HMS Hardy (1895)

HMS Hardy was a Hardy-class destroyer which served with the Royal Navy. She was built by William Doxford & Sons in 1895, launched on 16 December 1895, and sold off on 11 July 1911.

Construction and design
HMS Hardy was one of the two destroyers ordered from William Doxford & Sons on 3 November 1893 as part of the Royal Navy's 1893–1894 construction programme.

The Admiralty did not specify a standard design for destroyers, laying down broad requirements, including a trial speed of 27 kn, a "turtleback" forecastle and armament, which was to vary depending on whether the ship was to be used in the torpedo boat or gunboat role. As a torpedo boat, the planned armament was a single QF 12 pounder 12 cwt (3 in calibre) gun on a platform on the ship's conning tower (in practice the platform was also used as the ship's bridge), together with a secondary gun armament of three 6-pounder guns, and two 18 inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes. As a gunboat, one of the torpedo tubes could be removed to accommodate a further two six-pounders.

Doxford's design had a hull of length 200 ft overall and 196 ft between perpendiculars, with a beam of 19 ft and a draught of 7 ft. Eight Yarrow boilers fed steam at 185 psi to triple expansion steam engines rated at 4200 ihp and driving two propeller shafts. Displacement was 260 LT light and 325 LT deep load. Unusually for the destroyers ordered under the 1893–1894 programme, the Admiralty accepted a guaranteed speed of 26 kn, rather than the more normal 27 knots, possibly owing to Doxford's inexperience in building torpedo-craft. This speed dropped to 22 kn at deep load. Sufficient coal was carried to give a range of 1155 nmi at 11 kn. Three funnels were fitted. The ship's complement was 50 officers and men.

She was laid down as Yard Number 226 at Doxford's Sunderland shipyard on 4 June 1894, and was launched on 16 December 1895. Sea trials were successful, with the ship reaching an average speed of 26.8 kn, and she was completed in August 1896.

Service history
She saw early service in home waters. In 1896 Hardy was in reserve at Chatham. In 1901 she was with the Mediterranean Squadron, but was relieved by the destroyer HMS Mallard (1896) in late May the following year. She arrived at Plymouth on 5 July 1902, and paid off at Chatham later the same month. Lieutenant Robert Gordon Douglas Dewar was appointed in command during summer 1902, and was briefly succeeded by Lieutenant George Geoffrey Codrington from late 1902 until January 1903, when she took the place of HMS Angler in the Medway instructional flotilla.

Hardy was sold for scrap at Devonport for £1400 on 11 July 1911.