List of torpedo boat classes of the Royal Navy

This is a list of torpedo boat classes of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, organised chronologically by entry into service. This article's coverage is restricted to the steam-powered torpedo boats built for or acquired by the British Navy between 1876 (the date on which the Admiralty ordered the first torpedo boat to carry the self-propelled Whitehead torpedo) and 1905; the final batch of 36 steam-turbine-powered torpedo boats from 1906 to 1908 were originally rated as coastal destroyers and will be found under Cricket-class destroyers, while later torpedo boats introduced during World War 1, powered by internal combustion engines, will be found under Motor Torpedo Boats.

Torpedo boats

Ever since the first use of spar torpedoes in the American Civil War and the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78), the world's sea powers continued to refine the small torpedo craft concept to employ the new automobile torpedoes (Whitehead torpedoes) that could continue the legacy of small and relatively inexpensive vessels able to challenge much larger vessels. The Royal Navy purchased 1st and 2nd class torpedo boats for offensive and defensive combat roles, respectively.

Later – especially to counter the French automobile defense – the British Navy primarily ordered torpedo boat catchers (or torpedo gunboats), which proved too slow for the task of dealing with torpedo boats, and subsequently torpedo boat destroyers (TBDs) - or destroyers as they soon became called.

1st class torpedo boats First class torpedo boats were designed for independent inshore operations. They were small, but large enough to patrol coastal waters and enjoy some limited endurance beyond their supporting port or tender. Nevertheless, they were found to be deployed overseas - notably to the Mediterranean - and eventually worldwide.

Lightning-design John I. Thornycroft & Company, Chiswick. The first torpedo boat, TB.1 (originally called Lightning), was ordered on 26 January 1876 and underwent trials on 22 May 1877; her dimensions were slightly different from her successors (TB.2 - TB.12) which were all ordered on 3 October 1877 and notably deleted the coach roof of the prototype. Number Builder Yard No.David Lyon, The Thornycroft List (1981). Launched DisposalTB.1Thornycroft471877Sold for scrap 1896TB.2Thornycroft711878Sold for scrap 1897TB.3Thornycroft721878Sold for scrap by 1906TB.4Thornycroft731879Sold for merchant use 1905,renamed RocketTB.5Thornycroft741879Sold for scrap 1897TB.6Thornycroft751879Sold for scrap 1906 at CapetownTB.7Thornycroft761879Sold for merchant use 1904,renamed MosquitoTB.8Thornycroft771879Sold for scrap 1903 at Hong KongTB.9Thornycroft781879Sold for scrap 1900 at MaltaTB.10Thornycroft791879Sold for scrap 1904 at MaltaTB.11Thornycroft801880Sold for scrap 1904TB.12Thornycroft811880Sold for scrap 1904 Maudslay, Sons and Field, Lambeth TB.13 Yarrow & Company, Poplar TB.14 Hanna, Donald & Wilson, Paisley TB.15 Stephen Lewin, Poole TB.16 – not taken into service Yarrow & Company, Limited These two boats were ordered for Russia, but were purchased by the British Admiralty during the Russo-Turkish war scare. Number Builder Yard No. Launched DisposalTB.17Yarrow4191878Sold for scrap in 1907 at MaltaTB.18Yarrow4201878Sold for scrap in 1902 at Gibraltar J. Samuel White, Cowes TB.19 G. & J. Rennie, Paisley TB.20 Des Vignes, Chertsey TB.21 – not accepted from RN because of lack of performance; the number was thus re-used for the first of the 113-footer group.

113-Footers On 10 December 1883 the Admiralty wrote both to John I. Thornycroft & Company and to Yarrow & Company asking them to tender for one or more improved First Class torpedo boats.

TB.21 class on 21 December 1883 Thornycroft replied forwarding their design HO 1992 and the specification in accordance with the Admiralty's letter. The dimensions were similar to those of the Sookhoun (Yard number 167, built 1882 for the Imperial Russian Navy) and the Childers (Yard number 172, built 1882 for the Victorian Government in Australia). Two boats were ordered by the Admiralty on 19 January 1884 for delivery in 9 and 10 months respectively. They ran trials on 30 April and 25 May 1885 respectively.

Number Builder Yard No. Launched DisposalTB.21Thornycroft20118 March 1885Sold for scrap in 1907 at MaltaTB.22Thornycroft2025 May 1885Sold for scrap in 1907 at Malta

TB.23 class The Admiralty similarly placed orders with Yarrow for two boats (built at Poplar).

Number Builder Yard No. Launched DisposalTB.23Yarrow6661886Sold for scrap in 1905TB.24Yarrow6671886Sold for scrap in 1904

125-Footers All 53 boats of this group (TB.25 to TB.79, excluding TB.39 and TB.40) carried 5 x 14-in torpedo tubes (one bow tube plus two pairs of deck tubes) and a complement of 16. Alternatively they could carry a gun armament of two 3-pounders and four MGs in lieu of the deck tubes. The bow tubes were later removed.

TB.25 class

The first of these boats was ordered from Thornycroft on 24 February 1885, and another four boats were ordered on 30/31 March 1885.

Number Builder Yard No. Launched DisposalTB.25Thornycroft2127 October 1885Sold for scrap October 1919TB.26Thornycroft21822 October 1885Sold for scrap 2 October 1919TB.27Thornycroft21926 October 1885Sold for scrap 2 October 1919TB.28Thornycroft2207 November 1885Expended as a target at Cape Town in 1898TB.29Thornycroft22119 November 1885Sold for scrap at Cape Town 1 July 1919

TB.30 class Yarrow & Company, Limited (1885–86) These four boats were ordered on 30/31 March 1885. Number Builder Yard No. Completed DisposalTB.30Yarrow7081886Sold for scrap ca. 1905TB.31Yarrow7091886Sold for scrap 1913TB.32Yarrow7101886Sold for scrap ca. 1905TB.33Yarrow7111886Sold for scrap 1 August 1919

TB.34 class J. Samuel White (1885–87). Based on White's TB.19 with "turnabout" stern but enlarged and built with more beam than the Thornycroft and Yarrow boats. All five took part in the 1887 Naval Review. TB.34 spent all her life in Home waters, but TB.35 and TB.36 sailed in March 1888 for the China Station, followed later by TB.37 and TB.38; these four spent all their lives on this station and were eventually sold together at Hong Kong in 1919. Number Builder Yard No.David L. Williams, White's of Cowes (Silver Link Publishing, 1993) Completed DisposalTB.34White683August 1886Sold for scrap 2 October 1919TB.35White684January 1887Sold for scrap 27 November 1919TB.36White685February 1887Sold for scrap 27 November 1919TB.37White686February 1887Sold for scrap 27 November 1919TB.38White687March 1887Sold for scrap 27 November 1919

100-Footers (purchases) Yarrow & Company, Limited. These two boats of 40 tons each were ordered for the Chilean Navy as Glaura and Fresia, but were purchased by the British Navy in 1888 and deployed to the West coast of Canada. Number Builder Yard No. Completed DisposalTB.39Yarrow5111882Sold for scrap 2.1905 at EsquimaultTB.40Yarrow5251882Sold for scrap 2.1905 at Esquimault

TB.41 class John I. Thornycroft & Company (1886) These twenty boats were ordered on 30 April or 1 May 1885, and were identical with the previous four Thornycroft boats.

Number Builder Yard No. Launched DisposalTB.41Thornycroft2221885Sold for scrap 1 August 1919TB.42Thornycroft2234 December 1885Sold for scrap 2 October 1919TB.43Thornycroft2241885Sold for scrap at Malta 18 December 1919TB.44Thornycroft2251885Sold for scrap at Malta 18 December 1919TB.45Thornycroft22621 December 1885Sold for scrap 1 August 1919TB.46Thornycroft2274 January 1886Wrecked 27 December 1915 in Mediterranean, but salved and sold for scrap 1920TB.47Thornycroft22828 June 1886Sold for scrap ca. 1908TB.48Thornycroft2291886Sold for scrap ca. 1915TB.49Thornycroft2301886Sold for scrap 1 August 1919TB.50Thornycroft23117 June 1886Sold for scrap 23 February 1920TB.51Thornycroft23230 July 1886Sold for scrap ca. 1913TB.52Thornycroft2331886Sold for scrap 19 December 1919TB.53Thornycroft23416 August 1886Sold for scrap 1913TB.54Thornycroft23528 August 1886Sold for scrap 1 August 1919TB.55Thornycroft23629 August 1886Sold for scrap 23 February 1920TB.56Thornycroft2371 October 1886Foundered off Damietta 17 May 1906TB.57Thornycroft2382 October 1886Sold for scrap 2 October 1919TB.58Thornycroft23918 October 1886Sold for scrap 19 December 1919TB.59Thornycroft24011 November 1886Sold for scrap ca. 1913TB.60Thornycroft24110 December 1886Sold for scrap at Cape Town 1 July 1919

TB.61 class This batch was ordered on 30 April or 1 May 1885, one month after the TB.30 to TB.33 batch with which they were identical. The last two (TB.79 and TB.80) differed in detail and in dimensions; the 75-ton TB.79 was 128ft 8in in oa length; the 105-ton TB.80 was 134ft 9in bp by 14ft beam. Number Builder Yard No. Completed DisposalTB.61Yarrow7151886Sold for scrap 1909TB.62Yarrow7161886Sold for scrap 1905TB.63Yarrow717September 1886Sold for scrap 18 December 1919 at MaltaTB.64Yarrow718September 1886Wrecked 21 March 1915 in the AegeanTB.65Yarrow719October 1886Sold for scrap 2 October 1919TB.66Yarrow720August 1886Sold for scrap 30 June 1920TB.67Yarrow721August 1886Sold for scrap 27 January 1920TB.68Yarrow722August 1886Sold for scrap 30 June 1920TB.69Yarrow7231886Sold for scrap ca. 1906TB.70Yarrow724August 1886Sold for scrap 18 December 1919 at MaltaTB.71Yarrow7251886Sold for scrap 5 July 1923TB.72Yarrow726July 1886Sold for scrap 19 December 1919TB.73Yarrow7271886Sold for scrap 6 February 1923TB.74Yarrow728December 1886Sold for scrap 27 January 1920TB.75Yarrow7291886Sunk 8 August 1892 in collision with TB.77.TB.76Yarrow7301886Sold for scrap 30 June 1920TB.77Yarrow731August 1886Sold for scrap 27 March 1920TB.78Yarrow732January 1887Sold for scrap 2 October 1919TB.79Yarrow733December 1886Sold for scrap 19 November 1919TB.80Yarrow748May 1887Sold for scrap 22 October 1921

153-Footer (HMS Swift) J. Samuel White TB.81

130-Footers (ordered under 1887-88 Programme, as repeats of TB.79) Yarrow & Company, Limited Number Builder Yard No. Completed DisposalTB.82Yarrow800June 1889Sold for scrap 27 March 1920, then re-sold 22 October 1921.TB.83Yarrow801June 1889Sold for scrap 12 October 1919TB.84Yarrow8021889Sunk in collision 17 April 1906 with HMS ArdentTB.85Yarrow803September 1889Sold for scrap 27 March 1920, then re-sold 22 October 1921.TB.86Yarrow803September 1889Sold for scrap 27 March 1920, then re-sold 22 October 1921.TB.87Yarrow805September 1889Sold for scrap 27 March 1920.

140-Footers Ten "140-footer" were ordered to four different builders' designs under the 1892-93 Programme. They were built in the same period as the first of the 26-knotter TBDs (torpedo boat destroyers) which rapidly superseded the traditional torpedo boat, and like them carried the new 18-in torpedoes, which marked a step-change both in size and capability. All these vessels were quickly deployed to the Mediterranean and stayed there throughout the rest of their service lives, based primarily on Gibraltar.

TB.88 class Number Builder Yard No. Completed DisposalTB.88Yarrow 1894Sold for scrap 13 October 1919TB.89Yarrow 1894Sold for scrap 13 October 1919TB.90Yarrow 1894Capsized 25 April 1918 in heavy weather off Gibraltar

TB.91 class These three boats were ordered from John I. Thornycroft & Company on 4 July 1892, exactly one week after the orders were placed for Thornycroft's Daring and Decoy torpedo-boat destroyers, and thus followed them in sequence of Yard numbers. Number Builder Yard No. Completed DisposalTB.91Thornycroft2891894Sold for scrap 13 October 1919TB.92Thornycroft2901894Sold for scrap 1920at GibraltarTB.93Thornycroft2911894Sold for scrap 13 October 1919

TB.94 class J. Samuel White Number Builder Yard No. Launched DisposalTB.94White91027 July 1893Sold for scrap 13 October 1919TB.95White9111894 comp.Sold for scrap 13 October 1919TB.96White9121894 comp.Sunk in collision 1 November 1919with s.s. Tringa off Gibraltar

TB.97 Laird Brothers, Birkenhead