HMS Decoy (1894)

She was built by John I. Thornycroft & Company at Chiswick and was launched on 7 February 1894.The Times (London), Thursday, 8 February 1894, p.4

Although fitted with multiple torpedo tubes, her bow tube proved useless in practice as — while running at high attack speeds — the ship was prone to overtake its own torpedo. The clumsy tube also reduced living quarters and made the bridge very prone to flooding.

Decoy took part in the 1896 British Naval Manoeuvres, attached to the Channel Fleet operation from Berehaven in southern Ireland.Brassey (1897), pp. 141–143, 149. She served as instructional tender to Cambridge, a gunnery school ship, until August 1901.{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Naval & Military intelligence |date=16 August 1901 |page=6 |issue=36535}} Lieutenant Cyril Asser was appointed in command in February 1902, when she was based at Plymouth as part of the Devonport instructional flotilla,{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Naval & Military intelligence |date=20 February 1902 |page=10 |issue=36696|}} and was succeeded by Lieutenant Henry Ralph Heathcote on 1 July the same year.{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Naval & Military intelligence|date=10 June 1902 |page=12 |issue=36790| }} Heathcote transferred to {{HMS|Contest|1894|2}} the following month, and was succeeded in command by Lieutenant L. J. I. Hammond on 8 August 1902.{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Naval & Military intelligence |date=6 August 1902 |page=8 |issue=36839| }} She took part in the fleet review held at Spithead on 16 August 1902 for the coronation of King Edward VII.{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Naval Review at Spithead |date=15 August 1902 |page=5 |issue=36847| }} She acted temporary as tender to Cambridge again from late August, when her crew transferred to {{HMS|Ostrich|1900|6}}, which took her place in the flotilla.{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Naval & Military intelligence|date=13 August 1902 |page=8 |issue=36845| }} The following month she was reported to be back in the instructional flotilla.{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Naval & Military intelligence |date=26 September 1902 |page=8 |issue=36883| }}

Decoy was lost in a collision with the destroyer {{HMS|Arun|1903|2}} off the Scilly Islands on 13 August 1904.The Times (London), Wednesday, 15 August 1904, p.5 while taking part in night exercises.Kemp (1999), p. 1. One man was killed while the remaining 40 members of the crew were rescued by Arun and {{HMS|Sturgeon|1894|2}}. Courts martial regarding the sinking were subsequently assembled aboard the battleship {{HMS|Conqueror|1881|2}}. The first, on 22 August,The Times (London), Thursday, 23 August 1904, p.9 attributed blame to the commander of Arun, Reginald Tyrwhitt. The second, an appeal, was held on 30 August,The Times (London), Friday, 31 August 1904, p.4 and dismissed the charge of neglect but confirmed the charge of hazarding both vessels.

{{reflist|group=Note}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book|last=Brassey|first=T.A.|title=The Naval Annual 1897|year=1897|publisher=J. Griffin and Co|location=Portsmouth, UK}}
• {{cite book|editor1-last=Chesneau|editor1-first=Roger|editor2-last=Kolesnik|editor2-first=Eugene M.|title=Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905|year=1979 |name-list-style=amp |publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=London |isbn=0-85177-133-5}}
• {{Cite Colledge2006}}
• {{cite book|last1=Dittmar|first1=F. J.|last2=Colledge|first2=J. J.|title=British Warships 1914–1919|year=1972|publisher=Ian Allan|location=Shepperton, UK|isbn=0-7110-0380-7}}
• {{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=British Destroyers: From Earliest Days to the Second World War|year=2009|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|location=Barnsley, UK|isbn=978-1-84832-049-9}}
• {{cite book | title = The Admiralty Regrets: British Warship Losses of the 20th Century | last = Kemp|first = Paul | year = 1999 | publisher = Sutton Publishing Ltd | isbn = 0-7509-1567-6 }}
• {{cite book

|last=Lyon |first=David

|title=The First Destroyers

|year=2001|location=London|publisher=Caxton Editions|orig-year=1996

|isbn=1-84067-364-8

|ref=Lyon, The First Destroyers}}

• {{cite book |last=Manning |first= Thomas Davys, Captain | title=The British Destroyer | publisher=Putnam & Co. | year=1961|oclc= 6470051}}
• {{cite book|last=March|first=Edgar J.|title=British Destroyers: A History of Development, 1892–1953; Drawn by Admiralty Permission From Official Records & Returns, Ships' Covers & Building Plans|year=1966|publisher=Seeley Service|location=London |oclc=164893555}}

{{Daring class destroyer (1893)}}

{{1904 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Decoy (1894)}}

Category:Daring-class destroyers (1893)

Category:1894 ships

Category:Ships built in Chiswick

Category:Maritime incidents in 1904

Category:Ships sunk in collisions

Category:Shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean

Category:Ships built by John I. Thornycroft & Company