HMS ''Cygnet'' was a
two funnel, 30 knot 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 ...
ordered by the
Royal Navy under the 1896–1897 Naval Estimates. She was the thirteenth ship to carry this name. She was launched in 1898, served in the Chatham division before
World War I and was tendered to the gunnery school at
Sheerness
Sheerness () is a town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 11,938, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby town ...
during the war. She was sold for breaking in 1920.
Construction
She was laid down as yard number 320 on 25 September 1896, at the
John I Thornycroft and Company shipyard at
Chiswick
Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and Full ...
on the River Thames. She was launched on 3 September 1898. During her builder's trials her maximum average speed was 30.3 knots. She proceeded to Portsmouth to have her armament fitted and was completed and accepted by the Royal Navy in late February 1900. During her acceptance trials and work ups her average sea speed was 25 knots.
[''Jane’s All the World's Fighting Ships'' (1898), pp.84–85][''Jane’s Fighting Ships of World War I'' (1919), p.76]
Pre-War
''Cygnet'' commissioned at
Chatham in March 1900 and was assigned to the Harwich Flotilla, Commander
Cecil Hickley
Admiral Cecil Spencer Hickley, (22 January 1865 – 1 May 1941) was a career Royal Navy officer who finished as a vice-admiral, promoted to full admiral in retirement in 1925. He also played first-class cricket for Western Province in South ...
in command. In 1899–1900, she was part of the
Medway
Medway is a unitary authority district and conurbation in Kent, South East England. It had a population of 278,016 in 2019. The unitary authority was formed in 1998 when Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with the Borough of Gillingham to for ...
instructional Flotilla. In 1900, she cruised to the East Indies with the cruiser and the destroyers , and .
Lieutenant Robert G. D. Dewar was appointed in command in early 1902, but was replaced by Lieutenant George J. Todd later that year. In early January 1903 she was on the
Mediterranean and took part in a three-weeks cruise with other ships of the staton in the Greek islands around
Corfu
Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...
.
On 30 August 1912, the Admiralty directed all destroyer classes were to be designated by alpha characters starting with the letter 'A'. Since her design speed was 30-knots and she had two funnels she was assigned to the D class. After 30 September 1913, she was known as a D-class destroyer and had the letter ‘D’ painted on the hull below the bridge area and on either the fore or aft funnel.
World War I
In August 1914, found her in active commission at The Nore Local Flotilla based at Sheerness tendered to HMS ''Actaeon'', the gunnery school. She remained in this assignment for the duration of the First World War.
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Decommissioning and disposal
In 1919, she was paid off and laid-up in reserve awaiting disposal. ''Cygnet'' was sold on 29 April 1920 to Thos. W. Ward of Sheffield for breaking at Rainham, Kent, on the Thames Estuary.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cygnet
Ships built in Chiswick
1898 ships
D-class destroyers (1913)
Ships built by John I. Thornycroft & Company