Thornycroft M class destroyer

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Class overview
Builders: Thornycroft
Built: 19131916
In commission: 19141926
Completed: 6
General characteristics
Displacement: 985 – 1,070 tons
Length: 274 ft (84 m) o/a
Beam: 27 ft 9 in (8.5 m) (Meteor & Mastiff)
27 ft 3 in (8.3 m) (Patrician, Patriot, Rapid & Ready)
Draught: 10 ft 6 in (3.2 m)
Propulsion: Parsons (Meteor & Mastiff) or Brown-Curtis (Patrician, Patriot, Rapid & Ready) steam turbines
26,500 shp
2 shafts
Speed: 35 kn (65 km/h)
Range: 255 tons of oil
Complement: 78
Armament: 3 × QF 4 in (100 mm) L/40 Mark IV, mounting P Mk.IX
1 × single QF 2-pounder "pom-pom" Mk.II
2 × twin 21 in (530 mm) torpedo tubes

The Thornycroft M or Mastiff class were a class of six destroyers completed for the Royal Navy during 1914-16 for World War I service. They were quite different from the Admiralty-designed ships of the Admiralty M class class, although based on a basic sketch layout provided by the Admiralty from which J I Thornycroft developed their own design. Like the 'standard' Admiralty M class they had 3 funnels, but the centre funnel was thicker in the Thornycroft ships. The midships 4 in gun was shipped between the 2nd and 3rd funnels. Patriot was fitted to carry a kite balloon.

[edit] Ships

Two ships were ordered (contracted) on 1 February 1913, two more on 26 February 1915 and the last two on 15 May 1915.

Note Thornycroft also built six other 'M' class destroyers for the Royal Navy - Michael, Milbrook, Minion and Munster, all ordered on 20 September 1914, and Nepean and Nereus, both ordered on 20 November 1914; however these were to the Admiralty 'M' design and are included with the article on that large group of destroyers.

[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.
  • The Thornycroft List, 1981 (unpublished compilation of J.I.Thornycroft records).