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HMS Tactician undertaking trials in 1919
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Tactician
Ordered	June 1917
Builder	Beardmore, Dalmuir
Yard number	589
Laid down	21 November 1917
Launched	7 August 1918
Completed	23 October 1918
Out of service	5 February 1931
Fate	Sold to be broken up
General characteristics
Class and type	S-class destroyer
Displacement	1,075 long tons (1,092 t) normal 1,221 long tons (1,241 t) deep load
Length	265 ft (80.8 m) p.p.
Beam	26 ft 8 in (8.13 m)
Draught	9 ft 10 in (3.00 m) mean
Propulsion	3 Yarrow boilers 2 geared Brown-Curtis steam turbines, 27,000 shp
Speed	36 knots (41.4 mph; 66.7 km/h)
Range	2,750 nmi (5,090 km) at 15 kn (28 km/h)
Complement	90
Armament	3 × QF 4-inch (101.6 mm) Mark IV guns, mounting P Mk. IX 1 × single 2-pounder (40-mm) "pom-pom" Mk. II anti-aircraft gun 4 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes (2×2)

HMS Tactician was an S-class destroyer, which served with the Royal Navy. Launched on 7 August 1918, the vessel entered service at the closing of the First World War. The ship joined the Fourteenth Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet but was placed in Reserve at Nore in 1919. Tactician deteriorated over the following years and was sold to be broken up on 5 February 1931 following the signing of the London Naval Treaty that limited the amount of destroyer tonnage that the Navy could retain.

Design and development

Tactician was one of thirty-three Admiralty S class destroyers ordered by the British Admiralty in June 1917 as part of the Twelfth War Construction Programme. The design was a development of the R class introduced as a cheaper and faster alternative to the V and W class. Differences with the R class were minor, such as having the searchlight moved aft.

Tactician had a overall length of 276 ft (84 m) and a length of 265 ft (81 m) between perpendiculars. Beam was 26 ft 8 in (8.13 m) and draught 9 ft 10 in (3.00 m). Displacement was 1,075 long tons (1,092 t) normal and 1,221 long tons (1,241 t) deep load. Three Yarrow boilers fed steam to two sets of Brown-Curtis geared steam turbines rated at 27,000 shaft horsepower (20,000 kW) and driving two shafts, giving a design speed of 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph) at normal loading and 32.5 knots (60.2 km/h; 37.4 mph) at deep load. Two funnels were fitted. The ship carried 301 long tons (306 t) of fuel oil, which gave a design range of 2,750 nautical miles (5,090 km; 3,160 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).

Armament consisted of three QF 4-inch (102 mm) Mk IV guns on the ship's centreline. One was mounted raised on the forecastle, one between the funnels on a platform and one aft. The ship also mounted a single 40-millimetre (1.6 in) 2-pounder pom-pom anti-aircraft gun for air defence. Four 21-inch (533 mm) tubes were fitted in two twin rotating mounts aft. The ship was designed to mount two 18-inch (457 mm) torpedo tubes either side of the superstructure but this addition required the forecastle plating to be cut away, making the boats very wet so they were removed. The weight saved enabled the heavier Mark V 21-inch torpedo to be carried. The ship had a complement of 90 officers and ratings.

Construction and career

Laid down on 21 November 1917 by William Beardmore and Company in Dalmuir with the yard number 589, Tactician was launched on 7 August 1918 and completed on 23 October 1918. The vessel was the first of the name. The yard built the destroyers Tara and Tasmania at the same time. On commissioning, Tactician joined the Fourteenth Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet. The ship was allocated the pennant number G54.

With the First World War closing, the destroyer saw no action before the Armistice. At the end of the war, the ship remained with the Grand Fleet until it was dissolved. As the navy no longer required such a large active fleet of ships, Tactician was transferred to join sixty-three other destroyers in reserve at Nore. On 22 April 1930, the United Kingdom signed the London Naval Treaty, which limited total destroyer tonnage in the Navy. Having remained on reserve for more than a decade, Tactician was found to be in poor condition and was one of those chosen to be retired. On 5 February 1931, the destroyer was sold to Metal Industries of Charlestown, Fife, and broken up. The ship's badge (displaying a chessboard and the word "Check-mate") was saved and used by the Western Approaches Tactical Unit in Liverpool.

References

Citations

1. ^ Gardiner & Gray 1985, p. 85.
2. ^ March 1966, p. 221.
3. Friedman 2009, p. 297.
4. ^ Gardiner & Gray 1985, p. 84.
5. Friedman 2009, p. 163.
6. Parkes & Prendergast 1969, p. 103.
7. ^ Johnston 1993, p. 156.
8. Colledge & Warlow 2006, p. 343.
9. Johnston 1993, p. 75.
10. "Destroyer Flotillas of the Grand Fleet". The Navy List: 12. October 1918. Retrieved 27 September 2021 – via National Library of Scotland.
11. Dittmar & Colledge 1972, p. 75.
12. "Destroyer Flotillas of the Grand Fleet". The Navy List: 12. January 1919. Retrieved 27 September 2021 – via National Library of Scotland.
13. "V. — Vessels in Reserve at Home Ports and Other Bases". The Navy List: 707. October 1919. Retrieved 24 September 2021 – via National Library of Scotland.>
14. Friedman 2009, p. 211.

Bibliography

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006). Ships of the Royal Navy: a complete record of all fighting ships of the Royal Navy from the 15th century to the present. London: Chatham. ISBN 978-1-85367-566-9.
• 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.
• Johnston, Ian (1993). Beardmore Built: the rise and fall of a Clydeside shipyard. Clydebank: Clydebank District Libraries & Museums Department. ISBN 978-0-90693-805-8.
• March, Edgar J. (1966). British Destroyers: A History of Development, 1892–1953. London: Seeley Service. OCLC 164893555.
• Parkes, Oscar; Prendergast, Maurice (1969). Jane's Fighting Ships 1919. Newton Abbott: David & Charles. OCLC 907574860.

v t e S-class destroyers
Admiralty S	Royal Navy Simoom Scimitar Tribune Scotsman Senator Shark Scythe Scout Sikh Sparrowhawk Sepoy Tilbury Success Seabear Sirdar Seraph Splendid Trojan Swallow Tactician Steadfast Tintagel Seafire Shamrock Trinidad Somme Searcher Serapis Truant Sportive Sabre Sterling Tara Tenedos Stalwart Seawolf Thanet Trusty Spear Strenuous Tasmania Serene Swordsman Tattoo Sesame Spindrift Saladin Stonehenge Stronghold Sardonyx Turbulent Stormcloud Sturdy Shikari Thracian Saturn Sycamore  Royal Australian Navy Stalwart Success Swordsman Tasmania Tattoo  Imperial Japanese Navy Patrol Boat No. 101 (ex-Thracian)
Thornycroft S	Royal Navy Torbay Speedy Tobago Toreador Tourmaline  Royal Canadian Navy Champlain (ex-Torbay) Vancouver (ex-Toreador)
Yarrow S	Royal Navy Torch Tomahawk Tryphon Tumult Turquoise Tuscan Tyrian
X Cancelled
Preceded by: R class Followed by: Talisman class
List of destroyer classes of the Royal Navy

• 1918 ships
• S-class destroyers (1917) of the Royal Navy
• Ships built on the River Clyde