NAVYPEDIA

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Arab  

Ships

Name	No	Yard No	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Comp	Fate
Arab	D01, D77, D05, H08		Thomson, Clydebank	5.3.1900	9.2.1901	1/1903	sold 7.1919

Technical data

Displacement normal, t	470
Displacement full, t	530
Length, m	70.7 oa 69.4 pp
Breadth, m	6.78
Draught, m	2.97
No of shafts	2
Machinery	2 4-cyl VTE, 4 Normand boilers
Power, h. p.	8600
Max speed, kts	30.7
Fuel, t	coal 109
Endurance, nm(kts)	3000(10)
Armament	1 x 1 - 76/40 12pdr 12cwt QF Mk I, 5 x 1 - 57/40 6pdr Hotchkiss Mk I, 2 x 1 - 450 TT (4)
Complement	69

Graphics

Project history

As part of the 1896/97 programme the Admiralty decided to order three vessels with the unprecedented contract speed of 33kts. This was mainly a reaction to the 31kts of the French torpedo boat Forban on trial in 1895. In fact that was an exceptional result as none of her immediate sisters reached anything like that speed. In the event, the requirement for 33kts proved too ambitious. The vessels built, with exactly the same armament as the 30-knotters, on longer and more expensive hulls and with more powerful and therefore more expensive machinery, completely failed to make the desired speed. The first two both spent years running acceptance trials testing various propeller shapes and other devices in a vain attempt to reach 33kts, though Thornycroft's Albatross came quite close.     After their final acceptance it was realised that all they had proved to be were rather more expensive 30-knotters, and so they were not kept apart as a separate class.     Though ordered under the same 1996/97 programme as the other two specials, Arab was not commenced until after both had been running trials for some time. It is surprising that the Admiralty bothered to continue with her, particularly as comparatively few attempts were made to 'tune' her up to a higher speed than the very low 30.7kts she actually obtained.

Modernizations

None.

Naval service

No significant events.