HMS Urchin was a Modified Admiralty destroyer which served with the Royal Navy during the First World War. The Modified R class added attributes of the Yarrow Later M class to improve the capability of the ships to operate in bad weather. The destroyer was the third ship in the Navy to be named after the sea urchin and the first in the class to be built by Palmers in Jarrow. Launched in 1917, Urchin served with the Grand Fleet, seeing action in the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight. After the war, the destroyer was remained in service until being retired and sold to be broken up in 1930.
Design and development
Urchin was one of eleven Modified destroyers ordered by the British Admiralty in March 1916 as part of the Eighth War Construction Programme. The design was a development of the existing R class, adding features from the Yarrow Later M class which had been introduced based on wartime experience. The forward two boilers were transposed and vented through a single funnel, enabling the bridge and forward gun to be placed further aft. Combined with hull-strengthening, this improved the destroyers' ability to operate at high speed in bad weather.
Urchin was long overall and long between perpendiculars, with a beam of and a draught of . Displacement was normal and at deep load. Power was provided by three Yarrow boilers feeding two Brown-Curtis geared steam turbines rated at and driving two shafts, to give a design speed of . Two funnels were fitted. A total of of fuel oil were carried, giving a design range of at .
Armament consisted of three single Mk V QF guns on the ship's centreline, with one on the forecastle, one aft on a raised platform and one between the funnels. Increased elevation extended the range of the gun by to . A single 2-pounder "pom-pom anti-aircraft gun was carried on a platform between two twin mounts for torpedoes. The ship had a complement of 82 officers and ratings.
Construction and career Laid down by Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company at Jarrow at Greenock, Urchin was launched on 7 June 1917 and completed in August. The vessel was the first of the class to be completed by the yard and was followed by sister ship . On commissioning, Urchin joined the Thirteenth Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet.
On 17 November 1917, Urchin took part in the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight in support of the 1st Cruiser Squadron, led by Vice-Admiral Trevylyan Napier in . The destroyer formed part of small flotilla led by Ursa, commanded by John Tovey, that attacked the German ships with torpedoes.
At the end of the First World War, the destroyer was still part of the Thirteenth Destroyer Flotilla under the cruiser . but was reduced on 8 February 1919. On 6 August 1928, the destroyer transported a Spanish naval delegation to the Cowes Regatta. Soon after the vessel was retired and, on 7 January 1930, Urchin was sold to Metal Industries of Charlestown, Fife to be broken up.
Pennant numbers Pennant numberDateF99January 1917F04January 1918H62January 1922
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