HMS Otter (1896)

History
Name:	HMS Otter
Ordered:	1895 – 1896 Naval Estimates
Builder:	Barrow Shipbuilding Company and Vickers, Sons and Maxim, Barrow-in-Furness
Laid down:	9 June 1896
Launched:	23 November 1896
Commissioned:	MArch 1900
Out of service:	Laid up in 1916
Fate:	25 October 1916 sold for breaking in Hong Kong
General characteristics
Class and type:	Vickers three-funnel, 30-knot destroyer
Displacement:	355 t (349 long tons) standard 400 t (394 long tons) full load 214 ft 3 in (65.30 m) o/a 20 ft (6.1 m) Beam 8 ft 5 in (2.57 m) Draught
Propulsion:	4 × Thornycroft water tube boiler 2 × Vertical Triple Expansion (VTE) steam engines driving 2 shafts producing 6,300 shp (4,700 kW)
Speed:	30 kn (56 km/h)
Range:	70 tons coal 1,440 nmi (2,670 km) at 11 kn (20 km/h; 13 mph)
Complement:	63 officers and men
Armament:	1 × QF 12-pounder 12 cwt Mark I L/40 naval gun on a P Mark I Low angle mount 5 × QF 6-pdr 8 cwt naval gun L/40 Naval gun on a Mark I* low angle mount 2 × single tubes for 18-inch (450mm) torpedoes
Service record
Operations:	World War I 1914 - 1918

HMS Otter was a Vickers three-funnel, 30-knot destroyer ordered by the Royal Navy under the 1895–1896 Naval Estimates. She was the fourth ship to carry this name since it was introduced in 1782 for a fire ship, sold in 1801.

She was laid down on 9 June 1896, at the Barrow Shipbuilding Company shipyard at Barrow-in-Furness, and launched on 23 November 1896. During her builder’s trials she made her contracted speed requirement. In 1897 during the construction of these ships, the Barrow Shipbuilding Company was purchases by Vickers, Sons and Maxim and renamed as the Naval Construction and Armaments Shipyard. She was completed and accepted by the Royal Navy in March 1900.

After commissioning she was deployed to China Station being based at Hong Kong. She arrived on station after the Boxer Rebellion operations were completed.

Her boilers were re-tubed and her hull and machinery refitted in 1902.

On 30 August 1912 the Admiralty directed all destroyer classes were to be designated by alpha characters starting with the letter 'A'. Since her design speed was 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) and she had three funnels, she was assigned to the C Class. After 30 September 1913, she was known as a C-Class destroyer and had the letter ‘C’ painted on the hull below the bridge area and on either the fore or aft funnel.

In August 1914 she was slated for disposal but the outbreak of the First World War granted her a reprieve.

On 5 January 1915, General Officer Commanding (GOC) Hong Kong came on board HMS Triumph to witness two night attacks made by HMS Whiting and HMS Otter; these were primarily designed for training of the searchlight crews of HMS Triumph.

In 1916 she was paid off and laid-up in awaiting disposal. She was finally sold on 25 October 1916 for breaking in Hong Kong.

She was not awarded a Battle Honour for her service.

It is unknown if she was assigned a pennant number as no record has been found.

NOTE: All tabular data under General Characteristics only from the listed Jane's Fighting Ships volume unless otherwise specified

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