HMS Thruster (1917)
HMS "Thruster" was an destroyer which served with the Royal Navy during the First World War. The R class were an improvement on the previous M class with geared steam turbines to improve efficiency. Built by Hawthorn Leslie and launched on 10 January 1917, "Thruster" joined the Harwich Force, serving as part of a flotilla that escorted the monitors and in their bombardment of Ostend in June that year. During the following month, "Thruster", along with sister ship , captured two German merchant ships SS "Brietzig" and SS "Pellworm". The destroyer was also jointly credited with sinking the  submarine "UB-54" the following year. After the signing of the Armistice that ended the war, the destroyer was allocated to anti-submarine research and helped in the development of anti-submarine tactics with ASDIC. "Thruster" was sold to be broken up on 16 March 1937. Design and development. "Thruster" was one of twelve destroyers ordered by the British Admiralty in March 1916 as part of the Eighth War Construction Programme. The R class were a development of the preceding , but differed in having geared turbines to improve fuel consumption, the central gun mounted on a bandstand and minor changes to  improve seakeeping. The destroyer was long between perpendiculars, with a beam of and a draught of . Displacement was normal and deep load. Power was provided by three Yarrow boilers feeding two Parsons geared steam turbines rated at and driving two shafts, to give a design speed of . Three funnels were fitted. A total of of oil was carried, giving a design range of at . Armament consisted of three Mk IV QF guns on the ship's centreline, with one on the forecastle, one aft on a raised platform and one between the second and third funnels. A single 2-pounder  (40 mm) pom-pom anti-aircraft gun was carried, while torpedo armament consisted of two rotating twin mounts for torpedoes. The ship had a complement of 82 officers and ratings. Construction and career. "Thruster" was laid down by Hawthorn Leslie and Company in Hebburn on 2 June 1916, launched on 10 January 1917 and completed on 30 March 1917. The ship was the first of the name in Royal Navy service. On commissioning, "Thruster" joined the 10th Destroyer Flotilla of the Harwich Force. The deployment was part of an overall strategy to increase the number of destroyers in naval service . On 4 June 1917, the destroyer formed part of the escort for the monitors and in their bombardment of Ostend. Out of the 115 shells fired, 20 hit the dockyard or nearby. This was to be the last such attack for many months. On 14 July, the destroyer was cruising alongside sister ship when the latter was struck by a mine. "Thruster" took the damaged ship under tow back to Dunkirk. The following day, the destroyer encountered six German merchant ships off the coast of Texel. Along with fellow destroyer , "Thruster" captured two, SS "Brietzig" and SS "Pellworm". Of the  remainder, only one escaped to harbour. As the destroyer escorted the prizes back to Harwich, they were attacked by torpedo but suffered no hits. The capture had taken place in neutral Dutch waters and so an apology was made to the government of the Netherlands. On 29 January 1918, the ship collided with , both destroyers suffering some damage, but "Thruster" was very quickly back in service. "Thruster" was credited with the destruction of the submarine "UB-54" by depth charges on 12 March with and and, on 1 October, returned to the Flanders coast for what would one of the last  patrols of the war. "Thruster" remained part of the 10th Destroyer Flotilla at the end of the war but was re-commissioned with a reduced complement on 19 October 1919 and acted as tender to "Actaeon" as part of the torpedo school HMS "Vernon". After being reduced to Reserve crew on 6 February 1923, "Thruster" was recommissioned in Portsmouth as part of the Portland Anti-Submarine Flotilla on 26 May 1926. While there, the ship took part in a number of trials of anti-submarine tactics as part of the development of ASDIC. The ship was considered as part of  the planned Royal Navy deployment in defence of traffic between Port Said and Alexandria on 19 October 1935 after the start of the Second Italo-Ethiopian War but was decommissioned before the outbreak of hostilities between Italy and the United Kingdom. On 16 March 1937, "Thruster" was sold to Thos. W. Ward to be broken up at Grays.