Earnest-class destroyer

6 Earnest class destroyers served with the Royal Navy, HMS Earnest (1896), HMS Griffon (1896), HMS Locust (1896), HMS Panther (1897), HMS Seal (1897) and HMS Wolf (1897). These ships were all built by Cammell Laird and were part of the class of 'thirty knotters'.

Concern about the higher speeds of foreign boats had prompted to Admiralty to order new destroyers capable of 30 knots, rather than the 27 knot requirement which had been standard. The boats were not able to make this speed in bad weather, where they were usually wet and uncomfortable with cramped crew quarters, but they proved their toughness in serving through the Great War, despite being twenty years old. Thanks to their watertight bulkheads, their thin plating and light structure was able to take a great deal of damage and remain afloat, although their plates buckled easily affecting their handling.

The ships were fitted with Normand boilers which generated around 6,300 HP. They were armed with the standard twelve pounder and two torpedo tubes and carried a complement of 63 officers and men. Ships of this type bore four funnels and were designated B class destroyers.

Reference

The British Destroyer by Captain T.D. Manning. Published by Godfrey Cave Associates. ISBN 0 906223 12 x.