Sunfish-class destroyer

The Sunfish-class destroyers, also referred to as Opossum-class destroyers, was a group of three torpedo boat destroyers which served with the Royal Navy from the 1890s to the 1920s. They were all built by the Hebburn-on-Tyne shipyard of Hawthorn Leslie.

Design
Under the 1893–1894 Naval Estimates, the British Admiralty placed orders for 36 torpedo-boat destroyers, all to be capable of 27 kn, the "27-knotters", as a follow-on to the six prototype "26-knotters" ordered in the previous 1892–1893 Estimates. As was typical for torpedo craft at the time, the Admiralty left detailed design to the builders, laying down only broad requirements.

Powered by 8 Yarrow boilers, this was the same 8 boiler configuration originally used on HMS Hornet (1893). The ships produced 4,000 hp and could make 27 kn. They were armed with one twelve pounder gun and two torpedo tubes and carried a complement of 53 officers and men.

History
Ordered under the 1893-94 Programme, the contract was placed on 7 February 1894. All three "turtle-back" destroyers were laid down in 1894, launched in 1895 and completed in 1896.

In September 1913 all three, like the other surviving 27-knotter destroyers, were re-classed as A Class destroyers.

They served in Home waters throughout the First World War, and all three were sold for breaking up in 1920.

Ships in class

 * HMS Sunfish (1895)
 * HMS Opossum (1895)
 * HMS Ranger (1895)