HMS Pathfinder (1904)

HMS Pathfinder (1904) was a Pathfinder-class scout cruiser built for the Royal Navy. Launched in 1904 and commissioned in 1905, she was the lead ship of her class, which also included HMS Patrol, HMS Adventure, and HMS Attentive.

Pathfinder was designed to be a fast, lightly armed vessel, intended for scouting duties and fleet screening. She displaced 2,940 tons and had a length of 385 feet. She was armed with ten QF 4-inch guns and eight 3-pounder guns, as well as two 18-inch torpedo tubes. Her engines were capable of propelling her to a speed of 25 knots.

The ship's career was relatively uneventful until the outbreak of World War I. On 5 September 1914, while patrolling off the Firth of Forth, Pathfinder was struck by a torpedo fired by the German submarine U-21. The torpedo detonated in the vicinity of the ship's forward magazine, causing a catastrophic explosion. Pathfinder sank rapidly, becoming the first British ship to be sunk by a submarine in wartime. Over 260 officers and men were lost in the sinking. The wreck is designated as a protected place under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986.