HMS Salmon (1916)

Salmon was one of eight R-class destroyers ordered by the British Admiralty in December 1915 as part of the Seventh War Programme.[1] The design was generally similar to the preceding M class, but differed in having geared steam turbines, the aft gun mounted on a raised platform and minor changes to improve seakeeping.[2]

The destroyer had a length between perpendiculars of 265 feet (80.77 m), a beam of 26 feet 9 inches (8.15 m) and a draught of 8 feet 6 inches (2.59 m).[3] Displacement was 975 long tons (991 t) normal and 1,065 long tons (1,082 t) deep load. Power was provided by three Yarrow boilers feeding two Brown-Curtis geared turbines rated at 27,000 shaft horsepower (20,000 kW) and driving two shafts, to give a design speed of 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph). Three funnels were fitted. A total of 296 long tons (301 t) of fuel oil was carried which gave a design range of 3,450 nautical miles (6,390 km; 3,970 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).[4]

Armament consisted of three single QF 4in Mk IV 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 twin mounts for 21 in (533 mm) torpedoes.[4] The ship had a complement of 82 officers and ratings.[3]

Laid down by Harland & Wolff at their shipyard in Govan on 27 August 1915, Salmon was launched on 7 October the following year and completed on 20 December.[3] The destroyer was the second to carry the name, and the first to be built at the yard.[5][6] On commissioning, Salmon joined the Fifteenth Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet based at Scapa Flow.[7] The destroyer was assigned to escort convoys that travelled between Britain and Scandinavia.[8] While on service in 1917 the ship collided with sister ship Sable, sustaining damage to the bow.[9] Both ships made it successfully back to port.[10]

After the Armistice of 11 November 1918 that ended the war, the Grand Fleet was dissolved and Salmon was moved to the Sixth Destroyer Flotilla of the Home Fleet.[11] However, the navy needed to reduce both the number of ships and the amount of staff to save money.[12] On 15 February 1919, the crew was reduced to the minimum required to keep the ship operational.[13] The destroyer was transferred to the local defence flotilla at Queenstown.[14]

Salmon was renamed Sable on 2 December 1933 to release the name for a S-class submarine, Salmon. The destroyer was only the second to be named after the species of marten, the previous holder having been retired in 1927, having survived ten years since the collision.[15] Subsequently, Sable was given to Thos. W. Ward of Sheffield as part-payment in exchange for the liner Majestic on 28 January 1937 and was broken up.[16]