The fourth ship to carry the name HMS Cossack earned the first Battle Honour for taking part in Belgium coast Operations 17 October 8 November 1914.

The contents include copies of the original building contract and detailed drawing for launching and layout of decks and machinery. She was taken over from the contractors on 2 April 1908 and served until 1919.  Her top speed was 34.619 Knots – 39.839 mph which is not far off a modern day ships speed.

HMS Cossack 1907

About

HMS COSSACK – Tribal- Class (“F” CLASS) Destroyer

HMS Cossack was one of five Tribal-class destroyers—also designated the “F” class—ordered under the 1905–06 naval shipbuilding programme. She was launched at 12:25 p.m. on Saturday, 16 February 1907.

The Admiralty specified that the class be oil-fuelled, steam-turbine-powered vessels capable of 33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph), with a cruising range of 1,500 nautical miles (2,800 km; 1,700 miles) and an endurance of eight hours at full speed. However, the detailed design of each ship was left to the individual builders. As a result, ships within the class varied considerably in layout and engineering.

Cossack’s design, produced by Cammell Laird, employed steam turbines rated at 14,000 shaft horsepower (10,000 kW), supplied by five boilers and driving three propeller shafts. She was fitted with three large funnels.

ARMAMENT

The destroyer carried the standard Tribal-class armament, consisting of:

  • 3 × 12-pounder (3-inch / 76 mm) 12-cwt guns

    • Two mounted side-by-side on the forecastle

    • One mounted aft

  • 2 × 18-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes

PERFORMANCE AND COMMISSIONING

During builder’s trials, HMS Cossack achieved a top speed of 34.619 knots (64.114 km/h; 39.839 mph), exceeding Admiralty requirements. She was subsequently commissioned in April 1908.

COMMANDING OFFICERS (1907-1919)

The following officers served as captains of HMS Cossack during her career:

  • Hugh P. Buckle
    10 August 1909 – 5 April 1910

  • George B. W. Young
    6 April 1910 – 1 May 1912

  • Albert M. H. Phillips
    From 1 May 1912

  • Gerald C. Harrison (Lieutenant-Commander)
    3 February 1914 – 5 August 1915

  • William E. B. Magee (Lieutenant)
    28 June 1915 – 8 December 1915

  • Percy J. Helyar (Lieutenant-Commander, retired)
    From 8 February 1916

  • Hubert E. Gore-Langton
    11 February 1917 – 6 July 1917

  • Ralph Kerr
    1918 – 1919

A full crew list for HMS Cossack (1907–1919) is available separately.

RESEARCH SOURCES

  • Dave Cross

  • Kemp, Paul. The Admiralty Regrets: British Warship Losses of the 20th Century, p. 79

  • Royal Naval Museum, Portsmouth

  • The National Archives

  • Navy News, September 2009

Hidden Gems

The HMS COSSACK of 1917 collided with the transport, SS The Duchess, near Eastbourne, resulting in Cossack’s depth charges exploding. As a result of the collision, SS The Duchess sank and the blast blew off COSSACK​s stern. Date: 1st July 1917.

https://hms-cossack.co.uk/app/uploads/2025/08/icon-ship-wheel.png

1806-1816

This is the account of the first vessel named HMS Cossack, a title that would be passed on to five later ships and commemorated by the Royal Navy in the Cossack Building at HMS Raleigh.

https://hms-cossack.co.uk/app/uploads/2025/08/icon-ship-wheel.png

1854-1875

The second Cossack was originally ordered by Russia for the Black Sea Fleet in December 1852 at a cost of 290,000 silver roubles. However, when relations between Britain and Russia deteriorated, Russia sold the vessels to the Hamburg trading firm Henry Mersk & Co.

https://hms-cossack.co.uk/app/uploads/2025/08/icon-ship-wheel.png

1886-1905

This account covers the third vessel named HMS Cossack. Launched on 3 June 1886 and in service until 1905, she spent the majority of her career in the Far East, calling at India, Aden, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and other ports.

https://hms-cossack.co.uk/app/uploads/2025/08/icon-ship-wheel.png

1907-1919

The fourth HMS Cossack received the first Battle Honour for participating in operations along the Belgian coast from 17 October to 8 November 1914. This section contains copies of the original construction contract and detailed plans showing her launch, deck arrangements, and machinery.

https://hms-cossack.co.uk/app/uploads/2025/08/icon-ship-wheel.png

1938-1941

Credited with battle honours including Baltic 1855, Witu 1890, Dover Patrol 1914–1919, Narvik 1940, Norway 1940, Atlantic 1940–1941, the Bismarck Action 1941, and the Malta Convoys 1941, the HMS Cossack in service from 1938 to 1941 was a formidable presence.

https://hms-cossack.co.uk/app/uploads/2025/08/icon-ship-wheel.png

1944-1960

During Warship Week in February 1942, the town of Esher raised £1,192,211, contributing to the construction of the warship HMS Cossack. The funds were collected by the public depositing money into a rubber-type float in a pool. Remarkably, the surplus was enough to fund a submarine as well. The story continues.

Anchor crest

Receive our newsletters?