HMS Badger (1911)

HMS Badger during First World War
History
United Kingdom
Name:	HMS Badger
Builder:	William Denny & Brothers, Dumbarton[1][2]
Yard number:	933[2]
Launched:	11 July 1911[3]
Fate:	Sold 9 May 1921[3]
General characteristics
Class and type:	Acheron-class destroyer
Displacement:	990 tons
Length:	75 m (246 ft)
Beam:	7.8 m (26 ft)
Draught:	2.7 m (8.9 ft)
Installed power:	13,500 shp (10,100 kW)
Propulsion:	3 × Parsons turbines 3 × Yarrow oil-fired boilers 3 × shafts
Speed:	27 kn (50 km/h)
Complement:	70
Armament:	2 × BL 4-inch (101.6 mm) L/40 Mark VIII guns, mounting P Mark V 2 × QF 12-pounder 12 cwt naval gun, mounting P Mark I 2 × single tubes for 21 in torpedoes

HMS Badger was an Acheron-class destroyer of the Royal Navy that served during the First World War and was sold for breaking in 1921. She was the eighth Royal Navy ship to be named Badger, after the mammal of the same name.

Construction

She was built under the 1910-11 shipbuilding programme by William Denny & Brothers of Dumbarton^[1] and was launched on 11 July 1911. She and her sister-ship Beaver were completed with geared steam turbines for evaluation purposes and were known as "Parsons Specials".^[4]

Pennant numbers

Career

Pre-war

Badger served with the First Destroyer Flotilla from 1911 and, with her flotilla, joined the British Grand Fleet in 1914 on the outbreak of the First World War.

The Battle of Heligoland Bight

She was present on 28 August 1914 at the Battle of Heligoland Bight, detached from the First Destroyer Flotilla along with Jackal, Beaver and Sandfly.^[5] She shared in the prize money for the engagement.^[6]

The Ramming of U-19

On 24 October 1914 she became the first Allied ship to successfully attack a German Navy U-boat when she rammed U-19 off the Dutch coast.^[7] U-19 was severely damaged but managed to return to port, was repaired and survived the war.

The Battle of Jutland

The 1st Destroyer Flotilla served at Jutland; it was Badger's distressing duty to rescue the crew of HMS Invincible, which had blown up after a German salvo penetrated the magazines. Of the crew of 1,021, only two officers and four crew were rescued. Her commanding officer at the time of the battle was Commander C A Fremantle.^[8]

SS Lanfranc

On 17 April 1917 at 1930 hrs, SS Lanfranc was torpedoed four miles northeast of Le Havre by UB-40 while bound for Southampton. At the time she had 387 patients, of which 167 were German prisoners of war, and of these patients, 326 were cot-bound. Approximately 570 survivors were picked up by Badger and HMS Jackal, aided by HMS P47 and the French patrol boat Roitelet, and taken to Portsmouth.^[9]

Service off Durazzo

Lieutenant Commander Geoffrey Corlett received the Italian Naval Decoration for service off Durazzo in Albania while serving as the captain of HMS Badger.^[10]

SS Tuscania

At 0700 hrs on 4 February 1918, Badger joined convoy HX-20 along with seven other Royal Navy destroyers from Lough Swilly, Northern Ireland. At 1845 the next day, while transiting the North Channel, SS Tuscania of 14,348 GRT was torpedoed by UB-77. The ship was packed with United States soldiers, and 210 lives were lost in the sinking.^[11]

Post-war

Acheron-class destroyers laid-up after the First World War.

In common with most of her class, she was laid up after the First World War and in May 1921 she was sold for breaking.

Bibliography

Notes

References

• Preston, Antony (1977). Destroyers (1977 ed.). Hamlyn. ISBN 9780600329558. 

Acheron-class (or I-class) destroyers
Royal Navy	Admiralty Ferret Forester Sandfly Hind Lapwing Defender Jackal Phoenix Lizard Goshawk Druid Hornet Tigress Hydra Builders' Acheron Badger Ariel Beaver Archer Attack Yarrow Specials Firedrake Lurcher Oak
Royal Australian Navy River class	Parramatta Yarra Warrego Huon Torrens Swan
Preceded by: Acorn class Followed by: Acasta class
List of destroyers of the Royal Navy List of destroyers of the Royal Australian Navy