HMS Mystic (1915)

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

HMS Marmion (1915) IWM SP 809.jpg
History
United Kingdom
NameHMS Mystic
OrderedSeptember 1914
BuilderWilliam Denny and Brothers, Dumbarton
Yard number1029
Laid down27 October 1914
Launched20 June 1915
Completed11 November 1915
Out of service8 November 1921
FateSold to be broken up
General characteristics
Class and typeAdmiralty M-class destroyer
Displacement
Length265 ft (80.8 m)
Beam26 ft 7 in (8.1 m)
Draught8 ft 7 in (2.62 m)
Propulsion
Speed34 knots (39.1 mph; 63.0 km/h)
Range3,450 nmi (6,390 km) at 15 kn (28 km/h)
Complement76
Armament
  • 3 × QF 4-inch (102 mm) Mark IV guns (3×1)
  • 1 × single 2-pounder (40-mm) "pom-pom" Mk. II anti-aircraft gun (1×1)
  • 4 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes (2×2)

HMS Mystic was an Admiralty M-class destroyer which served with the Royal Navy during the First World War. The M class were an improvement on the previous L-class destroyer, capable of higher speed. The vessel, originally named HMS Myrtle but renamed before being launched on 20 June 1915, joined the Grand Fleet and acted part of the screen for the battleships of the 2nd Battle Squadron as they sought battle with the German High Seas Fleet. The largest confrontation between the two fleets was the Battle of Jutland in 1917. Mystic participated in the battle as part of the destroyer screen, attacking the German battle line as the evening fell, but recorded no hits. After the Armistice that marked the end of the First World War, Mystic was placed in reserve before being decommissioned and sold to be broken up on 8 November 1921.

Design and development[]

Mystic was one of sixteen Admiralty M-class destroyer destroyers ordered by the British Admiralty in September 1914 as part of the First War Construction Programme.[1] The M-class was an improved version of the earlier L-class destroyer destroyers, designed to reach the higher speed of 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph) in order to counter rumoured German fast destroyers.[2]

The destroyer was 265 feet (80.77 m) long overall, with a beam of 26 ft 7 in (8.10 m) and a draught of 8 ft 7 in (2.62 m). displacement was 994 long tons (1,010 t) standard and 1,025 long tons (1,041 t) full load.[3] Power was provided by three Yarrow boilers feeding two Parsons steam turbines rated at 25,000 shaft horsepower (19,000 kW) and driving two shafts, to give a design speed of 34 kn (63 km/h; 39 mph).[4] Three funnels were fitted. The vessel carried 296 long tons (301 t) of fuel oil, giving a design range of 3,450 nautical miles (6,390 km; 3,970 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph).[5]

Armament consisted of three 4 in (102 mm) Mk IV QF guns on the ship's centreline, with one on the forecastle, one aft on a raised platform and one between the middle and aft funnels. A single 2-pounder (40 mm) pom-pom anti-aircraft gun was carried, while torpedo armament consisted of two twin mounts for 21 in (533 mm) torpedoes.[6] The ship had a complement of 76 officers and ratings.[5] On 12 July 1917, the destroyer was fitted with a kite balloon to spot submarines.[7]

Construction and career[]

Laid down by William Denny and Brothers of Dumbarton at their shipyard on 27 October 1914 with the yard number 1029, Mystic was launched on 20 June the following year and completed on 11 November. The vessel was originally to be named Myrtle but was renamed before being launched.[8] The ship was the first of the name in naval service.[9] The vessel was deployed as part of the Grand Fleet, joining the Eleventh Destroyer Flotilla.[10] The destroyer took part in a large naval exercise, involving four flotillas of the Grand Fleet as well as the Harwich Force, on 26 and 27 February 1916.[11] The vessel subsequently took part in a number of sweeps, looking for the German fleet, including a large operation on 21 April which involved battleships from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battle Squadrons. None of these led to a confrontation with the German fleet until the Battle of Jutland.[12]

The Battle of Jutland, the only major confrontation between the Royal Navy and the German High Seas Fleet took place between 30 May and 1 June 1917.[13] The destroyer formed part of the flotilla that initially accompanied the 2nd Battle Squadron from Cromarty until they joined the main battlefleet.[14] The flotilla then formed close to the dreadnought battleship King George V as the two fleets converged on 31 May.[15] The destroyer avoided being in much of the fray until late in battle. However, as evening fell, Mystic took advantage of a smoke screen laid by the German destroyers to loose a torpedo at the German fleet, but this missed.[16] Two hours later, the flotilla saw a line of unknown vessels ahead. The cruiser Castor, ahead, opened fire, obscuring the ships from the destroyer, which missed a second opportunity to attack the main German fleet.[17]

After the Armistice and the end of the First World War, the Royal Navy returned to a peacetime level of mobilisation, and surplus vessels were culled. Mystic was initially placed in reserve at Devonport.[18] The destroyer was decommissioned and, on 8 November 1921, was sold to Slough TC to be broken up in Germany.[19]

Pennant numbers[]

Pennant Number Date
H2C August 1915[20]
G16 January 1917[21]
G3A March 1918[22]
H42 January 1919[23]

References[]

Citations[]

  1. ^ McBride 1991, p. 34.
  2. ^ Friedman 2009, p. 132.
  3. ^ Lyon 1975, p. 689.
  4. ^ Parkes & Prendergast 1969, p. 109.
  5. ^ a b Friedman 2009, p. 296.
  6. ^ Gardiner & Gray 1985, p. 79.
  7. ^ Naval Staff Monograph No. 35 1939, p. 177.
  8. ^ Lyon 1975, p. 690.
  9. ^ Manning & Walker 1959, p. 307.
  10. ^ "Destroyer Flotillas of the Grand Fleet". Supplement to the Monthly Navy List: 12. January 1916. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  11. ^ Naval Staff Monograph No. 31 1926, p. 83.
  12. ^ Naval Staff Monograph No. 31 1926, p. 189.
  13. ^ Jutland: Official Despatches 1920, p. 34.
  14. ^ Brooks 2016, pp. 154.
  15. ^ Brooks 2016, pp. 270.
  16. ^ Corbett 1920, p. 381.
  17. ^ Corbett 1920, p. 393.
  18. ^ "Vessels in Reserve at Home Ports and Other Bases", The Navy List, p. 17, July 1919, retrieved 5 January 2022 – via National Library of Scotland
  19. ^ Colledge & Warlow 2006, p. 237.
  20. ^ Dittmar & Colledge 1972, p. 65.
  21. ^ Bush & Warlow 2021, p. 62.
  22. ^ Bush & Warlow 2021, p. 68.
  23. ^ Bush & Warlow 2021, p. 73.

Bibliography[]

  • Battle of Jutland, 30 May to 1 June 1916: Official Despatches with Appendices. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office. 1920.
  • Brooks, John (2016). The Battle of Jutland. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-15014-0.
  • Bush, Steve; Warlow, Ben (2021). Pendant Numbers of the Royal Navy: A Complete History of the Allocation of Pendant Numbers to Royal Navy Warships & Auxiliaries. Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-526793-78-2.
  • Campbell, John (1998). Jutland: An Analysis of the Fighting. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 978-0-85177-750-4.
  • Colledge, J.J.; Warlow, Ben (2006). Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of All Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy. London: Chatham Press. ISBN 978-1-93514-907-1.
  • Corbett, Julian S. (1920). Naval Operations: Volume III. History of the Great War. London: Longmans, Green and Co. OCLC 1049894619.
  • Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 978-0-71100-380-4.
  • Friedman, Norman (2009). British Destroyers: From Earliest Days to the First World War. Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-049-9.
  • Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 978-0-85177-245-5.
  • Lyon, David John (1975). The Denny List: Ship numbers 769-1273. London: National Maritime Museum. OCLC 256517657.
  • Manning, Thomas Davys; Walker, Charles Frederick (1959). British Warship Names. London: Putnam. OCLC 780274698.
  • McBride, Keith (1991). "British 'M' Class Destroyers of 1913–14". In Gardiner, Robert (ed.). Warship 1991. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 34–49. ISBN 0-85177-582-9.
  • Monograph No. 31: Home Waters Part VI: October 1915 to April 1916. Naval Staff Monographs (Historical). Vol. XV. Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division. 1926.
  • Monograph No. 35: Home Waters Part IX: 1st May 1917 to 31st July 1917. Naval Staff Monographs (Historical). Vol. XIX. Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division. 1939.
  • Parkes, Oscar; Prendergast, Maurice (1969). Jane's Fighting Ships 1919. Newton Abbott: David & Charles. OCLC 907574860.
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