HMS ''Bullfinch'' was a three-funnel, 30-knot destroyer ordered by the Royal Navy under the 1896–1897 Naval Estimates. She was the third ship to carry this name since it was introduced in 1857 for a 4-gun wooden-screw

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-ste ...

Construction

''Bullfinch'' was

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...

on 17 September 1896, at the Earle's Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Limited shipyard at Hull, Yorkshire, and launched on 10 February 1898. During her

trials In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribun ...

while steaming at she suffered a major accident in which the connecting rod to the high-pressure cylinder broke and released steam into the forward engine room. Eight individuals were killed and six were injured. The broken connecting rod punctured the hull, and Lieutenant F.G. Dineley (in command during trials) ordered the use of collision mats to stem the intake of water and she was able to make port. The destroyer was completed and accepted by the Royal Navy in June 1901.

Service history

Early service

After commissioning ''Bullfinch'' was assigned to the Channel Fleet. Commander

Brian Barttelot Admiral Sir Brian Herbert Fairbairn Barttelot, (13 December 1867 – 4 February 1942) was a Royal Navy officer who became Admiral Superintendent of Malta Dockyard. Naval career Barttelot joined the Royal Navy, and was promoted to lieutenant on ...

was appointed in command on 24 February 1902, and she was assigned to the

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instructional flotilla. In May 1902 she towed her sister ship to Queenstown, after the latter had struck a rock off Kildorney. She spent her operational career mainly in Home Waters operating with the Channel Fleet as part of the Devonport Flotilla. On 30 August 1912 the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...

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 three funnels, she was assigned to the . After 30 September 1913, she was known as a C-class destroyer and had the letter 'C' painted on the hull below the

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

area and on either the fore or aft funnel.

World War I

In July 1914 ''Bullfinch'' was in active commission in the

7th 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 ...

based at Devonport tendered to , destroyer depot ship to the 7th Flotilla. In September 1914 the 7th Flotilla was redeployed to the

Humber The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between t ...

River. She remained in this deployment until the cessation of hostilities. Her employment within the Humber Patrol included anti-submarine and counter-mining patrols. On 15 August 1914, she was involved in a collision in British waters, with the loss of four stokers. In 1919 ''Bullfinch'' was

paid off Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to placing a warship in ...

and laid-up in

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awaiting disposal. She was sold on 10 June 1919 to Young of Sunderland for breaking.

Pennant numbers

References

NOTE: All tabular data under General Characteristics only from the listed Jane's Fighting Ships volume unless otherwise specified

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bullfinch (1898) Ships built on the Humber 1898 ships C-class destroyers (1913) World War I destroyers of the United Kingdom