In the first post here is a photo of a torpedo boat destroyer dated 1897 on what can best be described as a muddy berth on the river bank which was all that was needed for these lightweight assassins.

This is either of the 30 knot tbd's from the 1896-97 programme, HMS Violet or Sylvia, launched 3 May 1897 and 3 July 1897. £54,117 and £55,778 respectively. And there was still a profit in there. Possibly.

Lyons states it was somewhat surprising when Doxfords were asked to tender for their first tbd's, Hardy and Hearty, from the 1893-94 programme which proved to be reasonably successful, exactly where reasonable stands in the hierarchy of anything is open to speculation.

For 1897-98 they built Lee, almost a repeat of Violet and Sylvia followed by Success in 1899-1900 both being wrecked,1909 and 1914.

That is a summary of Doxfords dalliance with the Admiralty, pretty brief by any measure but far from the shortest. Patently a business much more at home with their merchant construction. And their sanity and profits, no doubt.

But they did get pulled back in for the "Great War" with another batch of some 20 destroyers.