Albacore: altered speed figures and survival after a mine

Palmer's built the ships on speculation and offered them to the Royal Navy, which negotiated the price down to £60,000 each. They achieved 31 knots on trials, with still higher speeds claimed in service. Albacore combined steam turbines with Reed water-tube boilers. Her roughly 27-knot figure relates to a later condition after rearmament with three 12-pounders and other alterations. A mine blew away her bow in March 1917, yet she returned to service by July. She remained useful through the rest of the war and was sold for scrap in August 1919. Her history shows why speed comparisons need to account for changes to a ship and why an early destroyer's strength should be judged against its service.