HMS Basilisk (1910)

{{Main|Beagle-class destroyer|l1=Beagle-class destroyer}}

Basilisk was one of the {{sclass|Beagle|destroyer}}s ordered by the Admiralty as part of the 1908–1909 shipbuilding programme.{{sfn|Friedman|2009|pages=118, 305–306}}{{sfn|Manning|1961|page=56}} The bridge was larger and higher than previous designs and the vessels were coal-burning after concerns had been raised about the availability of fuel oil in time of war.{{sfn|Cocker|1981|page=23}} This reduced costs, although it also meant that five boilers were needed, the extra machinery meaning that deck space became more premium.{{sfn|Friedman|2009|page=116}} The Beagle-class vessels were not built to a standard design, with detailed design being left to the builders of individual ships in accordance with a loose specification, in this case J. Samuel White.{{sfn|Brown|2010|page=68}} The class were also known, on occasion, as the Basilisk class, named after this vessel.{{cite news|title=Bombay's New Docks|newspaper=The Times|issue=40453|date=21 February 1914|page=7}} In October 1913, as part of a wider renaming of the Royal Navy's warships into classes named alphabetically, the class was renamed as the G-class.{{sfn|Preston|1985|page=74}}{{Efn|The Laforey-class (L-class) under construction were renamed so, for the first time, the destroyers' names matched the class designation.{{sfn|Friedman|2009|p=132}}}}

Basilisk was {{convert|275|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} long, with a beam of {{convert|28|ft|m|1|abbr=on}} and a draught of {{convert|16|ft|6|in|m|0|abbr=on}}.{{sfn|March|1966|page=85}} Normal displacement was {{convert|976|LT|t|abbr=on|lk=on}}.{{cite journal |title=58a: Basilisk. Torpedo boat Destroyer |journal=The Navy List |date=March 1913 |page=282 |url= https://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/94246758 |access-date=10 May 2024 |via=National Library of Scotland}}{{sfn|Parkes|Prendergast|1969|page=114}} Five White-Forster boilers fed direct-drive Parsons steam turbines driving three shafts.{{sfn|Preston|1985|page=73}} Two funnels were fitted. The machinery was rated at {{convert|12000|shp|kW|lk=on}} giving a design speed of {{convert|27|kn|mph km/h|lk=in|abbr=on}}.{{sfn|Manning|1961|pages=54, 57}} During sea trials, the destroyer reached a speed of {{convert|27.984|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}} at a displacement of {{convert|968|LT}}. Up to {{convert|226|LT}} of coal was carried, giving a design range of {{convert|2000|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|15|kn}}.{{sfn|March|1966|page=86}} The ship had a complement of 96 officers and ratings.{{sfn|Preston|1985|page=73}}

Armament consisted of one BL 4 inch naval gun Mk VIII gun forward and three QF 12-pounder 12 cwt naval gun guns aft.{{#tag:ref|"Cwt" is the abbreviation for hundredweight, 12cwt referring to the weight of the gun.|group=lower-alpha}} Torpedo armament consisted of two rotating British 21 inch torpedo torpedo tubes, one placed forward and the other aft. Two spare torpedoes were carried.{{sfn|March|1966|page=86}}{{sfn|Friedman|2009|pages=116, 118}}{{sfn|Preston|1985|pages=73–74}} On 8 April 1916, the Admiralty approved fitting the destroyer with depth charges. Two depth charge launchers and two charges were carried.{{sfn|Friedman|2009|page=151}}

Basilisk was laid down by J. Samuel White at East Cowes on the Isle of Wight with the yard number 1293 on 11 May 1909, and launched on 9 February the following year.{{sfn|Williams|Sprake|1993|page=86}} The ship cost £109,729.{{sfn|March|1966|page=85}} Basilisk was the ninth to serve in the Royal Navy named for the mythical creature.{{sfn|Manning|Walker|1959|page=99}} The vessel was commissioned at Portsmouth and joined the First Destroyer Flotilla on 17 September.{{cite news|title=Naval And Military Intelligence|newspaper=The Times|issue=39380|date=17 September 1910|page=7}} In 1912, a reorganisation of the Home Fleet resulted in the ships of the Beagle class forming the Third Destroyer Flotilla.{{sfn|Manning|1961|page=25}} The vessel remained part of the Third Flotilla in March 1913.{{cite journal|title=Fleets and Squadrons in Commission at Home and Abroad: Flotillas of the First Fleet|journal=The Navy List|date=March 1913|page=269a|url=https://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/94246518 |access-date=10 May 2024 |via=National Library of Scotland}} Basilisk was transferred, along with the rest of the class, to the newly-formed Fifth Destroyer Flotilla as part of the Mediterranean Fleet.{{cite news|title=Naval And Military Intelligence: Fifth Destroyer Flotilla for the Mediterranean|newspaper=The Times|issue=40358|date=1 November 1913|page=14}}{{cite journal |title=Fleets and Squadrons in Commission at Home and Abroad: Mediterranean Fleet |journal=The Monthly Navy List |date=November 1913 |url=https://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/94327994 |page=270a |access-date=10 May 2024 |via=National Library of Scotland}}

As the First World War approached, Basilisk was part of the Second Division of the Fifth Flotilla and based in Alexandria.{{sfn|Naval Staff Monograph No. 4|1919|page=179}} The destroyer sailed to Malta, joining the rest of the flotilla on 9 August.{{sfn|Naval Staff Monograph No. 4|1919|page=202}} The island had a coal shortage, which restricted the vessel's activity.{{sfn|Naval Staff Monograph No. 21|1923|page=8}} On 6 August 1914, the Second Division was deployed searching for the German battlecruiser {{SMS|Goeben||2}} and light cruiser {{SMS|Breslau||2}} but this was curtailed by a lack of fuel.{{sfn|Naval Staff Monograph No. 21|1923|pages=35–36}} On 18 August, the destroyer was deployed to Suez to deter the Ottoman Empire from restricting British access to the Suez Canal.{{sfn|Naval Staff Monograph No. 21|1923|page=57}} From 25 October, the destroyer, along with sister ship {{HMS|Racoon|1910|2}}, patrolled the Gulf of Suez.{{sfn|Naval Staff Monograph No. 21|1923|page=74}} The ship subsequently joined the force based in the Suez Canal and Red Sea to protect the sea lane for Allied shipping.{{sfn|Naval Staff Monograph No. 21|1923|page=79}}

On 19 November, Basilisk sailed for Tenedos and spent the next year supporting the naval operations in the Dardanelles Campaign.{{sfn|Naval Staff Monograph No. 21|1923|page=74}} In preparation for the assault, the Admiralty decided to attack the defences on the Dardanelles strait with the pre-dreadnought battleships {{HMS|Albion|1898|2}}, {{HMS|Majestic|1895|2}} and {{HMS|Triumph|1903|2}}. The attack was largely ineffective as the troops moved the batteries so they were safe from bombardment. On 26 February 1915, Basilisk, alongside Racoon, escorted the battleships {{HMS|Cornwallis|1901|2}}, {{HMS|Irresistible|1898|2}} and {{HMS|Vengeance|1899|2}} as they attempted to land parties to attack the batteries.{{sfn|Corbett|1921|pages=161, 163}}{{sfn|Grehan|Mace|2014|page=8}} This was also largely ineffective and also exposed the force to the presence of large minefields across the narrows of the Dardanelles straits.{{sfn|Corbett|1921|page=168}}

On the night of 1/2 March, along with sister ships {{HMS|Grasshopper|1909|2}}, {{HMS|Mosquito|1910|2}} and Racoon, the destroyer escorted trawlers attempting to clear the minefields. The force came under heavy fire from Turkish guns, and were forced to turn back before reaching the minefields.{{sfn|Corbett|1921|page=169}} It was then decided to clear the minefields by day while the British and French battleships suppressed the Turkish guns that protected the minefields.{{sfn|Dorling|1932|page=50}}{{sfn|Massie|2007|pages=450–446}} This was attempted on the following day, with Basilisk, Grasshopper, Mosquito and Racoon again escorting the minesweeping trawlers.{{sfn|Dorling|1932|page=53}} The attempt failed, however, with the fire from mobile guns forcing the minesweepers to turn back. Even more consequentially, the battleships {{HMS|Ocean|1898|2}} and Irresistible, along with the {{ship|French battleship|Bouvet||2|up=yes}}, hit mines and sank.{{sfn|Massie|2007|pages=458–463}}{{sfn|Corbett|1921|pages=216–223}} On 6 August, the ship carried troops of the IX Corps to their landing at Suvla Bay.{{sfn|Corbett|1923|page=93}} After the army had retreated, the destroyer then escorted the light cruiser {{HMS|Chatham|1911|2}}, the flagship of Admiral Rosslyn Wemyss, in bombarding Ottoman Army positions at Suvla.{{sfn|Corbett|1923|page=241}}

The destroyer remained a member of the Fifth Destroyer Flotilla within the Mediterranean Fleet.{{cite journal|title=X1.—Mediterranean Fleet|journal=Supplement to the Monthly Naval List|date=January 1917|page=21|url=https://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/92177590|access-date=10 May 2024 |via=National Library of Scotland}} The need for destroyer escorts increased dramatically as the Imperial German Navy introduced unrestricted submarine warfare.{{sfn|Halpern|2015|page=307}} By June 1917, the submarines were sinking {{convert|142338|LT|abbr=on}} of shipping a month.{{sfn|Halpern|2015|page=312}} In response, the Admiralty introduced convoys on major routes, including those between Malta and Egypt, escorted by destroyers.{{sfn|Newbolt|1931|page=75}} On 20 January 1918, Basilisk, along with the monitors {{HMS|M29||2}} and {{HMS|M32||2}}, was detached to Alexandria.{{sfn|Newbolt|1931|page=87}}

After the Armistice of 11 November 1918 that ended the war, the Royal Navy quickly withdrew all pre-war destroyers from active service.{{sfn|Manning|1961|page=28}} By February 1919, Basilisk had been transferred to The Nore.{{cite magazine|title=X.—Vessels at Home Ports Temporarily: The Nore |journal=Supplement to the Monthly Naval List |date=February 1919 |page=19 |url=https://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/92395414 |access-date=10 May 2024 |via=National Library of Scotland}} As the force returned to a peacetime level of strength, both the number of ships and personnel needed to be reduced to save money.{{sfn|Moretz|2002|page=79}} Declared superfluous to operational requirements, Basilisk was retired, and, on 1 November 1921, sold to Fryer of Sunderland to be broken up.{{sfn|Colledge|Warlow|2006|page=33}}

{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

{{reflist}}

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{{Beagle class destroyer}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Basilisk (1909)}}

Category:1909 ships

Category:Beagle-class destroyers

Category:Ships built on the River Mersey

Category:World War I destroyers of the United Kingdom