Sentinel Class Scout Cruisers

Sentinel Class.  The first of the group of Scouts to be laid down and easy to distinguish from the other groups by the partial turtle deck forward and the shorter funnels.  Originally it was planed to call Inchkeith but the name was changed before construction started.

HMS Sentinel
Built Vickers, laid down June 1903, completed April 1905.

HMS Skirmisher
Built Vickers, laid down July 1903, completed July 1905.

Average cost £282,000.

Size:
Length 360 feet pp 381 feet overall, beam 40 feet, draught 14 feet, displacement 2,880 tons load.

Propulsion:
2 shaft TE engines, 17,000 ihp, 25kts

Trials:
Sentinel 17,500 ihp = 25.25 knots

Armour:
1.5-0.5in decks

Armament:
10 x 12 pounder QF (10 x 1), 8 x 3 pounder QF (8 x 1), 2 x 18in TT

Comments:
One of four pairs of Scouts ordered to a general specification with the exact design left up to the individual builders.  Not long after completion the two additional 12 pounder guns were added and the 3 pounder guns were replaced with 6 x 6 pounders.  In 1911-12 they were reamed with 9 x 4 inch guns.  Crew 268.

World War 1 Service:
Sentinel
8th Destroyer Flotilla Forth.
1915 Temporarily with 6th Light Cruiser Squadron Humber.
1916 Mediterranean.
1923 sold for scrap.

Skirmisher
7th Destroyer Flotilla  Humber.
1915 Temporarily with 6th Light Cruiser Squadron Humber.
1916 Mediterranean.
1920 sold for scrap.

HMS Sentinel.  Although one of the primary roles of the Scouts was to act as leaders for destroyers by World War 1 they lacked the speed to keep up with modern destroyers and so were not used in this role. Although fast when built they were designed at a time just before turbine propulsion for warships became popular and so were soon overtaken by newer ships.