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[mroadster]

This painting belonged to my grandfather, who was a chemist with the RNAS in the First World War, stationed for most of the war at the Experimental Station at Stratford. It is an original, unsigned, watercolour, and I was hoping to at least identify the class of vessel, as I'm sure the name/number will be a far reach. I believe it would be a First World War ship, as he didn't really have any Second World War artifacts. The only ship he served on (for all of 2 days) was the HMS Hindustan in preparation for the Zeebrugge raid in early 1918, but this is clearly not that. Following that, he was off to France to install smoke screens on tanks!

[PhiloNauticus]

It's a very well painted picture: it looks like what was then known as a Torpedo Boat Destroyer (TBD), but is difficult to positively identify.   It seems to have only two funnels, so perhaps one of the 'Acheron' (or 'I') class TBD of 1911 ?

[mroadster]

It's a very well painted picture: it looks like what was then known as a Torpedo Boat Destroyer (TBD), but is difficult to positively identify.   It seems to have only two funnels, so perhaps one of the 'Acheron' (or 'I') class TBD of 1911 ?

Thanks for the reply, my knowledge of British ships is a bit on the thin side, and I had not come across that class of destroyer, although I figured it was some type of small destroyer. Searching for TBD, I've come across https://www.naval-encyclopedia.com/ww1/UK/british-destroyers, and looking at some details I wonder if it might be an S, repeat-R or V class. There appear to be two funnels, along with the 90 degree joint where the upper deck meets the main deck (most seem to have a rounded joint).  But, definitely difficult to assess too many details, and possibly the artist took some liberties as well. Thanks for the help, I'll keep digging through his other records to see if there are any hints.

[DulcetTone]

This would not be an Acheron, owing to its vertical cut behind the foredeck and apparentl lack of 12-odr guns on the cheeks there.

It is a later ship with exclusively 4-in guns.

tone