HMS Violet was a Doxford three-funnel, 30-knot destroyer ordered by the Royal Navy under the 1896–1897 Naval Estimates.
Design The British Admiralty placed orders for sixteen 30-knotter torpedo-boat destroyers as part of the 1896–1897 shipbuilding programme, as well as three "specials" intended to reach a higher speed. Two of the sixteen 30-knotters, Violet and were ordered from William Doxford and Sons. As with other early Royal Navy destroyers, the detailed design of the Doxford ships was left to the builder, with the Admiralty laying down only broad requirements such as speed, armament and the use of a "turtleback" forecastle.
Violet and Sylvia were enlarged and more powerful derivatives of Doxford's two 27-knotter destroyers ordered under the 1893–1894 Programme ( and . They had an overall length of and a length between perpendiculars of , a beam of and a draught of . Displacement was light and deep load. Four coal-fired Thornycroft water tube boilers fed steam at to triple expansion steam engines rated at and driving two propeller shafts. Sufficient coal was carried to give a range of at . Three funnels were fitted.
Armament was the standard of the 30-Knotters, i.e. a 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), with a secondary armament of five 6-pounder guns, and two 18-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes. The ship had a crew of 58 officers and other ranks.
Construction and career Violet was laid down on 13 July 1896, at Doxford's shipyard in Pallion, Sunderland as yard number 252, and launched on 3 May 1897. During sea trials, she made her contracted speed requirement. She was completed and accepted by the Royal Navy in June 1898 as the seventh ship of that name to serve with the Royal Navy. After commissioning she was assigned to the Fleet Reserve at Portsmouth. She spent her entire career in home waters.
On the night of 23 June 1900, during an exercise, Violet and the destroyer attempted to rush the defences of Portsmouth harbour, approaching with no lights and at a low speed so that smoke or flame from their funnels would not indicate their location, but Violet was spotted at a range of and illuminated and held by searchlights, as was Fawn, with the conclusion drawn that they could not have succeeded in breaching the defences. On the night of 25 July 1900, Violet collided with the destroyer in fog, badly damaging Violets bow, such that she had to be docked down in Pembroke Dockyard for repairs. Flirt received little damage. Violet underwent repairs to re-tube her boilers in 1902. On 9 July 1907 Violet collided with a sailing vessel, badly damaging the destroyer's bow and slightly injuring three of her crew. She was towed stern first to the Nore by the destroyer before being taken into Sheerness for repair. Violet was refitted at Pembroke Dockyard in 1909, having her bow replated and her boilers retubed.
On 30 August 1912 the Admiralty directed all destroyers were to be grouped into classes designated by letters based on contract speed and appearance. As a three-funnelled destroyer with a contract speed of 30 knots, Violet was assigned to the C class. The class letters were painted on the hull below the bridge area and on a funnel. In March 1913, Violet was listed as part of the 7th Destroyer Flotilla, a patrol flotilla based at Devonport and tendered to the depot ship . On 1 June 1913, Violet was in collision with the destroyer off Felixstowe. Violet remained part of the 7th Flotilla on the eve of the First World War in July 1914.
World War I At the outbreak of war, the 7th Flotilla was redeployed to the Humber River for operations off the East coast of Britain. Duties of the Flotilla were to prevent enemy ships from carrying out minelaying or torpedo attacks in the approaches to ports on the East coast, and to prevent raids by enemy ships. Violet served with the 7th Flotilla until June 1917, but by July that year she was listed as part of the East Coast Convoy Flotilla. By September she had been sent to join the local defence flotilla at the Nore.
In April 1918 she was reassigned to the 6th Destroyer Flotilla and the Dover Patrol. She remained in this deployment at the end of the First World War. Her duties included anti-submarine, counter-mining patrols, and patrolling the Dover Barrage.
By January 1919, Violet was listed as temporarily at the Nore, but had moved to Devonport by February. In 1919 she was paid off and laid-up in reserve, awaiting disposal. Violet was sold on 7 June 1920 to J Houston of Montrose for breaking.
Post World War I
Stripped down to a Hulk Violet was towed to a position upstream of the Kincardine Bridge, Fife to strengthen the sea wall where she remained until 1959 when she was finally broken up to make way for the new Power Station
Pennant numbers Pennant number FromToD096 December 19141 September 1915D731 September 19151 January 1918D941 January 19187 June 1920
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