HMS Badger (1911)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Badger.

HMS Badger during First World War
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Badger
Builder	William Denny & Brothers, Dumbarton
Yard number	933
Launched	11 July 1911
Fate	Sold 9 May 1921
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 inch (533 mm) 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 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".

Pennant numbers

Pennant number	From	To
H15	6 December 1914	1 September 1915
H52	1 September 1915	1 January 1918
H09	1 January 1918	Early 1919
H91	Early 1919	9 May 1921

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. She shared in the prize money for the engagement.

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. 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. Badger's commanding officer at the time of the battle was Commander C A Fremantle.

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.

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.

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 people died in the sinking.

Post-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. Hamlyn. ISBN 9780600329558.

External links

• Media related to HMS Badger (ship, 1911) at Wikimedia Commons
• Battle of Jutland Crew Lists Project - HMS Badger Crew List