| Name: | COBRA |
| Type: | Destroyer |
| Keel: | 27/05/1898 |
| Launched: | 28/06/1899 |
| Completed: | 21/08/1900 |
| Builder: | Armstrong, Whitworth & Co |
| Yard: | Elswick |
| Yard Number: | 674 |
| Dimensions: | 354disp, 223.5 x 20.5 x 5.5(draft)ft |
| Engines: | 4 x Steam turbines, 11500shp |
| Engines by: | Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Co Ltd, Wallsend |
| Propulsion: | 4 x Shafts, 12 x Screws, 34.5knots |
| Construction: | Steel |
| Armament: | 1 x 12pdr QF, 5 x 1 x 6pdr QF guns; 2 x 1 x 18.0ins torpedoes |
| History: | |
| 21/08/1900 | Armstrong, Whitworth & Co |
| 09/1901 | Admiralty |
| 18/09/1901 | Sank |
| Comments: | 27/05/1898: Laid down as a "stock" vessel |
| Launch report mentions name as VIPER, but this is probably an error | |
| 08/1899: Run into by a collier and required repairs | |
| Admiralty were reticent to take her due to her poor condition | |
| Extra stiffening added to the shell and given a guarantee of 34.0knots | |
| Admiralty eventually purchased COBRA for £63,500 | |
| 18/09/1901: Broke in two and sank off Flamborough Head | |
| On a voyage from Tyne to Portsmouth to be armed. 67 persons died | |
| The Admiralty said she was structurally unsound & should not have been purchased | |
| Builders said that she hit a submerged object at speed, causing flooding & the break |
Above photo is copyright of the Imperial War Museum
Above photo is copyright of the Imperial War Museum
Shields Daily Gazette, Tuesday, 04/07/1899