The Kil class was a class of

sloops A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...

, , built for 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 ...

during the

First World War 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 ...

. They were designed for anti-submarine warfare, but were completed too late in the war to be used extensively in that role. They were designed to be double-ended to confuse submarine observers, and were painted in

dazzle camouflage Dazzle camouflage, also known as razzle dazzle (in the U.S.) or dazzle painting, is a family of ship camouflage that was used extensively in World War I, and to a lesser extent in World War II and afterwards. Credited to the British marine ar ...

. Following the war, the majority of the class were sold off and converted to coastal cargo vessels.

Design and description

The Kil class were designed to counter the

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

threat posed by the

Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the Imperial Navy () was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for coast defence. Wilhel ...

during the

. They were designed to be equipped with

hydrophone A hydrophone ( grc, ὕδωρ + φωνή, , water + sound) is a microphone designed to be used underwater for recording or listening to underwater sound. Most hydrophones are based on a piezoelectric transducer that generates an electric potenti ...

s and

depth charges 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 hydraulic shock. Most depth charges use h ...

to detect and destroy enemy submarines before they posed a threat to allied convoys. Rice (1991): p. 7 The class began to be launched towards the end of 1917. So they could be constructed, an order for 85 anti-submarine trawlers was cancelled across six shipyards in order to free up enough berths for the building of the Kil class. Each ship took around six months to be constructed. Ships in the class were named after villages in Scotland and Ireland beginning with "Kil". Similar to the , the ships were built with a double ended design in order to confuse enemy submarine observers who were trying to work out which direction the ships were due to travel in. Cocker (1985): p. 27 They had a single central funnel, and deckhouses both fore and aft were designed to be similar in order to enhance the effect. The class were painted in

. The class entered service after the main threat of the U-boats had passed, and therefore their effectiveness in anti-submarine warfare cannot be determined. Only 38 of the 85 ships ordered were completed by the time the

Armistice with Germany The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...

was signed on 11 November 1918. The ships were put into reserve following the war, and were put up for sale by 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, Tr ...

after the subject of their post-war use was brought up in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

. On 14 February 1920, 48 ships of the Kil class were sold to two different civilian owners for conversion to cargo carriers. Some ships were used as whalers, while others were used as coastal cargo vessels around the United Kingdom. Rice (1991): p. 8

Ships

* - built by George Brown & Company, launched 1918 * - built by George Brown, launched 1918 * - built by George Brown, launched 1919. Foundered on 6 September 1920 on

Seven Stones reef The Seven Stones reef is a rocky reef nearly west-northwest (WNW) of Land's End, Cornwall and east-northeast (ENE) of the Isles of Scilly. The reef consists of two groups of rocks and is nearly long and in breadth. They rise out of deep water ...

. * - built by

Hall, Russell & Company Hall, Russell & Company, Limited was a shipbuilder based in Aberdeen, Scotland. History Brothers James and William Hall, Thomas Russell, a Glasgow engineer, and James Cardno Couper founded the company in 1864 to build steam engines and boile ...

, launched 1918 * - built by Hall Russell, launched 1918 * - built by Hall Russell, launched 1918 * - built by

Cook, Welton & Gemmell Cook, Welton & Gemmell was a shipbuilder based in Hull and Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire. England. They built trawlers and other small ships. History Founding and move to Beverley The firm was founded in 1883 on South Bridge Road, Hu ...

, launched 1918 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1918 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1918 * - built by Cook, Welton & Gemmell, launched 1918 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1918 * - built by Cook, Welton & Gemmell, launched 1918 * - built by Cook, Welton & Gemmell, launched 1918 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1918 * - built by

Cochrane & Sons Cochrane Shipbuilders was a shipbuilder at Selby. History Founded by Andrew Cochrane at Beverley, England in 1884, establishing Cochrane & Sons in 1896. The ship building company moved to Selby in 1898. During the World War II, Second World War t ...

, launched 1918. Sold to Robinson, Brown & Joplin on 14 February 1920, and resold in the same year to Kerguelen Sealing and Whaling. Wrecked in 1937 in

Saldanha Bay Saldanha Bay ( af, Saldanhabaai) is a natural harbour on the south-western coast of South Africa. The town that developed on the northern shore of the bay, also called Saldanha, was incorporated with five other towns into the Saldanha Bay Local Mu ...

, South Africa. * - built by Cochrane, launched 1918 * - built by Cochrane, launched 1918 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1917 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1918 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1918 * - built by Cochrane, launched 1918 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1917 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1918 * - built by Cochrane, launched 1918 * - built by Cochrane, launched 1918 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1918 * - built by Cochrane, launched 1917. Sold to Robinson, Brown & Joplin on 14 February 1920, and resold in the same year to Kerguelen Sealing and Whaling. Wrecked in 1940 in Saldanha Bay, South Africa. Rice (1991): p. 11 * - built by Cochrane, launched 1918 * - built by Cochrane, launched 1918 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1918 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1918 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1917 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1918 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1918 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1918 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1918 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1918 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1918 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1918 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1918 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1918. Sold to Robinson, Brown & Joplin on 14 February 1920, and resold in the same year to Homeland SS Company, renamed ''Homeland''. Subsequently sold to Beadon Line and then to J. Crass. Sold again in 1946 to Gilbert Vallance Webb, and resold in 1947 to Arden Hall Steamship Company, being renamed ''Laevald''. Sold to Dent and Goodwin in 1951, and in 1952 to B. Nikolou and was renamed ''Eleoussa'' with registry in Panama. Registry changed to Costa Rica in 1955, and in 1958 it was sold to S. Yianniouli and renamed to ''Panaghia Tinou''. In 1961, she was renamed to ''Panaghia Odohitria'', and again in 1963 back to ''Panaghia Tinou''. In 1964 she ran aground near

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into provi ...

, Italy, with the hull splitting in two. * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1918 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1918 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1918 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1918 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1918 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1919. Renamed ''Chelsea'' after being sold to a private firm. Purchased by United States Rear-Admiral Richard Byrd in 1928 for his first

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

expedition. He renamed the ship the ''Eleanor Bolling'', in honor of his mother, Eleanor Bolling Byrd. Sold in 1930 to a

seal hunting Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of seals. Seal hunting is currently practiced in ten countries: United States (above the Arctic Circle in Alaska), Canada, Namibia, Denmark (in self-governing Greenland only), Ice ...

company, and resold in 1933 to the Vamar Shipping Company and named ''Vamar''. Sank 21 March 1942, while leaving

Port St. Joe, Florida Port St. Joe is a city located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 98 and State Road 71 and the county seat of Gulf County, Florida. As of the 2020 census,the population was 3,357. This was a decline from 3,644 as of the 2000 census. Histo ...

carrying a load of lumber to Cuba. * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1919 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1919. Sold to L. Gueret & Co on 14 February 1920 and renamed to ''Mead''. Sold to Charles Louis Storm in 1927, and resold during the same year to Smiths' Coasters. She was acquired by the Royal Navy in 1942 and converted to a

cable ship A cable layer or cable ship is a deep-sea vessel designed and used to lay underwater cables for telecommunications, electric power transmission, military, or other purposes. Cable ships are distinguished by large cable sheaves for guiding cabl ...

, transferred to the

South African Navy The South African Navy (SA Navy) is the naval warfare branch of the South African National Defence Force. The Navy is primarily engaged in maintaining a conventional military deterrent, participating in counter-piracy operations, fishery prot ...

as . Returned to coastal shipping in 1947, and sold to Point Shipping Company in 1957 as ''Komati''. Sold to Durban Lines in 1959, and to K. Nathan in 1960 for deconstruction. * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1919 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1919 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1919 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1919 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1919 * - built by Smiths Dock, launched 1918. Completed as a cable ship and renamed ''Rask'', sank on 31 January 1950. Thirty other ships were cancelled, fourteen were to be built by Cochrane, eleven by Cook, Welton & Gemmell, three by Hall Russell and two by

Hawthorn Leslie R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Limited, usually referred to as Hawthorn Leslie, was a shipbuilder and locomotive manufacturer. The company was founded on Tyneside in 1886 and ceased building ships in 1982. History The company was formed ...

Notes

References

* *{{cite journal, last=Rice, first=W. H., title=South African Owned "Kil" Class Ships, journal=Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies, date=1991, volume=21, issue=4, url=http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/335, accessdate=16 June 2012, ref=rice1991 Gunboats of the Royal Navy Gunboats of the United Kingdom Ship classes of the Royal Navy Sloop classes Sloops of the Royal Navy Sloops of the United Kingdom