HMS Scorpion (1910)

Scorpion was one of three {{sclass|Beagle|destroyer}}s ordered from Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company as part of the 1908–1909 shipbuilding programme.{{Harvnb|Friedman|2009|pp=118, 305–306}}.{{Harvnb|Manning|1961|p=56}} The Beagles were not built to a standard design, with detailed design being left to the builders of individual ships in accordance with a loose specification.{{Harvnb|Brown|2010|p=68}}

The three Fairfield ships were {{convert|271|ft|m|1}} long, with a beam of {{convert|27.7|ft|m|1}} and a draught of {{convert|8.7|ft|8|in|m|1}}. Displacement was {{convert|916|LT|t|abbr=on}} normal.{{cite magazine |title=439b: Scorpion. Torpedo boat Destroyer |magazine=The Navy List |date=March 1913 |page=373 |url=https://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/94247826 |access-date=6 November 2019 |via=National Library of Scotland}} Five Yarrow boilers fed direct-drive Parsons steam turbines driving three propeller shafts.{{Harvnb|Gardiner|Gray|1985|p=73}} The machinery was rated at {{convert|12000|shp|kW|abbr=on}} giving a design speed of {{convert|27|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}}.{{Harvnb|Manning|1961|pp=54, 57}} Gun armament consisted of one BL 4 inch naval gun Mk VIII and three QF 12-pounder 12 cwt guns.{{#tag:ref|"Cwt" is the abbreviation for hundredweight, 12cwt referring to the weight of the gun.|group=lower-alpha}} Torpedo armament consisted of two 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes. Two spare torpedoes were carried.{{Harvnb|Friedman|2009|pp=116, 118}}{{Harvnb|Gardiner|Gray|1985|pp=73–74}} The ship had a crew of 96 officers and men.{{Harvnb|Hythe 1912|p=249}}

Scorpion was laid down at Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company's Govan, Glasgow shipyard on 3 May 1909 and was launched on 19 February 1910.{{Harvnb|Friedman|2009| p=306}} She reached a speed of {{convert|27.1|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}} during sea trials, and was completed in August 1910.

On commissioning, Scorpion joined the First Destroyer Flotilla of the Home Fleet.{{cite magazine |title=Naval Matters—Past and Prospective: Chatham Dockyard |magazine=The Marine Engineer and Naval Architect |date=September 1910 |volume=33 |page=52}}{{Harvnb|Manning|1961|p=25}}

The first commander of HMS Scorpion was the then Lieutenant-Commander Andrew Cunningham,{{cite magazine |title=439b.: Scorpion. (Ch.) Torpedo Boat Destroyer |magazine=The Navy List |date=January 1915 |page=379a |url=https://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/91942986 |via=National Library of Scotland}} who remained in command of the destroyer from January 1911 to January 1918.{{harvnb|Dorling|1932|p=20}} Early days in Scorpion included the Naval Review of 1911 {{citation needed span|that stood out in Cunningham's mind as the zenith of British naval power|date=November 2019}} with twenty-six miles of ships including 42 battleships and 68 destroyers.

On 15 November 1911, Scorpion was in collision with the Danish schooner Fyn when the First Flotilla was returning to Harwich after exercises in the English Channel. Scorpion was holed close to her engine room and was towed to port by sister ship {{HMS|Renard|1909|2}}, while flooding forced Fyn to be abandoned near the Goodwin Sands.{{cite magazine |title=Naval Matters—Past and Prospective: Chatham Dockyard |magazine=The Marine Engineer and Naval Architect |date=December 1911 |volume=34 |page=150}} Scorpion was repaired at Chatham Dockyard.{{cite magazine |title=Naval Matters—Past and Prospective: Chatham Dockyard |magazine=The Marine Engineer and Naval Architect |date=January 1912 |volume=34 |page=200}} In 1912, the destroyers of the Beagle-class transferred to the newly established Third Destroyer Flotilla.

In 1913 the period in home waters came to an end with the Beagle-class, including Scorpion, posted to the Mediterranean, forming the Fifth Destroyer Flotilla.

Scorpion remained as part of the Fifth Flotilla of the Mediterranean Fleet at the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914.{{Harvnb|Naval Staff Monograph No. 21 1923|p=2}} The early part of the war saw her involved in the chase of the German battlecruiser {{Ship|SMS|Goeben||2}} and cruiser {{SMS|Breslau||2}}. Scorpion was one of eight destroyers deployed by Rear Admiral Ernest Troubridge to assist his squadron of Armoured cruisers in stopping the German ships escaping to Austrian waters. When it was realised that Goeben and Breslau were not heading to Austria, Troubridge left these destroyers behind as they did not have sufficient coal left for a high speed pursuit, and set off southwards on the night of 6/7 August 1914 with his four Armoured cruisers. He called off his pursuit later that night because he could not intercept the German squadron until daylight, when Goeben{{'}}s superior speed and armament would give the Germans a significant advantage.{{Harvnb|Naval Staff Monograph No. 21 1923|pp=34–37}}{{Harvnb|Massie|2007|pp=41–43}}{{Harvnb|Marder|2013|pp=25–28}} On 1 November 1914 she and the destroyer {{HMS|Wolverine|1910|2}} sank the Turkish armed yacht Beyrout in Vourla harbour, in a search for vessels believed to be involved in minelaying operations in the Gulf of Smyrna.{{Harvnb|Naval Staff Monograph No. 21 1923|p=93}}{{Harvnb|Corbett|1920|p=363}}

In 1915, she took part in the naval operations in the Dardanelles Campaign. Initial operations involved escorting minesweepers attempting to clear the minefields in the mouth of the Dardanelles, with Scorpion{{#tag:ref|along with Wolverine, Renard and Grampus|group=lower-alpha}} escorting minesweeping trawlers on the night of 3/4 March 1915.{{Harvnb|Corbett|1921|p=173}} On 4 March, two companies of Royal Marines were landed at Kum Kale and Sedd el Bahr in attempt to ensure that forts and gun batteries damaged in previous naval bombardments were completely demolished.{{#tag:ref|Previous, smaller raids on 26 and 27 February and 1 March had proved relatively successful.{{Harvnb|Hart|2013|pp=27–28}}{{Harvnb|Corbett|1921|pp=163–168}}|group=lower-alpha}} The landings came under heavy fire, and despite gunfire support from ships, including Scorpion, which knocked out a gun battery, the Marines were forced to withdraw without achieving their objectives and were picked up by the supporting ships, with Scorpion{{'}}s cutter picking up 7 men cut off on a beach. In total 23 Marines were killed or missing and 25 wounded.{{Harvnb|Corbett|1921|pp=178–182}}{{Harvnb|Dorling|1932|p=50}}{{Harvnb|Hart|2013|pp=28–29}}

{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book|last=Brown|first=David K.|title=The Grand Fleet: Warship Design and Development 1906–1922|year=2010|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|location=Barnsley, UK|isbn=978-1-84832-085-7}}
• {{cite book|last=Corbett|first=Julian S. |authorlink=Julian Corbett|title=History of the Great War: Naval Operations: Vol. I: To the Battle of the Falklands|year=1920|publisher=Longmans, Green and Co.|location=London|url=https://archive.org/details/navaloperations01corb }}
• {{cite book|last=Corbett|first=Julian S.|title=History of the Great War: Naval Operations: Vol. II|year=1921|publisher=Longmans Green|location=London| url=https://archive.org/details/navaloperations00newbgoog |oclc=1185863}}
• {{cite book|last=Dorling|first=Taprell|title=Endless Story: Being an account of the work of the Destroyers, Flotilla-Leaders, Torpedo-Boats and Patrol Boats in the Great War|year=1932|publisher=Hodder and Stoughton|location=London|oclc= 55531197}}
• {{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=British Destroyers: From Earliest Days to the Second World War|year=2009|location=Barnsley, UK|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|isbn=978-1-84832-049-9}}
• {{cite book|editor-last1=Gardiner|editor-first1=Robert|editor-last2=Gray|editor-first2=Randal|title=Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921|year=1985|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=London|isbn=0-85177-245-5}}
• {{cite book |last=Hart |first=Peter |title=Gallipoli |year=2013 |location=London |publisher=Profile Books |isbn=978-1-84668-161-5 }}
• {{cite book|editor=Viscount Hythe|title=The Naval Annual 1912|year=1912|publisher=J. Griffin & Co.|location=Portsmouth, UK |ref={{harvid|Hythe 1912}} }}
• {{cite book|last=Manning|first=T. D.|title=The British Destroyer|year=1961|publisher=Putnam & Co. Ltd|location=London}}
• {{cite book|last=Marder|first=Arthur J.|title=From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow: The Royal Navy in the Fisher Era 1904–1919: Volume II: The War Years: To the Eve of Jutland 1914–1916|year=2013|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|location=Barnsley, UK|isbn=978-1-84832-163-2}}
• {{cite book|last=Massie|first=Robert K.|title=Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany and the Winning of the Great War at Sea|year=2007|publisher=Vintage Books|location=London|isbn=978-0-099-52378-9}}
• {{cite book |title=Monograph No. 4: Operations in the Mediterranean, August 4th–10th, 1914 |series=Naval Staff Monographs (Historical) |volume=I |year=1919 |pages=176–217 |publisher=The Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division |url=http://www.navy.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/Naval-Staff-Monographs-Vol.I_opt.pdf |ref={{harvid|Naval Staff Monograph No. 4 1919}} }}
• {{cite book |title=Monograph No. 21: The Mediterranean 1914–1915 |series=Naval Staff Monographs (Historical) |volume=VIII |year=1923 |publisher=The Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division |url=http://www.navy.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/Naval-Staff-Monographs-Vol.VIII_opt.pdf |ref={{harvid|Naval Staff Monograph No. 21 1923}} }}

{{Beagle class destroyer}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scorpion (1910)}}

Category:Beagle-class destroyers

Category:Ships built in Govan

Category:1910 ships

Category:World War I destroyers of the United Kingdom