader were on patrol east of Scapa Flow when a

depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive Shock factor, hydraulic shock. Most depth ...

carried by ''Blonde'' accidentally exploded, damaging her upper deck and killing two of her crew. The accident resulted in the type of depth charge carried by ''Blonde'', the Egerton Depth Charge, being withdrawn from use by the Grand Fleet. The ship was under refit in April 1916 and missed 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–1 June 1916. ''Blonde'' was still detached in August. By October, she had rejoined the 4th Battle Squadron, with Captain Basil Brooke in command, but had been transferred to the

1st Battle Squadron The 1st Battle Squadron was a naval squadron of the British Royal Navy consisting of battleships. The 1st Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Grand Fleet. After World War I the Grand Fleet was reverted to its original name, t ...

by April 1917, Captain The Honourable Arthur Forbes-Sempill having assumed command in February. On 1 June,

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. ...

Theodore Hallett Vice Admiral Sir Theodore John Hallett KBE CB (10 January 1878 – 16 December 1956) was a Royal Navy officer who became Commander-in-Chief, Coast of Scotland. Naval career Hallett joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman in 1894. He was promote ...

relived Forbes-Semphill. In September 1917, she was converted into a minelayer, but never laid any mines in combat. Hallett was relieved by Captain Gregory Wood-Martin on 30 December, and he retained command until 10 January 1919 when he was relieved in turn by Captain Maurice Evans. ''Blonde'' was in reserve by February and had been assigned to the

Nore The Nore is a long bank of sand and silt running along the south-centre of the final narrowing of the Thames Estuary, England. Its south-west is the very narrow Nore Sand. Just short of the Nore's easternmost point where it fades into the cha ...

Reserve by 1 May, together with her

sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...

. The sisters were listed for sale by 18 March 1920 and ''Blonde'' was sold for scrap on 6 May to T. C. Pas, and was broken up in the Netherlands.Colledge 2006, p. 42

Notes

Bibliography

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External links

*
''Blonde'' class in World War I

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blonde (1910) Blonde-class cruisers World War I cruisers of the United Kingdom 1910 ships Ships built in Pembroke Dock