HMS Lynx (1894)

HMS ''Lynx'' was a which served with the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1894 and sold in 1912.

Construction

In April 1892, the British Admiralty sent out a request to several shipbuilders for designs and tenders for "large sea going torpedo boats", or what later became known as "Torpedo Boat Destroyers", to be built under the 1892–1893 shipbuilding programme. In January 1893, an order was placed for two ships with Laird & Co., following on from orders placed in July the previous year with the specialist torpedo boat builders Yarrows and Thornycroft.

The Admiralty did not specify a standard design for destroyers, laying down broad requirements, including a trial speed of , a "turtleback" forecastle and armament, which was to vary depending on whether the ship was to be used in the torpedo boat or gunboat role. Laird's design was long overall and between perpendiculars, with a beam of and a draught of . Displacement was normal and deep load. Four Normand Normand water-tube boilers fed steam to 2 three-cylinder triple-expansion steam engines rated at . Four funnels were fitted.

As a torpedo boat, the planned armament was a single QF 12 pounder 12 cwt ( calibre) gun on a platform on the ship's conning tower (in practice the platform was also used as the ship's bridge) and one six-pounder (57mm) gun aft, with a single fixed 18 inch (450 mm) torpedo tube in the ship's bow and two more 18 inch tubes on a rotating mount. As a gunboat, the two swivelling torpedo tubes could be removed to accommodate a further two six-pounders.

''Lynx'' was laid down at Laird's Birkenhead shipyard on 1 July 1893 as yard number 597 and was launched on 24 January 1894. She carried out sea trials in August 1894, successfully reaching the contract speed of 27 knots, but had problems steering when running astern, and was not completed until August 1895.

Service history

On 26 December 1894, ''Lynx'' ran aground off the coast of Cornwall, receiving serious damage. ''Lynx'' took part in the Royal Navy's annual manoeuvres in July 1896. On 26 June 1897 she was present at the Jubilee Fleet Review at Spithead. On 30 September 1897, ''Lynx'' and the destroyer ran aground in thick fog off Dodman Point in Cornwall. A steam main aboard ''Thrasher'' ruptured as a result of the impact, killing four stokers, with ''Lynx'' less badly damaged. Both ships were refloated, with ''Lynx'' sailing to Devonport for repair. While ''Thrasher''s commanding officer was severely reprimanded for "reckless navigation" in the resulting Court Martial, ''Lynx''s commanding officer was acquitted.

''Lynx'' served in the Devonport instructional flotilla, when in early February 1900 she was transferred to become tender to the torpedo school ship off Devonport. In 1902 she served in the Channel Squadron, underwent repairs to re-tube her boilers in May, and took part in the Coronation Review for King Edward VII in August.

In February 1908, inspection revealed that ''Lynx''s deck plating and bulkheads were rusting through. On 10 April 1912, she was sold for scrap to Ward's of Preston.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lynx (1894)
Ferret-class destroyers
1894 ships
Ships built on the River Mersey
Maritime incidents in 1897