HMS Rifleman was an Acorn-class destroyer built by J. Samuel White & Company at Cowes, completed on 4 November 1910. She measured 240 feet (73.15 meters) in length between perpendiculars and 246 feet (74.98 meters) overall, with a beam of 25 feet 3 inches (7.70 meters) and a draught ranging from 7 feet 4.5 inches (2.248 meters) to 8 feet 10 inches (2.69 meters) depending on load. Displacing 760 long tons (770 tons) at normal load and 855 long tons (869 tons) fully loaded, Rifleman was powered by four White-Forster boilers feeding Parsons steam turbines, rated at 13,500 shaft horsepower, enabling a maximum speed of approximately 28.6 knots (53 km/h). Her crew comprised 72 officers and enlisted personnel. Armament included two 4-inch (102 mm) BL Mk VIII guns—positioned fore and aft—and two 12-pounder (76 mm) QF 12 cwt guns amidships between the funnels. She was equipped with two 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes, each with two reloads, mounted aft of the funnels with a searchlight between them. By 1918, Rifleman was fitted with a 3-pounder anti-aircraft gun and carried depth charges for anti-submarine warfare. Laid down on 21 December 1909 and launched on 22 August 1910, Rifleman achieved a sea trial speed of 28.6 knots before her completion in March 1911. She initially joined the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla of the Royal Navy’s Home Fleet. During her service, she experienced mechanical issues, including leaks through hull rivets requiring repairs at Portland Harbour in 1911. At the outbreak of World War I, Rifleman was part of the Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow and participated in various patrols and convoy escorts, notably in the Irish Sea and Mediterranean. Her wartime service included rescue operations following the sinking of the RMS Ivernia in 1917 and the SS Cameronia in the same year, assisting in evacuations of troops and civilians. She also engaged in anti-submarine patrols, although some sightings were later determined to be false alarms. By January 1918, Rifleman was undergoing refit at Gibraltar and remained active until the end of the war, still part of the 5th Destroyer Flotilla. After the war, Rifleman was placed in reserve and was sold for scrapping on 9 May 1921 at Briton Ferry. Her service exemplifies the typical early 20th-century destroyer role—fast, lightly armed, and versatile—serving crucial functions during wartime in both the North Atlantic and Mediterranean theaters.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.