HMS Sepoy (1918)

HMS ''Sepoy'' was an destroyer, which served with the Royal Navy during the First World War and the Russian Civil War. ''Sepoy'' was launched in 1918 and initially joined the Grand Fleet. After the Armistice that ended the First World War, the ship was briefly transferred to the Reserve Fleet before sailing to Tallinn in 1919 as part of the Royal Navy response to the fighting there. ''Sepoy'' rejoined the Reserve Fleet at the end of the year. In 1922, the destroyer served in the Mediterranean Sea. The ship was later allocated to the naval base in Hong Kong, arriving in 1929. During exercises the following year, a depth charge explosion killed six sailors. The destroyer was also damaged. Following the signing of the London Naval Treaty a few days later, ''Sepoy'' returned to the United Kingdom and, in 1932, was sold to be broken up at Newport, Wales.

Design and development

''Sepoy'' was one of twenty-four Admiralty destroyers ordered by the British Admiralty on 7 April 1917 as part of the Eleventh War Construction Programme. The design was a development of the introduced as a cheaper and faster alternative to the . Differences with the R class were minor, such as having the searchlight moved aft.

''Sepoy'' had a overall length of and a length of between perpendiculars. Beam was and draught . Displacement was normal and deep load. Three Yarrow boilers fed steam to two sets of Brown-Curtis geared steam turbines rated at and driving two shafts, giving a design speed of at normal loading and at deep load. Two funnels were fitted. A full load of of fuel oil was carried, which gave a design range of at .

Armament consisted of three QF Mk IV guns on the ship's centreline. One was mounted raised on the forecastle, one on a platform between the funnels and one aft. The ship also mounted a single 2-pounder "pom-pom" anti-aircraft gun for air defence. Four torpedo tubes were fitted in two twin rotating mounts aft. The ship was designed to mount two additional torpedo tubes either side of the superstructure but this required the forecastle plating to be cut away, making the vessel very wet, so they were removed. The weight saved enabled the heavier Mark V 21-inch torpedo to be carried. The ship had a complement of 90 officers and ratings.

Construction and career

Laid down on 6 August 1917 by William Denny and Brothers in Dumbarton with the yard number 1099, ''Sepoy'' was launched on 22 May the following year. The vessel was the second with the name, given in honour of the Indian infantry, to serve in the Royal Navy. ''Sepoy'' was completed on 6 August and joined the Twelfth Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet.

After the Armistice that ended the First World War, ''Sepoy'' was transferred to the Reserve Fleet at Rosyth. However, the escalating civil war in Russia meant that the destroyer was soon back in service. The United Kingdom felt that the Russians were planning to liberate the Baltic States by integrating them into the new Soviet Union. The destroyer formed part of a flotilla under the command of Rear Admiral Sir Walter Cowan, who had returned to Copenhagen with fresh crews after 19 February 1919. Cowan took ''Sepoy'', along with sister ship and light cruiser , to Tallinn. The ship remained there until 25 April, when reinforcements arrived. On 3 December, ''Sepoy'' was recommissioned in the Reserve Fleet at Chatham, joining the Sixth Destroyer Flotilla of the Mediterranean Fleet. In May 1920, ''Sepoy'' was on station at Ä°zmit on the Sea of Marmara, as the Turkish War of Independence continued.

On 2 December 1922, ''Sepoy'' was based in Gibraltar but 10 days later departed Malta for Constantinople with sister ship . The vessel returned on 23 February.

On 7 January 1927, ''Sepoy'' was recommissioned at Nore to join the Eighth Destroyer Flotilla at the Royal Naval base '' Tamar'' at Hong Kong. The vessel arrived on 1 October 1929. On 8 April the following year, the destroyer departed for exercises but, on the following day, one of the depth charges carried aft exploded. Three sailors died instantly and another two were lost overboard. The destroyer was damaged but reached the shore safely. Another sailer later died in hospital.

Thirteen days later, the London Naval Treaty was signed, which limited total destroyer tonnage in the Royal Navy. The Admiralty was looking to introduce more modern destroyers and so needed to scrap some of the older vessels. ''Sepoy'' was one of those chosen for retirement. The ship returned to the United Kingdom and, on 2 July 1932, was sold to Cashmore to be broken up at Newport, Wales.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sepoy
1918 ships
S-class destroyers (1917) of the Royal Navy
Ships built on the River Clyde
World War I destroyers of the United Kingdom