The Destructor ... the first destroyer?

[Adolfo Ceño]

Surprisingly, I didn't find any clear reference to Villaamil´s TBD “Destructor” (named as contratorpedero in Spain) of 1887 in British bibliography as a Spanish innovation.
Was she the first destroyer in the history of naval warship technology?
In the excellent David Lyon´s “The first destroyers” book he underestimated the importance of the work of this Spanish naval officer. Just have a look… in the TBD Terminology Chapter of Lyon´s work we can read:

“Destroyer” had been used before, for example to describe the 125-ft torpedo boats of the midlle 1880s in their (not much used) gun armed anti-torpedo boat version. Also the torpedo gunboat type vessel built by Thompson´s Clydebank yard for the Spanish Navy was called Destructor (wich translates as Destroyer)

However, writing about the 1892-1893 TBD Programme:

J&G Thompson´s 1892 design for a TBD is, not unsurprisingly, somewhat reminiscent of their Destructor built for the Spanish Navy…

Only in the J&G Thompson´s yard chapter we can read again something about it:

… and had built an interesting torpedo vessel under the prophetic name of Destructor (Destroyer) for Spain.

Anyway, note that the autor never refers Villaamil as the father of the idea and development of the design of such type of vessels.

[José M. Rico]

Hello Adolfo,

At least "Destructor" and Villaamil are mentioned in the wikipedia:

Almost immediately after the order of Kotaka was placed, Fernando Villaamil, second officer of the Ministry of the Navy of Spain where he was put in charge of developing the concept of a new ship designed to combat torpedo boats,[6] placed an order for a large torpedo gunboat in November 1885, with the British builder James and George Thompson, of Clydebank, not far from where the Yarrow shipyards would move from London twenty years later. The ship, named Destructor (literally Destroyer), was laid down at the end of the year, launched in 1886, and commissioned in 1887. Her displacement was 380 tons, and she was armed with one 90 mm Hontoria guns, four 57 mm Nordenfelt guns, two 37 mm Hotchkiss cannons and 3 Schwarzkopf torpedo tubes. Her complement was 60 men. In terms of gunnery, speed (22.5 knots in trials) and dimensions, the specific design to chase torpedo boats and her high seas capabilities, Destructor is widely considered the first torpedo-boat destroyer ever built.[7][8]

The Spanish Destructor is thought to have influenced the designation and concept of later destroyers developed by the British Navy.[9][10]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destroyer#Early_history

Fernando Villaamil (November 23, 1845 – July 3, 1898) was a Spanish naval officer, remembered for his internationally recognized professionalism, for being the designer of the first destroyer warship in history and for his heroic death in the naval Battle of Santiago de Cuba of the Spanish-American war, being the highest Spanish officer to suffer this fate in that event.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Villaamil

[Adolfo Ceño]

In 1920, William Hovgaard wrote in his “Modern History of Warships” about destroyers:

“The torpedo-gunboat failed in its main object, to protect battleships and other large vessels against the attack of torpedo-boats, …”

That’s right! … but :

“England, in particular, felt the need of vessels that could hunt down and destroy torpedo-boats, …”

England ?
Could be possible that W. Hovgaard had not hear about the “Destructor” ?
It seems so…
Lets hear Hovgaard again:

“The first destroyers were the Havock, 1893, 240 ts. , 26´8 kts., built by Yarrow …”

Nothing about Villaamil´s “Destructor” of 1887.
Have we, as Spaniards, overestimated the role of Villaamil ?

[RF]

I always thought that the use of the word ''destroyer'' rather ironic in that the main weapon of destroyers were torpedoes - in effect destroyers were nothing more than enlarged torpedo boats, with guns added to take on smaller targets than themselves.