HM M.27 in North Russia
in 1919 (collection of Yeoman of
Signals George Smith, click to enlarge) |
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Contents List |
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M-CLASS COASTAL MONITORS
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A series
of fourteen ships was ordered in 1915 for use in supporting operations ashore
and were smaller versions of the larger Monitors. These ships displaced only
540 tons compared with the larger EREBUS Class of 7,000 tons ordered a few
weeks later in 1915. Their armament was smaller compared with the 15” guns
fitted in the EREBUS Class and those built during WW2. As their draught was
less they could operate in shallow waters near the
coast which proved especially suitable for their deployments during and after
WW1. Some of this Class were converted for use a Coastal Minelayers after
1921.
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General Particulars
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Displacement
Tonnage
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540 (M15
to M28), 535 (M29 to M33)
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Dimensions
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170 Feet
Length x 31 feet Beam x 6 ¾ feet Draught.
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Machinery
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Reciprocating
Engines 400HP
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Speed
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10 Knots
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Armament
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1 x 9.2”
and 1 x 3” (M15 to M22 and M28)
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1 x 7.5”
and 2 x 3” (M23 to M25)
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1 x 7.5”,
1 x 3” and 1 12 pdr. (M26)
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1 x 4.7”,
2 x 3” (M27)
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2 x 6”
and 1 x 6 pdr (M29 to M33)
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Complement
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52.
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Builders
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Grey
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M15 to
M18
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Raylton Dixon
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M19 to
M28.
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Harland
& Wolff,
Belfast
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M29 to
M31
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Workman
Clark Ltd., Belfast
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M32 and
M33 (Sub-contracted to Harland and Wolff.)
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Disposal
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M15
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Sunk by
UC38 off Gaza, 11th
November 1917
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M16 to
M20
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Sold for mercantile use in January 1920
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M21 |
Mined and sank off Dover 20th October 1918 |
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M22
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Served as
a Coastal Minelayer after 1925 as HMS MEDEA. Lost on
passage to shipbreaker near Padstow
on
22nd January 1939.
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M23
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Renamed
CLAVERHOUSE in 1922 and sold for breaking-up in 1959.
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M24
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Sold for mercantile use in 1920 and later sunk in as a Blockship in
West Indies in 1936.
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M25
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Blown-up
on
16th September 1919 in Dvina River to avoid capture
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M26
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Sold for mercantile use in January 1920
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M27
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As M25
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M28
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Sunk by
German Cruiser GOEBEN off Imbros on 20th January 1918.
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M29 *
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Sold for
breaking-up on 9th September 1946 after service as a Coastal
Minelayer renamed MEDUSA in 1925 and as a Depot Ship renamed TALBOT between
1940 and 1943 and then MEDWAY II in 1944.
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M30
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Sunk by
shore batteries in
Gulf of Smyrna on 13th May 1916.
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M31 *
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Sold for
breaking-up in 1947 after service as a Coastal Minelayer, renamed. MELPOMENE
in 1925 and then MENELAUS when used training ship at Devonport during WW2.
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M32
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Sold for mercantile use in January 1920.
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M33 *
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Placed on
Disposal List in 1939 after conversion for use as a Coastal Minelayer and
renamed MINERVA in 1925. Hulked in 1940 and retained in use as a workshop
identified as C23. She is still in existence.
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* -
extant in World War 2
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M.29*
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H . M . M O
N I T O R M.2 9
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B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
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DARDANELLES
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M-Class
Coastal Monitor ordered on 15th March 1915 from Harland and Wolff at Belfast and laid
down on 23rd March 1915 as Yard No. 485. The ship was
launched on 22nd May 1915 and build was completed on 20th June 1915. She was deployed in the
Mediterranean on completion of trials and
remained there for support of military shore operations until the armistice
in 1918 when she returned to UK and remained in commission.
Following operational service in the White Sea in support of military operations
by White Russian troops she paid off and was later selected for use as a
Coastal Minelayer. On completion of the conversion she was placed in Reserve
in
Malta and renamed MEDUSA on 1st December 1925.
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H . M . C O A S T A L M IN
E L A Y E R M E D U S A ( F 0 6 )
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B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
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BUENOS AIRES 1807
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H e r a l d i
c D a t a
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Badge: On a Field Black, Medusa’s head
proper with snakes Gold.
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(Note:
The youngest of the Gorgons . A beautiful maiden transformed by Athena into a
monster so hideous that all who looked upon her were turned to Stone. Later
she was killed by Perseus.
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M o t t
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Be warned
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This name
was first used in 1785 for a 4th Rate built at Plymouth, and lastly borne by a WW1
destroyer (Ex-Greek LEVSOS) purchased by the Admiralty in August 1914 during
build. This MEDUSA was sunk in tow after colliding with HM Destroyer LAVEROCK
during an operation off
Schleswig on
25th March 1916. This coastal Minelayer was the
8th ship to carry the name and brought forward from Reserve for use as a
Depot Ship for the 10th Submarine Flotilla in Malta in 1941. She was then renamed
TALBOT and given Pennant No F 06 as her visual signalling identity when the
system was revised in May 1940.
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H . M . D E P O T S H I P T A L B O T ( F 0 6)
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B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
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ARMADA 1588 NAVARINO 1827 SYRIA 1840
DARDANELLES 1915-16 *
(*
Award to M29 to be confirmed)
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Seventh
ship to bear this name, first used in 1585 for a ship which later took part
in the action against the Spanish Armada. It had last been used for a Cruiser
built in 1895 and sold in 1920. Deployed in the Mediterranean this ship supported the 10th
Submarine Flotilla in Malta and was damaged in an air raid in
March 1942. After repair she was transferred to Beirut for support of the 1st Submarine
Flotilla and to provide accommodation. She was again renamed. as MEDWAY II in 1944.whilst deployed at Beirut and retained her visual
signalling identity..
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H . M . D E P O T S H I P
M E D W A Y II (F 0 6 )
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B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
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AIX 1758 - QUEBEC 1759 - GRENADA 1779 - MARTINIQUE 1780 - USHANT 1781 - DARDANELLES * (*Award to
M29 to be confirmed.)
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H e r a l d i
c D a t a
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Badge: On a Field Silver, A lion
Black upon a Field Red
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M o t t
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In Medio
Tutissimus: “Midway (Medway) you will be safest."
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She was
the 11th ship to bear this name, introduced for a 4th Rate built at Sheerness
in 1693 and last used for a Submarine Depot Ship built at Barrow in 1928 and
sunk by U373 off
Alexandria on 30th June
1942.
This name was selected to continue its use for support of submarines in the Mediterranean and given to this ex-Coastal
Minelayer on 1st June after completion of repair. Deployed initially at Beirut and later in Malta she was replaced by HM Minesweeper BAGSHOT
in April 1945 and reverted to her previous identity of MEDUSA. On return to
UK she paid off after VJ Day and was
placed on the Disposal List. On 9th April 1946 she was sold to BISCO for
demolition.
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M.31*
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H . M . M O N I T O R M.3 1
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B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
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BELGIAN COAST 1915-18* - ZEEBRUGGE 1918*
(*
Awarded after WW1 as MELPOMENE)
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M-Class
Coastal Monitor ordered on 15th March 1915 from Harland and Wolff at Belfast and laid
down in March 1915 as Yard No. 487. The ship was launched on 24th June 1915 and build was completed on 9th July
1915. On
completion of trials she was deployed in the Mediterranean but had returned to UK by 1918 when she took part in the
attack on ZEEBRUGGE. Deployment in support of White Russian military
operations in North Russia during 1919 is to be confirmed. On release from
operations in North Russia the ship was paid off and later selected for conversion
to enable her use as a Coastal Minelayer after which on 1st December 1925 she was renamed MELPOMENE after the completion of
conversion.
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(Note: Deployment in the Mediterranean is to be confirmed. No Battle
Honour for DARDANELLES is recorded in the official
records available.)
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H . M . C O A S T A L M I N E L A Y E R M E
L P O M E NE ( F 0 4 )
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B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
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See M 31.
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Seventh
ship to carry the name which had been introduced in 1794 for 5th Rate
captured at Calvi and last used by a destroyer (Ex-Greek SAMOS), purchased from Greece during build in August 1914 and
sold in 1921. This monitor was deployed at Plymouth and used by the Torpedo School for training of personnel in minelaying equipment and procedures. By 1939 she had been
nominated for disposal but this was not implemented because of the imminence
of war with
Germany. However her lack of AA armament
did not allow use in minelay operations and there is no
record of such deployment in 1939 or 1940. She may have been deployed for
ant-invasion patrol duties in 1940. Pennant Number F04 was allocated in May
1940 when identities for Auxiliary Vessels were redesignated.
She remained at Devonport for training duties throughout WW2 and was renamed
MENELAUS in 1941. A 21” torpedo tube was fitted on the Foc’sle
to be used for training of personnel. Paid-off after VJ Day she was placed on
the Disposal List and sold to Cashmore’s in 1947
for demolition at Llanelli where she arrived in tow during January 1948
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M.33*
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H . M . M O N I T O R M I N E R V A M . 3 3 ( F 0 0 )
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B a t t
l e H o n o u r s
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QUIBERON 1759 -
ST VINCENT 1797 -
EGYPT 1801 - SUEZ CANAL 1915 - DARDANELLES 1915 - ATLANTIC
1940 *
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(* This is possibly an error and
may refer a Free French submarine)
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H e r a l d i
c D a t a
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Badge: On a Field per fesse wavy Blue and White, an owl White.
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(Note:
The owl is one of the symbols of the Roman goddess of wisdom, identified with
the Greek Athena.)
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M-Class
Coastal Monitor ordered on 15th March 1915 from Harland and Wolff at Belfast and build sub-contracted to
Messrs Workman Clark Ltd of Belfast. She was laid down later that
month as Yard No 489WS. Launched on 22nd May 1915 with sister M32. The 10th RN ship
to carry the name, introduced in 1759 for a 5th Rate, it was last borne by a
cruiser built in 1895, sold in 1920. Build was completed on 26th June 1915. This ship was deployed in the
Mediterranean on completion of trials and
remained there for support of military shore operations during which she
gained two Battle Honours. After the armistice in November 1918 she returned
to
UK and remained in commission.
Following operational service in the White Sea in support of military operations
by White Russian troops she paid off and was later selected for use as a
Coastal Minelayer. On completion she was placed in Reserve in Portsmouth and was renamed MINERVA on 1st December 1925 after completion. No record of operational or training
use can be traced and a record shows the ships as being considered for
disposal in 1939. This was not implemented and she was retained in use for
training of personnel in minelaying
procedures and allocated the Pennant No F00 in May 1940. Later she was
discarded for RN use and deployed by Portsmouth Dockyard as a harbour tanker.
Hulked in 1944 and identified as C23 this vessel was used as workshop
facility for Boom Defence Vessels at
Portsmouth and no longer treated as warship.
She is still in existence and being preserved.
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P o s t W a r N o t e
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This name
was reintroduced for the Reserve Fleet Sub-division at Sheerness between 1946
and 1953. In 1964 is was given to a LEANDER Class
Frigate launched at Barrow by Vickers-Armstrong.
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