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Ranger
Class overview
Name	Sunfish class
Builders	Hawthorn Leslie, Hebburn
Operators	Royal Navy
Preceded by	Handy class
Succeeded by	Rocket class
Built	1894–1896
In commission	1896–1920
Completed	3
Scrapped	3
General characteristics
Type	Torpedo boat destroyer
Propulsion	8× Yarrow boilers, 4,000 hp (2,983 kW)
Speed	27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph)
Complement	53
Armament	1 × 12 pounder gun 2 × torpedo tubes

The Sunfish-class destroyers, also referred to as Opossum-class destroyers,^[1] was a group of three torpedo boat destroyers which served with the Royal Navy from the 1890s to the 1920s. They were all built by the Hebburn-on-Tyne shipyard of Hawthorn Leslie.

Under the 1893–1894 Naval Estimates, the British Admiralty placed orders for 36 torpedo-boat destroyers, all to be capable of 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph), the "27-knotters", as a follow-on to the six prototype "26-knotters" ordered in the previous 1892–1893 Estimates. As was typical for torpedo craft at the time, the Admiralty left detailed design to the builders, laying down only broad requirements.^[2][3]

Powered by 8 Yarrow boilers,^[4] this was the same 8 boiler configuration originally used on HMS Hornet.^[5] The ships produced 4,000 hp (3,000 kW) and could make 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph). They were armed with one twelve pounder gun and two torpedo tubes and carried a complement of 53 officers and men.

Ordered under the 1893-94 Programme, the contract was placed on 7 February 1894. All three "turtle-back" destroyers were laid down in 1894, launched in 1895 and completed in 1896.

In September 1913 all three, like the other surviving 27-knotter destroyers, were re-classed as A Class destroyers.

They served in Home waters throughout the First World War, and all three were sold for breaking up in 1920.

• HMS Sunfish
• HMS Opossum
• HMS Ranger

• A-class destroyer (1913)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sunfish class destroyer.

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