HMS Recruit (1916)

HMS Recruit was an R-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. She was sunk by a German U-boat four months after she was commissioned in April 1917.

Description
The Admiralty R class were enlarged versions of the preceding Admiralty M-class destroyer fitted with geared steam turbines. They displaced 1072 LT at normal load. The ships had an overall length of 276 ft, a beam of 26 ft and a draught of 9 ft. Recruit was powered by a single Parsons geared steam turbine that drove two propeller shafts using steam provided by three Yarrow boilers. The turbines developed a total of 27000 shp and gave a maximum speed of 36 kn. The ships carried a maximum of 245 LT of fuel oil that gave them a range of 3450 nmi at 15 kn. The ships' complement was 80 officers and ratings.

The Admiralty Rs were armed with three single QF 4 in Mark IV guns. One gun was positioned on the forecastle; the second was on a platform between the funnels and the third at the stern. They were equipped with a single QF 2-pounder (40 mm) "pom-pom" anti-aircraft gun, on a platform between the two rotating twin mounts for 21 in torpedoes amidships.

Construction and career
Recruit was ordered under the Sixth War Programme from William Doxford & Sons. The ship was laid down at the company's Sunderland shipyard at an unknown date, launched on 28 October 1916 and commissioned in April 1917.

In May 1917 the vessel was assigned to the Tenth Destroyer Flotilla as part of the Harwich Force. The destroyer was sunk by a torpedo from the submarine SMU UB-16 on 9 August 1917 in the North Sea 3 nmi north of the Noord Hinder lightvessel, with 53 crewmen lost.