HMS Laverock

This vessel was laid down as the Hereward in July 1912 but launched as HMS Laverock on 19th November 1913 by the Yarrow Shipbuilding Company at Scostoun in Glasgow (Yard No.1334). A steel hulled Laforey class destroyer, the Laverock measured 269.0′ x 26.8′ x 9.5′ and she displaced 994 tons. She was powered by twin shafts and props driven by water tube boilers and Brown Curtis steam turbines developing 24,500 shaft horse power. Her armament consisted of 3 x 4 inch quick firing Mrk IV guns, 1 x quick firing 2 pounder pom-pom Mrk II, 2 x twin 21 inch torpedo tubes.

After fitting out the Laverock underwent extensive sea trials before being handed over to the Royal Navy.  As part of this programme she was undergoing speed trials on the measured mile at Skelmorlie on 28^th February 1914 reaching speeds in excess of 30 knots during the trials that morning.   The crew had been joined by representatives of the Admiralty and her builders to observe the performance of the new ship.  Just after 2pm she reached the southern end of the mile and turned for a final run north before returning to the yard.  

As she turned towards the shore a problem with her steering gear resulted in loss of control during  the manoeuvre and she ran ashore near St Fillans Bridge,  about a mile south of Meigle Bay, Skelmorlie.  The violent grounding tore holes in her steel plates from the fore bridge to the after hold and water rushed into the ship.  Aboard, the noise of the grounding, which tore the blades from the propeller, was frightening but the engine room crew courageously stayed with the engines despite the inrush of water and succeeded in dousing the boiler fires saving the ship from an almost inevitable destructive explosion that would have resulted had the sea water reached the fires. The ship went ashore at high tide and as the tide ebbed everyone on board was able to disembark on foot and reach the shore safely.

Over the next few weeks the forty five foot long gash in her side was temporarily repaired with wood and she was finally refloated on 29^th March.  She was towed back to Scotstoun where she was repaired and she finally entered service later that year joining the 3^rd Destroyer Flotilla.  She was to have an active war including participation in the Battle of Jutland in 1916 before she was transferred to escort duty in 1917.  She also collided with and sank HMS Medusa in March 1916 in the North Sea. By the end of the war she was redundant and was laid up before being sold for scrapping in 1921.