Two Bullfinch-class destroyers served with the British Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

; and were both built by Earle's Shipbuilding company in Hull

Kingston upon Hull

Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...

 in 1898. They were 345-ton class C-class destroyers

C class destroyer (1913)

The C class as designated in 1913 was a heterogeneous group of torpedo boat destroyers built for the Royal Navy in the late-1890s. They were constructed to the individual designs of their builders to meet Admiralty specifications. The uniting feature of the class was a top speed of 30 knots, a...

, sporting three funnels, and capable of a speed of 30 knots (58.8 km/h), thanks to their Thornycroft boilers. They were 210 feet long, generated 5,800 HP and carried a full complement of 63 officers and men. They were distinguished from other similar C-class boats by their flat-sided centre funnels and conspicuous steam pipes. They were armed with the standard twelve-pounder and two torpedo tubes, and served through the Great War

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, being broken up after the end of hostilities.