HMS Oberon was a Repeat which served in the Royal Navy during the First World War. The M class were an improvement on the previous , capable of higher speed. The vessel was launched in 1916 and joined the Grand Fleet. Oberon joined the Thirteenth Destroyer Flotilla which, in 1917, participated in a large anti-submarine warfare operation in the North Sea. The sortie led to three German submarines being sunk, although Oberon was not directly involved in these attacks. In 1918, the flotilla was involved in one of the final sorties of the Grand Fleet, but again the destroyer saw no action at the time. After the Armistice that marked the end of the First World War, Oberon was placed in reserve, decommissioned and, in 1921, sold to be broken up.
Design and development Oberon was one of sixteen Repeat destroyers ordered by the British Admiralty in February 1915 as part of the Fourth War Construction Programme. The M-class was an improved version of the earlier destroyers, required to reach a higher speed in order to counter rumoured German fast destroyers. The remit was to have a maximum speed of and, although the eventual design did not achieve this, the greater performance was appreciated by the navy. It transpired that the German ships did not exist. The Repeat M class differed from the prewar vessels in having a raked stem and design improvements based on wartime experience.
The destroyer was long between perpendiculars, with a beam of and a draught of . Displacement was normal and at full load. Power was provided by three Yarrow boilers feeding Brown-Curtis steam turbines rated at and driving three shafts, to give a design speed of . Three funnels were fitted and of oil was carried, giving a design range of at .
Armament consisted of three single QF Mk IV guns on the ship's centreline, with one on the forecastle, one aft on a raised platform and one between the middle and aft funnels. A single 2-pounder "pom-pom" anti-aircraft gun was carried, while torpedo armament consisted of two twin mounts for torpedoes. The ship had a complement of 80 officers and ratings.
Construction and career Laid down at their shipyard in Sunderland, Oberon was launched by William Doxford & Sons on 29 September 1916 and completed during December the same year. The destroyer was the fourth Royal Navy ship to bear the name. On commissioning, Oberon was deployed as part of the Grand Fleet, joining the Thirteenth Destroyer Flotilla based at Rosyth. Between 1 and 10 October 1917, the flotilla took part in a large exercise to detect and trap German submarines in the North Sea. Although Oberon was not directly involved, three enemy boats were sunk in the operation. The flotilla took part in the Royal Navy's engagement with one of the final sorties of the German High Seas Fleet during the First World War, on 24 April 1918, although the two fleets did not actually meet and the destroyer saw no action.
After the armistice, the Grand Fleet was disbanded and Oberon was placed in reserve with a reduced company at the Nore on 28 November 1919. The harsh conditions of wartime service, exacerbated by the fact that the hull was not galvanised and operations often required high speed in high seas, meant that the destroyer was worn out and ready for retirement. Oberon was decommissioned, and sold to Thos. W. Ward at Rainham, Kent, on 9 May 1921 to be broken up.
Pennant numbers Pennant numberDateG80September 1915F27January 1917F36January 1918H35March 1918F84January 1919
References Citations
Bibliography