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HMS Pelican (1916) was a repeat M class destroyer that served with the Grand Fleet, fighting at Jutland, then on the coast of Ireland station taking part in the war against the U-boats.
The Pelican was ordered under the Fifth War Programme of May 1915. She was laid down at Beardmore on 25 June 1915, launched on 18 March 1916 and completed on 1 May 1916.
1916
From June 1916 to August 1917 the Pelican served with the 13th Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet
On the eve of Jutland the Pelican was with the Thirteenth Destroyer Flotilla, which contained ten Repeat M class destroyers during the battle. During the advance east across the North Sea the destroyers were used to guard the flanks of the battle cruiser fleet, while the light cruisers advanced ahead of the fleet. At 2.25pm on 31 May, just after the first contact between Beatty’s cruisers and the German cruisers, the destroyers were ordered to form an anti-submarine screen heading S.S.E. He then followed with his capital ships, in the hope of cutting off the retreat of the German cruisers that had been spotted. The German battlecruisers turned south, and retreated towards the main High Seas Fleet.
At about 4pm, during the chase south, Beatty signalled to the Thirteenth Flotilla that ‘it seemed a good opportunity to attack’. The flotilla turned east, and attempted to get into position to fire its torpedoes. While this was happening, the first of the British battlecruisers was lost, when HMS Indefatigable exploded and sank after being hit by the Von der Tann.
The flotilla commander, in the cruiser Champion, gave the order to attack at 4.15. The first five destroyers (Nestor, Nomad, Nicator, Pelican and Narborough) were able to pass in front of the British line at about 4.20 and turned towards the Germans. They were joined by Turbulent, Termagant, Morris and Moorsom from the Ninth and Tenth Flotillas. German destroyers came out at the same time, originally with the aim of attacking the fast battleships of the British Fifth Battle Squadron. The result was a rather confused melee, in which the German destroyers V-27 and V-29 were sunk, but so were the Nomad and Nestor. This destroyer battle ended at 4.43 when Admiral Beatty recalled the destroyers after the German battleships of the High Seas Fleet were sited to the south. Beatty was forced to turn north and begin his own retreat back towards Jellicoe and the Grand Fleet.
The two main fleets finally came together at about 6.30pm on 31 May. By this point the battleships of the German High Seas Fleet were heading north, while the battleships of the Grand Fleet were forming a line running roughly east to west in front of them. For a few minutes the British were able to concentrate their fire on the leading ships of the German line, but the Germans then carried out their famous sixteen point turn, and within a few minutes were heading away south into the North Sea mist. However Admiral Scheer then mis-judged the British movements, and turned back east in the hope that he could pass behind the main British force. Just after 7pm the Germans found themselves steaming straight towards Jelicoe’s battleships, and by 7.15 the bulk of the Grand Fleet was finally able to open fire on the Germans. Once again Scheer was forced to reverse course. During this phase of the battle the destroyer flotillas struggled to keep up with the fast moving battleships and rather disappear from the narrative. After more confused manoeuvres the two fleets came into range of each other for a third time after 8pm, but the Germans turned away for a third time, and disappeared into the mists by 8.35.
Jellicoe was unwilling to risk a night battle, and at 9.17 ordered the fleet into its night cruising formation. The battleships formed up into lines in their divisions, with the destroyers following behind. The entire formation began to move south in an attempt to keep between the Germans and their home bases. By 10pm the destroyer flotillas were in line, with the 12th Flotilla at the eastern (left) end of the line, then the combined 9th and 10th Flotillas, 13th Flotilla, 4th Flotilla and finally the 11th Flotilla at the western (right) end of the line.
The key moment of the night actions came at around 11.30, when the High Seas Fleet finally attempted to pass behind the Grand Fleet and ran into the British destroyers. The Germans would make contact with the 4th Destroyer Flotilla, which was towards the right of the British line. There was then a seven mile gap to the 13th Flotilla, with the 9th and 10th Flotilla close by, and the 12th Flotilla to their rear.
In a series of clashes the Germans inflicted heavy damage on the 4th Flotilla, but instead of rushing to their aid, the 13th Flotilla, which was next in line, believed they were the target of the gunfire, and that there were friendly ships between them and the Germans preventing a torpedo attack. The flotilla leader Captain Farie ordered the flotilla to turn away to the east to get out of range, but he failed to signal the move, so only two of the flotilla followed him. His move also forced the 9th and 10th Flotillas and the 12th Flotilla to turn to port to get out of the way. As a result the British destroyers were no longer in the correct place when the High Seas Fleet passed behind the Grand Fleet. As a result the Germans were able to move past almost without being detected and the one clash that did occur was with two cruisers so didn’t cause any alarm.
By the time this confusion ended the remaining seven boats from the 9th and 10th Flotillas had been joined by one ship from the 4th and five from the 13th. This force of twelve destroyers was led south-west in an attempt to find the German van, but most of his force passed in front of the Germans without spotting them. Two boats from the 13th, the Pelican and Petard did spot the Germans, but the Petard had fired all of her torpedoes, so was unable to take advantage, while the Pelican was out of position for an attack.
After Jutland
On 1 August 1916 the Pelican accidentally damaged the oiler Appalachee in the Firth of Forth.
During the German High Seas Fleet sortie of 19 August 1916 the Pasley, Negro and Pelican were ordered to help HMS Falmouth after she had been torpedoed by U-66. The Pelican spotted the periscope of the U-boat and dropped a depth charge that shook her badly and caused enough damage to force her out of the fight. However the Falmouth was later sunk by U-63 when she was close to safety at Immingham.
1917
On 18-19 January 1917 the Pelican took part in an anti-submarine sweep off the Dogger Bank. The sweep was carried out by two cruisers, four screening destroyers and six destroyers equipped with paravanes. However during the night of 18-19 January the destroyers lost touch with the cruisers, and the sweep was cancelled at daylight on 19 January.
On 3 May the cruisers Sydney and Dublin and the destroyers Nepean, Pelican, Pylades and Obdurate left Rosyth to sweep two of cleared channels in the coastal minefields. On the morning of 4 May this force encountered the Zeppelin L.43, and the two cruisers opened fire on her. The Zeppelin wasn’t operating alone, and the British soon sighted U-boats. The British turned to the north-west to avoid being drawn onto a possible trap. The Zeppelin followed. At 11.50 the Nepean and Pelican were ordered to move around to the south-west, and the British soon had the airship surrounded. However neither side was able to inflict damage – the Germans dropped several bombs but all missed, and the British were unable to score any hits with their gunnery.
On 25 July the Grenville, Obdurate, Pelican, Nepean and Orpheus were escorting a convoy of five empty oilers heading from Scapa Flow to Texas when it was attacked by UC-41. The U-boat was able to sink the SS Oakleaf, although the entire crew were rescued.
On 15 September the Pelican collided with the sailing boat Daisy Flower at Lerwick.
From September 1917 to December 1918 she served with the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla, on the North Division of the Coast of Ireland Station, based at Buncrana
On 16 November the Pelican was damaged when she hit a submerged object off the coast of Northern Ireland.
1918
Early in 1918 the Pelican spotted the periscope of a submarine while patrolling in the North Sea. The destroyer attempted to ram the submarine, which was able to dive under it. The destroyer then started to drop depth charges, at which point the submarine came to the surface and identified itself as the British submarine D.7.
Post-War
On 11 July 1919 the Pelican ran aground in Caen Road.
In December 1919 she was in the charge of a Care and Maintenance Party at Portsmouth.
She was sold to be broken up in November 1921.
Service Record
June 1916-August 1917: 13th Destroyer Flotilla, Grand Fleet
September 1917-December 1918: 2nd Destroyer Flotilla, North Division Coast of Ireland, Buncrana
Displacement (standard) |
1,025t (Admiralty design) |
Displacement (loaded) |
1,250t |
Top Speed |
34 knots |
Engine |
3-shaft Brown-Curtis or Parsons turbines |
Range |
|
Length |
273ft 4in (Admiralty) |
Width |
26ft 8ft (Admiralty) |
Armaments |
Three 4in/ 45cal QF Mk IV |
Crew complement |
80 |
Laid down |
25 June 1915 |
Launched |
18 March 1916 |
Completed |
1 May 1916 |
Sold for break up |
November 1921 |
British Destroyers From Earliest Days to the Second World War, Norman Friedman. A very detailed look at the design of British destroyers from their earliest roots as torpedo boat destroyers, though the First World War and up to the start of the Second World War, supported by vast numbers of plans and well chosen photographs [read full review]
