HMS Swift (1907)

Swift at sea
History
United Kingdom
Name	Swift
Builder	Cammell Laird, Birkenhead
Laid down	1905
Launched	7 December 1907
Commissioned	August 1910
Fate	Sold to break up 9 December 1921
General characteristics
Type	Destroyer leader
Displacement	1,825 long tons (1,854 t)
Length	353.75 ft (107.8 m)
Beam	34.5 ft (10.5 m)
Draught	10.5 ft (3.2 m)
Installed power	12 Yarrow-type Laird water tube boilers 30,000 shp (22,000 kW)
Propulsion	4 shafts; steam turbines
Speed	34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph)
Complement	138
Armament	As built; 4 × 4 in (102 mm) guns 1 × 2 pdr (40 mm (1.6 in)) AA gun 2 × single 18 in (450 mm) torpedo tubes Following 1917 refit: 1 × single 6 in (152 mm) gun 2 × single 4 in guns 1 × single 2 pdr AA gun 2 × single 18 in torpedo tubes

HMS Swift was a unique destroyer leader designed and built for the Royal Navy prior to World War I, another product of Admiral "Jackie" Fisher's relentless quest for speed. The class was envisioned as a large ocean-going destroyer, capable of both the usual destroyer requirements and of high-speed scouting duties for a major fleet.