HMS Lightning (1895)

HMS Lightning was a torpedo boat destroyer (TBD) of the Royal Navy, and one of the earliest vessels of this type. She was ordered under the 1892-1893 Naval Estimates and built by J. Thornycroft & Company at Chiswick, being launched on 10 January 1895. She was completed in April 1896.

Lightning was designed to counter the threat posed by torpedo boats, which were becoming increasingly prevalent. As such, she was armed with a quick-firing gun armament consisting of one 12-pounder (76 mm) gun and three 6-pounder (57 mm) guns. She also carried three 18-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes, providing her with an offensive capability against larger warships.

Like other early destroyers, Lightning was a relatively small vessel, displacing approximately 270 tons. She was powered by two Thornycroft water-tube boilers and two triple expansion steam engines, giving her a designed speed of 27 knots. However, during trials, she exceeded this, achieving a speed of over 27.5 knots.

Her early service primarily involved fleet exercises and patrols in the English Channel. As destroyer technology developed, Lightning and her contemporaries were gradually superseded by larger and more capable vessels. In 1909, she was re-classified as a torpedo boat and assigned to coastal defense duties. She was sold for scrap in 1912. Lightning's design established key features found in subsequent destroyer designs.