Admiralty M class destroyer

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Admiralty M class

 RN Ensign
General characteristics
Displacement: 994 tons light, 1,042 tons full
Length: 269 ft
Beam: 27 ft 6 in
Draught: 8 ft 8 in mean; 10 ft 6 in maximum
Propulsion: 3 shaft steam turbines, 25,000 shp
Speed: 34 kts
Range: 298-237 tons oil.
Complement: 80
Armament:

3 x 4 in L/40 QF Mark IV, mounting P Mk. IX
1 x single QF 2 pdr "pom-pom" Mk. II
2 x twin tubes for 21 in torpedoes

The M class, more properly known as the Admiralty M class, were a class of 85 destroyers built for the Royal Navy that saw service during World War I. All ships were built to an identical - Admiralty - design, hence the class name (25 other vessels of the 'M' class were built to variant designs by three specialist builders Thornycroft, Yarrow and Hawthorn Leslie).

The Admiralty design was based on the preceding L class and all ships had three identical narrow, circular funnels.

[edit] Ships of the pre-war (1913-14) Programme

Six vessels were built under the 1913-14 Naval Programme. These differed from the wartime vessels by being 1,010 tons full load, with slightly smaller dimensions.

Besides the above six vessels, three destroyers already under construction were purchased from Yarrow, two from Thornycroft and two from Hawthorn Leslie to these builders' individual designs, and these are listed in separate articles. Three further ships were projected under the 1914-15 Naval Programme - and named Marksman, Menace and Monitor (no builder was contracted); however these three ships were cancelled in favour of two Marksman class leaders.

[edit] Ships of the Emergency War(time construction) Programme

All the following vessels were ordered in five batches as part of the War Emergency Programme. Wartime builds omitted the cruising turbines originally specified and carried by the pre-war sub-group. The funnel heights were also raised compared with the pre-war vessels, and the second 4 in gun was mounted on a bandstand, as with the earlier L class destroyers. Partridge, Norman, Maenad, Ophelia and Observer were later fitted to carry a kite balloon.

Sixteen vessels were ordered in September 1914 (as well as four of the Yarrow M class), but part of their cost was met by the provision in the 1914-15 Programme for ten destroyers.

Nine further vessels were ordered in early November 1914 (as well as one further Yarrow M class).

Twenty-two further vessels were ordered in late November 1914.

Sixteen further vessels were ordered in February 1915 (as well as two more of the Thornycroft M class). The eight last-named below of these were of the Repeat M subgroup with raking stems compared with the straight stems of the previous sub-group, and the bows were moved flared to improve seakeeping qualities.

Sixteen final vessels were ordered in May 1915 (as well as two to each of the Thornycroft M class and Yarrow M class). All to the Admiralty design were of the Repeat M subgroup with raking stems.

[edit] Bibliography

  • Destroyers of the Royal Navy, 1893-1981, Maurice Cocker, 1983, Ian Allan ISBN 0-7110-1075-7
  • Jane's Fighting Ships, 1919, Jane's Publishing.
  • British Warships 1914-1919, Fred Dittmar & Jim Colledge, 1972, Ian Allen SBN 7110 0380 7.
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M class destroyers
List of destroyers of the Royal Navy