HMS Laforey (1913)

HMS ''Laforey'' was the lead ship of her class of destroyer built for the Royal Navy. Launched a year before the First World War began, she was attached to the Dover Patrol. ''Laforey'' saw action in several engagements with German torpedo boats, including the Battle off Noordhinder Bank and the action of 17 March 1917. ''Laforey'' was sunk in 1917 by a British mine after escorting several freighters to France. She was named for Francis Laforey, captain of at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

Construction and design

On 29 March 1912, the British Admiralty placed orders for the first 16 destroyers of the L-class destroyer, (later to become the ). Four of these ships were ordered from Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, including the lead ship, to be named ''Florizel''. ''Florizel'' was laid down at Fairfield's Govan, Glasgow shipyard on 9 September 1912 and launched on 22 August 1913.Friedman 2009, p. 130.Friedman 2009, p. 307. On 30 September 1913, the Admiralty ordered that the L-class be renamed with names beginning with the letter "L", and ''Florizel'' was renamed ''Laforey''.Gardiner and Gray 1985, p. 76. ''Laforey'' was completed in February 1914.

''Laforey'' was long overall and between perpendiculars, with a beam of and a draught of . Displacement was normal and full load. Four Yarrow boilers fed steam at to two sets of Brown-Curtis direct-drive steam turbine which, in turn, drove two propeller shafts, with a rated power of ,Friedman 2009, p. 128. and a design speed of at full load, with a speed of reached during sea trials. Crew was 73 officers and men.

The ship's main gun armament consisted of three QF Mk IV guns on the ship's centreline, with 120 rounds per gun. The ship carried two twin 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes, and was fitted with rails to carry four Vickers Elia Mk IV naval mines, although these rails were never used.Friedman 2009, p. 296.

Service

On commissioning, ''Laforey'' joined the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla as part of the First Fleet. On the outbreak of the First World War this Flotilla became part of the Harwich Force, under the overall command of Commodore Reginald Tyrwhitt.Manning 1961, p. 23.

On 28 August 1914, Tyrwhitt led the Harwich Force, including the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla and ''Laforey'', on a sortie into the southeastern part of the North Sea near the German Coast, known as the Heligoland Bight in an attempt to ambush German cruisers and destroyers.Massie 2007, pp. 96–101.Corbett Vol. I 1920, pp. 99–102. This developed into the Battle of Heligoland Bight where three German cruisers (, and ) and one destroyer (''V187'') was sunk at the cost of damage to the British cruiser and three destroyers (, and ). ''Laforey'' was undamaged in the action.Massie 2007, pp. 101–117.Corbett Vol. I 1920, pp. 103–120.

On 23 January 1915, ''Laforey'' took part in another sortie of the Harwich Force, which together with the Battlecruiser Force under Admiral David Beatty, was to intercept a raid by German Battlecruisers which the Admiralty had been warned by decoded German radio signals.Massie 2007, pp. 376–379.Corbett Vol. II 1920, pp. 84–86. This resulted in the Battle of Dogger Bank, which took the form of a high speed chase of the German ships.Massie 2007, p. 385. The majority of the destroyers of the Harwich Force, including ''Laforey'', were not fast enough to keep up with the battlecruisers. Only seven destroyers of the M class were fast enough to engage the German warships.Massie 2007, pp. 386, 389–390. On 1 May 1915, the old destroyer was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine near the Goodwin Sands, and ''Laforey'' together with three sister ships (, and ) were dispatched to search for the submarine, as were four naval trawlers. Two German torpedo boats, and attacked the trawlers in the Battle off Noordhinder Bank, sinking one (''Columbia'') before the four British destroyers arrived. Although the torpedo boats attempted to escape, the destroyers sank both German ships.Corbett Vol. II 1920, pp. 401–402.Gardiner and Gray 1985, p. 172.

In October 1915, ''Laforey'' joined the 5th Destroyer Flotilla, part of the Mediterranean Fleet, helping to cover the evacuation from ANZAC Cove at the end of the Gallipoli Campaign on 19–20 December, helping to destroy stores left behind after the troops pulled out.Corbett Vol. III 1923, pp. 239–241. She remained as part of the 5th Flotilla until February 1916.

''Laforey'' then rejoined the Harwich Force, as part of the 9th Destroyer Flotilla, and was part of the escort for the seaplane carrier when ''Vindex'' launched an unsuccessful air attack against the German Zeppelin base at Tondern on 25–25 March 1916.Corbett Vol. III 1923, pp. 290–296. The Harwich Force was held back as a reserve during the Battle of Jutland on 31 May–1 June 1916,Campbell 1998, pp. 15, 123. but when the battleship was damaged by a German torpedo, ''Laforey'' was one of eight destroyers of the Harwich Force sent to escort the crippled battleship to the Humber.Campbell 1998, pp. 324–326.

In October 1916, ''Laforey'' was one of a division of destroyers detached to reinforce the Dover Patrol, reaching Dover on 24 October.Newbolt Vol. IV 1928, p. 53.Bacon 1918, pp. 339–340. Fearing an attack by German surface vessels against shipping in The Downs, against the Belgian coast or against the Dover Barrage, where anti-submarine nets were guarded by lightly armed trawlers, Vice-Admiral Reginald Bacon, commander of the Dover Patrol, ordered four destroyers, including ''Laforey'', to Dunkirk on 26 October.Newbolt Vol. IV 1928, pp. 53–55. On that night the Germans launched an attack against the Dover Barrage and shipping in the Straits. One group of five German torpedo boats, the 18th Half Flotilla, was on the outward leg into the Straits of Dover when they sighted ''Laforey'' and companions sailing from Dover to Dunkirk. The British ships did not spot the German torpedo boats, which continued on their way unhindered.Newbolt Vol. IV 1928, pp. 52, 56. Later that night, other German torpedo boats attacked British drifters, and when the old destroyer went to investigate, sank ''Flirt''. As a response, Bacon ordered six ''Tribal''-class destroyers from Dover and ''Laforey''s division of four destroyers from Dunkirk to sortie out in an attempt to intercept the German ships.Newbolt Vol. IV 1928, pp. 59–60. In a confused action, the ''Tribal''-class destroyer was torpedoed and badly damaged, while and were damaged by German gunfire. While ''Laforey''s division sighted the gunfire of the engagement, they were too far off to intervene, with the German ships escaping with little damage.Newbolt Vol. IV 1928, pp. 61–63.

Early in 1917, the 9th Destroyer Flotilla was split up, with the newer destroyers joining the 10th Destroyer Flotilla, and the L-class ships being dispersed to different units.Manning 1961, p. 26. ''Laforey'' joined the 6th Destroyer Flotilla as part of the Dover Patrol on 5 March 1917.Bacon 1918, p. 629. On the night of 17–18 March 1917, ''Laforey'' was on patrol in the Dover Straits when the Germans launched another raid by torpedo boats. The destroyer was torpedoed and sunk by the German warships. ''Laforey'' sighted an explosion and investigated, and on reaching a field of debris, started to search for survivors, signalling to assist. Neither destroyer noticed that German torpedo boats were still in the vicinity, and two German ships, and launched torpedoes against the British ships, one striking and damaging ''Llewellyn'' while the German torpedo boats escaped unseen, with the British at first believing the attack had been by a submarine.Newbolt Vol. IV 1928, pp. 363–365.

On 23 March 1917, ''Laforey'', together with sister ships , and the destroyer , were escorting several cargo ships to France, using the Folkestone to Dieppe route. The merchant ships arrived safely, but at around 16:30, after the destroyers had begun the return trip, a large explosion occurred amidships on ''Laforey''. The ship immediately broke in half, and the stern sank rapidly. The bow remained afloat for a short time before sinking, during which ''Laertes'' struggled to rescue survivors.Naval Staff Monograph No. 34 1933, pp. 345–346. ''Laforey'' had been sunk by a British-laid mine.Dittmar and Colledge 1972, p. 63. Only 18 of the 76 aboard survived. The wreck lies about 10 miles south off Shoreham-by-Sea at approximately 50° 38.600' N 000° 13.800' W, and is a recreational dive site.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Laforey (1913)
Laforey-class destroyers (1913)
Ships built in Govan
1913 ships
World War I destroyers of the United Kingdom
Maritime incidents in 1917
Ships sunk by mines
World War I shipwrecks in the English Channel
Wreck diving sites in the United Kingdom