HMS ''Ferret'' was an ''Acheron''-class destroyer of 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 ...

that served during

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 ...

and was sold for breaking in 1921. She was the sixteenth

ship to be named after the domestic mammal ''Mustela putorius''.

Construction

She was built under the 1910-11 shipbuilding programme by J. Samuel White & Company of

Cowes Cowes () is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked by the Cowes Floa ...

. She had three Parsons turbines, and three White-Forster boilers. Capable of 30 knots, she carried two 4-inch guns, other smaller guns and two 21 inch (533 mm)

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...

tubes and had a complement of 72 men. She was launched on 12 April 1911.

Pennant numbers

Career

Pre-War

''Ferret'' 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 World War I.

The Battle of Heligoland Bight

She was present with First Destroyer Flotilla on 28 August 1914 at the Battle of Heligoland Bight, led by the light cruiser ''Fearless'', and shared in the prize money for the battle. ''Ferret'' was not present with her flotilla at the Battle of Jutland on 31 May 1916 but she continued to serve with the First Destroyer Flotilla screening the Grand Fleet until November 1916 when she was one of seven destroyers to stay with the flotilla when was assigned to operate with the Third Battle Squadron.

Torpedoed

On 18 January 1917 she was torpedoed by the German submarine ''UC 21'' south-east of

St. Catherine's Point St Catherine's Point is the southernmost point on the Isle of Wight. It is close to the village of Niton and the point where the Back of the Wight changes to the Undercliff of Ventnor. On nearby St Catherine's Down is St Catherine's Oratory, l ...

. Able Seaman George Keeble died of wounds inflicted during the attack, but the ship was not fatally damaged, and she was returned to service.

Conversion to minelayer

In 1917 the ''Acheron''-class destroyers ''Ferret'', ''Sandfly'' and ''Ariel'' were converted to minelaying destroyers,''Minesweeping and Minelaying'' from the Eleventh edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica, 1911 capable of carrying 40 mines. ''Ferret'' started serving with the 7th Flotilla on the East Coast of England in July 1917 and thence to the 20th Flotilla in March 1918,''Supplement to the Monthly Navy List'' (March 1918), p. 15. from which she operated out of

Immingham Immingham is a town, civil parish and ward in the North East Lincolnshire unitary authority of England. It is situated on the south-west bank of the Humber Estuary, and is north-west from Grimsby. The region was relatively unpopulated and un ...

Minelaying operations in the Heligoland Bight

The provision of converted minelaying destroyers and the availability of reliable H2-pattern mines allowed the greatest allied minelaying operation of World War I - the attempt to close Heligoland Bight to German ships and submarines. ''Ferret'', with her sisters, was employed on this work until the end of the war. On the night of 27/28 March 1918 while laying a barrier minefield north-west of

Heligoland Heligoland (; german: Helgoland, ; Heligolandic Frisian: , , Mooring Frisian: , da, Helgoland) is a small archipelago in the North Sea. A part of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein since 1890, the islands were historically possessions ...

, ''Ferret'' in company with ''Ariel'', ''Abdiel'', ''Legion'' and ''Telemachus'' came upon three armed German trawlers. All three vessels were sunk and 72 prisoners were captured.

Disposal

In common with most of her class, she was laid up after World War I, and on 9 May 1921 she was sold to Ward for breaking.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferret (1911) Acheron-class destroyers World War I destroyers of the United Kingdom Ships built on the Isle of Wight 1911 ships Maritime incidents in 1917