HMS ''Chamois'' was a Palmer three-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 1895–1896 Naval Estimates. She was the first ship of the Royal Navy to carry this name. She was commissioned in 1897 and served in both the Channel and the Mediterranean. She foundered in 1904 after her own propeller pierced her hull.

Construction

She was laid down on 28 May 1896 as yard number 713 at the Palmer shipyard at

Jarrow-on-Tyne Jarrow ( or ) is a town in South Tyneside in the county of Tyne and Wear, England. It is east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is situated on the south bank of the River Tyne, about from the east coast. It is home to the southern portal of the Tyn ...

and launched on 9 November 1896. During her builder's trials she met her contracted speed requirement. ''Chamois'' was completed and accepted by the Royal Navy in November 1897.

Service

''Chamois'' returned to Portsmouth with her shaft bent in early 1900. She was commissioned for service in the

Channel Fleet The Channel Fleet and originally known as the Channel Squadron was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1854 to 1909 and 1914 to 1915. History Throughout the course of Royal Navy's history the ...

on 15 March 1900, but he and the crew transferred to HMS ''Sylvia'' only days later as the ''Chamois'' needed further repairs. She was re-commissioned at Portsmouth on 5 September 1901, with the crew of , to replace that vessel on the

Mediterranean Station The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a military formation, formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vita ...

. She was later deployed as a tender to the destroyer depot ship at Malta. In September 1902 she visited Nauplia and

Souda Bay Souda Bay is a bay and natural harbour near the town of Souda on the northwest coast of the Greece, Greek island of Crete. The bay is about 15 km long and only two to four km wide, and a deep natural harbour. It is formed between the Akr ...

with other ships of the fleet.

Loss

On 26 September 1904, she was the victim of a bizarre accident. While conducting a full-power trial in the Gulf of Patras off the Greek coast she lost a propeller blade. The loss of the blade unbalanced the shaft, which was spinning at high speed. The resulting vibration broke the shaft bracket and tore a large hole in the hull. She sank by the stern in of water about from the coast north of the modern village of

Araxos Araxos ( el, Άραξος, la, Araxus) is a village and a community in the municipal unit of Larissos of the municipality West Achaea in the northwestern part of Achaea, Greece. The community consists of the villages Araxos, Akrotirio Araxos and ...

. All hands were saved, but two men were injured with one of them dying the following day.

References

Bibliography

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External links

YouTube - diving the wreck of HMS ''Chamois''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chamois (1898) Ships built on the River Tyne 1896 ships C-class destroyers (1913) Maritime incidents in 1904 Shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea