HMS Pathfinder (1904)
 The sinking of the Pathfinder in a painting by William Lionel Wyllie
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The HMS Pathfinder was one of eight light reconnaissance cruisers (" scout cruiser "), which the Royal Navy ordered in 1903 from four shipyards. These are sometimes referred to as the Sentinel class , although the pairs differ considerably in some cases. The Pathfinder was the lead ship of the two cruisers (Pathfinder class) commissioned by Cammell Laird in Birkenhead .
The Pathfinder was the first ship to be sunk while at sea by a submarine with a torpedo shot.
Building history
The Pathfinder and her sister ship Patrol were among the light British reconnaissance cruisers that were procured in several classes up into the World War and, with the C-Class recently procured in 28 copies, formed the basis for the light cruisers of the naval agreements between the world wars. The cruisers were to serve as scouts for the fleet, lead attacks by the destroyer flotillas and repel enemy destroyers. The cruisers were designed for service in the North Sea and not on overseas stations.
The eight Sentinel- class scouts ( Vickers supplied Sentinel and Skirmisher , Armstrong-Whitworth supplied the Vierschornsteiner Adventure and Attentive and Fairfield Forward and Foresight ) did not do particularly well. They have been overtaken by technical developments, especially the destroyers. These not only became bigger and more heavily armed very quickly, but also considerably faster through the use of turbines.
The very little armor of the ships and their small sailing area left little other possible application.
Mission history
Construction of the Pathfinder began in 1903, and it entered service on July 18, 1905. The new cruiser was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet with the main bases in Gibraltar and Berehaven (Ireland). As early as 1906 he moved to the Channel Fleet , where he was under Commander Spencer A. Hickley, together with the sister ship Patrol and the Sentinel and the 1st (Porthmouth), 2nd (Nore) and 3rd (Devonport) destroyer flotilla in the destroyer group assigned to this fleet served on the Sapphire under Rear Admiral Alfred Leigh Winsloe . In 1907 these associations became part of the newly formed Home Fleet .
At the beginning of the First World War , the Pathfinder flotilla commander of the 8th destroyer flotilla in Rosyth on the Firth of Forth .
Downfall
On September 5, 1914, the Pathfinder was sunk off the east coast of Scotland , near the headland of St. Abbs Head , by the German submarine U 21 , under the leadership of Kapitänleutnant Otto Hersing .
The Pathfinder was the lead ship of the 8th Destroyer - Flotilla in use. Due to a considerable lack of coal, she is said to have only run a maximum of 5 knots and separated from the destroyers accompanying her. So it was for U 21 an easy target. Unfortunately, the torpedo also hit a Pathfinder ammunition magazine directly . It sank in just a few minutes after the magazine exploded. At least 256 sailors lost their lives. Eighteen survivors were rescued from Eyemouth fishing boats , four of which later died. The destroyers Stag and Express arrived too late to rescue survivors.
Sister ship Patrol
The patrol's operational history was similar to that of its sister ship. From 1908 she was mostly part of the reserve fleet with the exception of brief operations in destroyer flotillas and was stationed in Haulbowline near Cork , Ireland, in 1913 and 1914 .
At the beginning of the war she was the leader of the 9th destroyer flotilla, which was supposed to secure coastal traffic between the Firth of Forth and the Tyne estuary. On December 16, 1914, she was in the raid on Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby of the German battlecruisers in Hartlepool . While attempting to leave the port, she was shot at by the German armored cruiser Blücher and received two hits, killing four sailors, and ran aground. The retreat of the Germans saved her from total destruction and she was able to run to Middlesbrough badly damaged . After extensive repairs, she returned to service in 1915 for the 7th destroyer flotilla on the Humber . In 1918 she moved to the 9th Destroyer Flotilla in the Nore at the Thames estuary. Decommissioned in 1919, it was sold to the Netherlands for demolition on April 21, 1920.
Web links
- Pathfinder class (accessed February 25, 2011)
- Pathfinder class (accessed February 25, 2011)
- Pathfinder class with several pictures of the ship (accessed February 25, 2011)