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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Rocket class |
| Builders | J & G Thomson, Clydebank |
| Operators |  Royal Navy |
| Preceded by | Sunfish class |
| Succeeded by | Sturgeon class |
| Built | 1894–1895 |
| In commission | 1894–1920 |
| Completed | 3 |
| Scrapped | 3 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Torpedo boat destroyer |
| Displacement | 280 long tons (284 t) |
| Length | 200 ft (61 m) |
| Propulsion | 4 x Normand boilers, 2 x triple expansion steam engines rated 4,100 hp (3,057 kW) |
| Speed | 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph) |
| Complement | 53 |
| Armament |
|
Three Rocket-class destroyers served with the Royal Navy.
Under the 1893–1894 Naval Estimates, the British Admiralty placed orders for 36 torpedo-boat destroyers, all to be capable of 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph), the "27-knotters", as a follow-on to the six prototype "26-knotters" ordered in the previous 1892–1893 Estimates. As was typical for torpedo craft at the time, the Admiralty left detailed design to the builders, laying down only broad requirements.[1][2]
HMS Rocket, HMS Shark and HMS Surly were built by J & G Thomson and launched at Clydebank in 1894. The ships displaced 280 tons, were 200 ft (61 m) long and their Normand boilers produced 4,100 horsepower (3,100 kW). to give a top speed of 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph). They were armed with one 12-pounder and two torpedo tubes. They carried a complement of 53 officers and men.
In September 1913 the Admiralty re-classed all the surviving 27-knotter destroyers as A Class although this only applied to Surly as the other two ships had been sold for scrap in 1912.