Definition
HMS Nubian was a Royal Navy destroyer of the Tribal (or F) class, launched in 1909 and commissioned for service during the First World War.
Overview
Ordered as part of the 1906–1907 Naval Programme, HMS Nubian was built by Palmer Shipbuilding and Iron Company at Jarrow. She entered service in early 1910 and was assigned to the 6th Destroyer Flotilla of the Home Fleet, later operating with the Mediterranean Fleet. During the Gallipoli Campaign in 1915, the vessel sustained severe damage to her bow from enemy fire. Rather than discard the ship, the Admiralty replaced the missing bow with that of her sister ship HMS Zulu, creating a hybrid vessel that retained the name Nubian. After repairs, HMS Nubian continued in escort and patrol duties until the end of the war. She was decommissioned in 1919 and sold for scrapping in 1922.
Etymology/Origin
The ship’s name derives from the Nubian people, an ethnic group indigenous to the region along the Nile River in what is today southern Egypt and northern Sudan. The Royal Navy traditionally used names of peoples and tribes for this class of destroyers, hence the selection of “Nubian.”
Characteristics
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Class & type | Tribal‑class destroyer |
| Builder | Palmer Shipbuilding and Iron Co., Jarrow |
| Laid down | 19 May 1908 |
| Launched | 17 March 1909 |
| Commissioned | February 1910 |
| Displacement | Approx. 1,080 tonnes (standard) |
| Dimensions | Length: 274 ft (overall) after bow replacement; Beam: 27 ft; Draught: 10 ft |
| Propulsion | Three Yarrow water‑tube boilers feeding two Parsons steam turbines, driving two shafts; 15,500 shp, giving a speed of about 33 knots |
| Armament (as built) | • 2 × QF 4‑inch (102 mm) guns (fore and aft) • 2 × 12‑pounder (76 mm) guns • 2 × 21‑inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes (single mounts) |
| Complement | Approximately 73 officers and men |
| Service history | • Home Fleet (1910‑1913) • Mediterranean Fleet, including participation in the Dardanelles/Gallipoli operations (1915) • Post‑repair convoy escort and patrol duties (1915‑1918) |
| Fate | Paid off 1919; sold for scrap to Thos. W. Ward, 1922 |
Related Topics
- Tribal‑class destroyers – The class of destroyers to which HMS Nubian belonged, named after various ethnic groups and peoples.
- HMS Zulu (1909) – Sister ship whose bow was grafted onto Nubian after the latter’s damage; the two ships together illustrate early 20th‑century naval repair practices.
- Gallipoli Campaign – The 1915 Allied operation in the Dardanelles where HMS Nubian sustained damage.
- Royal Navy destroyer development (1900–1918) – Contextual background on destroyer design evolution leading up to and during the First World War.