Published Resources Details Journal Article
- Title
- HM Torpedo Boat Destroyer Viper
- In
- The Engineer
- Imprint
- vol. 90, 202, p. 68
- Description
Accession No.668
- Abstract
The torpedo boat destroyer Viper built by Hawthorn, Leslie, and Company, Hebburn, to the order of the Parsons Steam Turbine Company, underwent a series of steam trials in mid-July 1900, and as anticipated, eclipsed all previous speed records. The Viper was fitted with turbines similar to those used in the Turbina, but were duplicated, and consisted of two independent sets on each side of the vessel. There were four screw shafts in all. High-pressure turbines drove the two wing shafts, while low-pressure turbines drove the two inner shafts. A small reversing turbine was permanently attached to each of these, and revolved idly with them when the vessel was going ahead. Two propellers were placed on each shaft; the foremost in each case had a slightly lesser pitch than the after one. The thrust from the screw shafts was entirely balanced by the steam acting on the turbines. Steam was supplied by modified Yarrow pattern boilers with a grate surface of 272 square feet, and a total heating surface of 150,000 square feet. The Viper attained an Admiralty mean speed of 36.581 knots for six runs. During the trials the turbines reached a speed of 1,180 revolutions per minute, and developed 12,000 indicated horsepower.