Acheron-class destroyer

Originally, 20 ships, including Acheron, were ordered but three more were completed by Yarrow & Company. The Acherons were generally repeats of the preceding Acorn- or H-class, although Acheron and five others were builders' specials. They differed from the Acorns in having only two funnels, both of which were short, the foremost being thicker than the after stack. The 12-pounder guns were mounted slightly further forward than in the Acorns.

Fourteen of the class were completed to an Admiralty standard design, although those built by John Brown and Company at Clydebank (Hind, Hornet and Hydra) had Brown-Curtis type turbines and only two shafts. Archer and Attack used steam at higher pressures and Badger and Beaver were completed with geared steam turbines for evaluation purposes, achieving speeds of {{cvt|30.7|kn}} in trials.

Acheron and Ariel were longer ({{cvt|77|m|order=flip}}), had higher power (15,500 shp) and were faster, achieving {{cvt|29.4|kn}} in trials.{{cite web|url=http://www.pbenyon1.plus.com/Janes_1919/Destroyers/I_Class.html |title=I-class destroyers (extract from Jane's Fighting Ships of 1919) |access-date=2008-10-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110603231408/http://www.pbenyon1.plus.com/Janes_1919/Destroyers/I_Class.html |archive-date=3 June 2011 }}

Sir Alfred Yarrow maintained that it was possible to build strong, seaworthy destroyers with a speed of {{cvt|32|kn}}, and eventually a contract for three such boats was placed with the firm. They were a little larger than the rest of the class and developed {{cvt|20,000|shp|abbr=on}}, but carried the same armament. Like the John Brown-built boats Hind, Hydra and Hornet, they had only 2 shafts, with steam developed in 2 Yarrow-type water-tube boilers and delivered to 2 Parsons turbines. Firedrake, Lurcher and Oak were distinctive in appearance and indeed much faster. They all exceeded their contract speed, Lurcher making over {{cvt|35|kn}}.

Ferret, Sandfly and Ariel were converted into fast minelaying destroyers in 1917, serving with the 20th Flotilla. They were each capable of laying 40 mines.Minesweeping and Minelaying from the Eleventh edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica, 1911

This class of torpedo boat destroyers (TBDs, or colloquially, "boats") handled well and were excellent sea boats; like similar classes of TBDs of the time, they had open bridges but were much drier at sea than was the norm.

{{reflist|group=Note}}

{{reflist}}

• Destroyers of the Royal Navy, 1893–1981, Maurice Cocker, 1983, Ian Allan {{ISBN|0-7110-1075-7}}
• The British Destroyer by Captain T D Manning CBE VRD RNVR (Ret'd), (Putnam, 1961)
• Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921, Conway Maritime Press, 1985, Robert Gardiner {{ISBN|0-85177-245-5}}

{{Acheron class destroyer}}

{{WWI British ships}}

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Category:Destroyer classes

Category:Ship classes of the Royal Navy