HMS Ithuriel (1916)

In November 1914, as part of the Emergency War Programme of shipbuilding, the British Admiralty ordered three {{sclass|Marksman|flotilla leader}}s (i.e. large destroyers intended to lead flotillas of smaller destroyers in action) from the Birkenhead shipyard Cammell Laird.{{Harvnb|Friedman|2009|pp=136–137}}{{Harvnb|Friedman|2009|p=307}}.{{#tag:ref|The first two ships of the class, {{HMS|Marksman|1915|2}} and {{HMS|Lightfoot|1915|2}}, were ordered as part of the 1913–1914 shipbuilding programme, with two more ships, {{HMS|Kempenfelt|1915|2}} and {{HMS|Nimrod|1915|2}} as part of the 1914–1915 programme.|group=lower-alpha}} The second of these three ships, HMS Ithuriel (originally to be named Gabriel{{Harvnb|Gardiner|Gray|1985| p=77}}) was laid down on 14 January 1915 and was launched on 8 March 1916. The construction of the three Marksman-class ships by Cammell Laird was problematical, with the ships suffering machinery problems and construction delays, with the Admiralty complaining to Lairds that "better workmanship and supervision" were needed for Ithurial and Gabriel, which were 8 months behind programme.{{Harvnb|English|2019|p=11}} Ithuriel was commissioned on 2 August 1916.{{Harvnb|English|2019|p=19}}

The Marksman-class ships were {{convert|324|ft|10|in|m}} long overall, {{convert|324|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} at the waterline and {{convert|315|ft|0|in|m|abbr=on}} between perpendiculars.{{Harvnb|Friedman|2009|pp=296–297}} They had a beam of {{convert|31|ft|9|in|m|abbr=on}} and a draught of {{convert|12|ft|0|in|m|abbr=on}}. The design displacement was {{convert|1440|LT|t|lk=on}} normal and {{convert|1700|LT|t}} full load.{{#tag:ref|Jane's Fighting Ships gave a displacement of {{convert|1655|LT|t|abbr=on}} in 1919.{{harvnb|Moore|1990|p=67}}|group=lower-alpha}} Ithuriel was propelled by three sets of Parsons steam turbines, fed by four Yarrow three-drum boilers, rated at {{convert|36000|shp}}, which gave a speed of {{convert|34|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}}. Four funnels were fitted. Up to 515 tons of oil fuel could be carried, giving a range of {{convert|4290|nmi}} at {{convert|15|kn}}. The ship's crew was 104 officers and men.

Ithuriel was armed with four QF 4 inch naval gun Mk IV, XII, XXII mounted on the ships centreline, with two 2-pounder (40-mm) "pom-pom" anti-aircraft guns and four 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes.

On commissioning, Ithuriel joined the 14th Destroyer Flotilla, serving as one of two leaders for the flotilla (the other being the {{sclass|Faulknor|flotilla leader|2}} {{HMS|Botha||2}}),{{cite magazine |title=Supplement to the Monthly Navy List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officers' Commands &c.: I.—The Grand Fleet: Destroyer Flotillas of the Grand Fleet |journal=The Navy List |date=August 1916 |page=12 |url=https://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/92073834 |via=National Library of Scotland |access-date=31 January 2020}} with normal duties including escorting the ships of the Grand Fleet. From 15 June 1917 the destroyers and submarines of the Grand Fleet took part in Operation BB, a large scale operation against German submarines, with 53 destroyers and leaders together with 17 submarines deployed on offensive patrols on the transit route for the Germans from the North Sea and around the Orkney and Shetland Islands to the Western Approaches. Ithuriel led eight destroyers of the 14th Flotilla on patrol to the west of Shetland.{{Harvnb|Naval Staff Monograph No. 35 1939|pp=162–164}}{{Harvnb|Newbolt|1931|pp=54–55}} Heavy seas made the 14th Flotilla's patrol duties difficult, with it being forced to take shelter in St Magnus Bay on 22 June. Only one submarine was sighted by the ships of the 14th Flotilla during the operation, on 23 June, when {{HMS|Mons|1915|2}} sighted and unsuccessfully attacked a submarine (possibly {{SMU|U-55||2}} or {{SMU|U-61||2}}).{{Harvnb|Naval Staff Monograph No. 35 1939|p=166}} Overall, 61 sightings were made of German submarines were made by the destroyers and submarines of the Grand Fleet until the operation ended on 24 June, of which 12 resulted in attacks on the submarines, but no submarines were sunk or damaged. In October 1917, the Grand Fleet carried out another large-scale anti-submarine operation, in which destroyers and submarines were to be used to drive German U-boats that were returning to port from operations and passing to the east of the Dogger Bank into a large (several miles long) array of mine nets. Ithuriel took part in this operation, and again was forced to take shelter with her flotilla by heavy seas, this time in Aberdeen and Peterhead on 4 October, with the weather making it impossible for the ships to patrol. The operation lasted for 10 days, and British Intelligence believed that three U-boats were probably sunk in the operation. However, the submarines in question were almost certainly lost in other mine-fields.{{Harvnb|Newbolt|1931|pp=145–149}}{{Harvnb|Grant|1964|pp= 52–53}}

{{main|Battle of May Island}}

In October 1917, Ithuriel left the 14th Destroyer Flotilla, joining the 13th Submarine Flotilla, still part of the Grand Fleet, consisting of K-class submarines, fast, steam-powered submarines intended to operate with the fleet.{{Harvnb|Gardiner|Gray|1985| p=91}} On the night of 31 January 1918, units of the Grand Fleet, including the K-class equipped 13th Submarine Flotilla (Ithuriel and the submarines {{HMS|K11||2}}, {{HMS|K12||2}}, {{HMS|K14||2}}, {{HMS|K17||2}} and {{HMS|K22||2}}) and 12th Submarine Flotilla (the light cruiser {{HMS|Fearless|1912|2}} and the submarines {{HMS|K3||2}}, {{HMS|K4||2}}, {{HMS|K6||2}} and {{HMS|K7||2}}) set out from Rosyth to take part in exercises. Despite the night being very dark, with occasional patches of fog, the ships were running without lights. When K14 altered course to avoid a number of minesweepers ahead or her, her rudder jammed and she was rammed by K22. The two disabled submarines were then overtaken by the heavier units of the fleet, and K22 was rammed by the battlecruiser {{HMS|Inflexible|1907|2}}. Despite the damage, both submarines remained afloat. On hearing distress signals from the two submarines, Commander E. Leir aboard Ithuriel decided to turn the Flotilla back to go to the assistance of K14 and K22. This put the flotilla on a collision course with the rest of the fleet, including the 12th Submarine Flotilla. On meeting the fleet, Ithuriel had to turn to avoid the battlecruiser {{HMAS|Australia|1911|2}}, which took the flotilla directly into the path of the 12th Flotilla. Fearless collided with K17, which sank, then K4, following Fearless, pulled out of line and stopped to avoid hitting K17 and Fearless, and was herself hit by K6, which cut K4 in two and K7. Two submarines had been sunk with 103 killed.{{Harvnb|Kemp|1999|pp=64–65}}

Ithuriel remained as leader of the 13th Submarine Flotilla through the end of the war, and remained when the Flotilla was renamed the 1st Submarine Flotilla in April 1919. She was relieved by the light cruiser {{HMS|Inconstant|1914|2}} in October 1919, and after a short period at Rosyth, was sent to Portsmouth, being reduced to care and maintenance status on 1 December 1919. By February 1921, Ithuriel had been transferred to the disposal list, and was sold to the Slough Trading Company on 8 November that year for £2,402. She left Portsmouth for scrapping in Germany on 22 March 1923.

{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

{{reflist}}

• {{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=English|first=John|title=Grand Fleet Destroyers: Part I: Flotilla Leaders and 'V/W' Class Destroyers |year=2019|location=Windsor, UK|publisher=World Ship Society|isbn=}}{{ISBN?}}
• {{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=British Destroyers: From Earliest Days to the First World War|year=2009|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|location=Barnsley, UK|isbn=978-1-84832-049-9}}
• {{cite book|editor1-last=Gardiner|editor1-first=Robert|editor2-last=Gray|editor2-first=Randal|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=London|year=1985|isbn=0-85177-245-5}}
• {{cite book |last=Grant |first=Robert M. |title=U-Boats Destroyed: The Effect of Anti-Submarine Warfare 1914–1918 |year=1964 |location=London |publisher=Putnam |oclc=936861562}}
• {{cite book |last=Kemp |first=Paul |title=The Admiralty Regrets: British Warship Losses of the 20th Century |year=1999 |location=Stroud, UK |publisher=Sutton Publishing |isbn=0-7509-1567-6 }}
• {{cite book |title=Monograph No. 35: Home Waters—Part IX: 1st May, 1917, to 31st July, 1917 |series=Naval Staff Monographs (Historical) |volume=XIX |year=1939 |publisher=The Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division |url=http://www.navy.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/Naval-Staff-Monographs-Vol.XIX_opt.pdf |ref={{Harvid|Naval Staff Monograph No. 35 1939}} }}
• {{cite book|last=Moore|first=John|title=Jane's Fighting Ships of World War I|year=1990|publisher=Studio|location=London|isbn=1-85170-378-0}}
• {{cite book|last=Newbolt |first=Henry |author-link=Henry Newbolt |title=Naval Operations: Vol. V |series=History of the Great War |year=1931 |publisher=Longmans, Green and Co |location=London |url=https://archive.org/details/navaloperations0000corb/page/n5/mode/2up }}
• [http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/destroyers_before_1900.htm www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk - RN Destroyers before 1900]

{{Marksman-class flotilla leaders}}

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Category:Marksman-class flotilla leaders

Category:World War I destroyers of the United Kingdom

Category:Ships built on the River Mersey

Category:1916 ships