Alarm-class torpedo gunboat

The Alarm-class torpedo gunboat was the penultimate class of torpedo gunboat built for the Royal Navy. The class was contemporary with the early torpedo boat destroyers, which were faster and thus better suited to pursuit of enemy torpedo boats. By World War I the class had either been sold, converted to submarine depot ships or minesweepers, or reduced to harbour service. Three of the class were lost during World War I while serving in the minesweeping role.

Jason
Class overview
Name	Alarm-class torpedo gunboat
Builders	Naval Construction & Armament, Barrow Laird Brothers, Birkenhead Devonport Dockyard Sheerness Dockyard Thornycroft, Chiswick
Operators	Royal Navy
Preceded by	Sharpshooter-class torpedo gunboat
Succeeded by	Dryad-class torpedo gunboat
Built	1892–1893
In commission	1893–1924
Completed	11
Lost	3
Scrapped	8
General characteristics
Type	Torpedo gunboat
Displacement	810 tons
Length	242 ft (74 m)
Beam	27 ft (8.2 m)
Draught	12 ft 6 in (3.81 m) maximum
Installed power	3,500 ihp (2,600 kW) (except Speedy - 5,000ihp)
Propulsion	Twin 3-cylinder vertical triple-expansion steam engines Locomotive boilers Twin screws (except Speedy - water-tube boilers)
Speed	18.7 kn (34.6 km/h)
Complement	91
Armament	Jason, Hebe, Circe, Onyx, Leda: 1 × fixed bow 14-inch (360 mm) torpedo tube 2 × revolving 14-inch torpedo tubes 2 × fixed 14-inch torpedo tubes 2 × QF 4.7-inch (12 cm) guns 4 × 3-pounder guns 1 × Gardner machine gun Alarm, Jaseur, Niger, Reynard, Speedy, Antelope: 1 × fixed bow 18-inch (450mm) torpedo tube 2 × revolving 18-inch torpedo tubes 2 × QF 4.7-inch (12 cm) guns 4 × 3-pounder guns 1 × Gardner machine gun

Design

The Alarm class was designed by Sir William White in 1889 as an enlarged version of his previous Sharpshooter class. They had a length overall of 242 ft (74 m), a beam of 27 ft (8.2 m) and a displacement of 810 tons. They were engined with two sets of vertical triple-expansion steam engines, two locomotive boilers, and twin screws. This layout produced 3,500 indicated horsepower (2,600 kW), giving them a speed of 18.7 knots (34.6 km/h; 21.5 mph) with forced draught. They carried between 100 and 160 tons of coal and were manned by 91 sailors and officers.

Thornycroft Special - HMS Speedy

While officially classed with the Alarm class, the Speedy was actually a separate design. The Naval Defence Act of 1889 authorised the purchase of an Alarm-class torpedo gunboat built to a design by John I. Thornycroft & Company and built in their yard at Chiswick. Speedy was a three-funnelled vessel (compared to the two-funnelled Admiralty design), but the key difference was the use of water-tube boilers instead of locomotive-type boilers; she produced at least 5,000 indicated horsepower (3,700 kW) and could make 20.5 knots (38.0 km/h; 23.6 mph). The use of water-tube boilers was a key feature of the new torpedo boat destroyers that would make torpedo gunboats (including the Alarm class) obsolete.

Speedy being launched at Chiswick, 18 May 1893

Armament

At build the class was fitted with two QF 4.7-inch (12 cm)/45-pounder guns, four 3-pounder guns and one Gardner machine gun. Five 14-inch (360 mm) torpedo tubes were fitted in the first five vessels, but this was changed to three 18-inch (450mm) torpedo tubes in the rest of the class. They were arranged as a pair of revolving deck mounts, a pair of fixed deck mounts (deleted in the later vessels) and a single bow-mounted tube; three reloads were provided.

Ships

Niger

Speedy

Name	Ship Builder	Laid down	Launched	Completed	Fate
Jason	Naval Construction & Armament, Barrow	7 September 1891	14 May 1892	June 1893	Became a minesweeper in 1909. Sunk by a mine off the west coast of Scotland on 7 April 1917
Circe	Sheerness Dockyard	11 January 1890	14 June 1892	May 1893	Became a minesweeper in 1909. Sold for breaking on 30 July 1920
Hebe	Sheerness Dockyard	11 January 1890	15 June 1892	9 October 1894	Became a minesweeper in 1909. Became a depot ship for submarines in 1910 (guns retained). Sold for breaking on 22 October 1919
Onyx	Laird Brothers, Birkenhead	8 October 1891	7 September 1892	January 1894	Became a depot ship for submarines in 1907 (armament removed). Renamed Vulcan II in June 1919 (or April 1920?). Sold for breaking in August 1924 and resold on 9 October 1924
Leda	Sheerness Dockyard	25 June 1891	13 September 1892	November 1893	Became a minesweeper in 1909. Sold for breaking on 14 July 1920 and broken up in Germany in 1922
Alarm	Sheerness Dockyard	25 June 1891	13 September 1892	March 1894	Sold for breaking on 9 April 1907
Jaseur	Naval Construction & Armament, Barrow	14 September 1891	24 September 1892	July 1893	Sold on 11 July 1905
Renard	Laird Brothers, Birkenhead	26 October 1891	6 December 1892	January 1894	Sold for breaking on 4 April 1905
Niger	Naval Construction & Armament, Barrow	17 September 1891	17 December 1892	25 April 1893	Became a minesweeper in 1909. Torpedoed by U-12 off Deal on 11 November 1914
Speedy	Thornycroft, Chiswick	4 January 1892	18 May 1893	20 February 1894	Became a minesweeper in 1909. Sunk by a mine off the Humber on 3 September 1914
Antelope	Devonport Dockyard	21 October 1889	12 July 1893	May 1894	Reduced to harbour service in 1910 and used as training ship at Devonport. Sold for breaking on 27 May 1919

Bibliography

• Brown, Les (2023). Royal Navy Torpedo Vessels. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-3990-2285-9.
• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
• Winfield, R.; Lyon, D. (2004). The Sail and Steam Navy List: All the Ships of the Royal Navy 1815–1889. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-032-6. OCLC 52620555.