Admiralty M-class destroyer


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. 18 other vessels which were officially included within the 'M' class were built to variant designs by three specialist builders - 10 by Yarrow, 6 by Thornycroft, and 2 by Hawthorn Leslie; these are covered in other articles.
The Admiralty design was based on the preceding L class but modified to produce an increase in speed by approximately. All ships built to the Admiralty design had three identical narrow, circular funnels.

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.
NameShip BuilderLaid downLaunchedCompletedFate
Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Wallsend on Tyne8 November 19135 October 1914December 1914Sold for scrapping on 26 October 1921.
Palmers Shipbuilding & Iron Company, Hebburn on Tyne4 December 19138 August 1914December 1914Sold for scrapping on 9 May 1921.
Palmers, Hebburn on Tyne31 December 191324 September 1914February 1915Sold for scrapping on 9 May 1921.
John Brown & Company, Clydebank18 December 19135 October 1914December 1914Sold for scrapping on 22 September 1921.
John Brown, Clydebank20 January 191419 November 1914December 1914Sold for scrapping on 8 November 1921.
John Brown, Clydebank15 January 191421 December 1914February 1915Sold for scrapping on 8 November 1921.

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; however these three ships were cancelled before being contracted to any specific builder, in favour of two Marksman-class leaders.

Ships of the Emergency War 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.

1st War Programme

Sixteen vessels were ordered in September 1914, but part of their cost was met by the provision in the 1914-15 Programme for ten destroyers.
NameShip BuilderBegunLaunchedCompletedFate
John Brown30 September 19141 May 1915July 1915Sold for breaking up 8 November 1921.
John Brown30 September 191329 May 1915August 1916Sold for breaking up 29 September 1921.
John I. Thornycroft & Company, WoolstonOctober 191419 May 1915August 1915Sold for breaking up 22 September 1921.
ThornycroftNovember 191412 July 1915October 1915Sold for breaking up 22 September 1921.
ThornycroftNovember 191411 September 1915November 1915Sold for breaking up 8 November 1921.
ThornycroftNovember 191424 November 1915January 1916Sold for breaking up 15 November 1921.
William Denny & Brothers, Dumbarton27 October 191420 June 191511 November 1915Sold for breaking up 8 November 1921.
Denny10 November 191410 August 191512 November 1915Sold for breaking up 22 September 1921.
J. Samuel White & Company, Cowes1 January 191510 September 19158 January 1916Sold for breaking up 22 September 1921.
White14 January 191520 November 19157 April 1916Sold for breaking up 9 May 1921.
Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company, Govan27 April 191513 August 1915Sold for breaking up 22 September 1921.
Fairfield15 June 191521 September 1915Sold for breaking up 26 October 1921.
Swan Hunter28 May 1915Sunk after collision with on 21 October 1917 off Lerwick.
Swan HunterOctober 19141 July 1915October 1915Sold for breaking up 9 May 1921.
Swan Hunter8 October 1915Sunk on 17 October 1917 by German cruisers and off the Norwegian coast.
Swan HunterSeptember 19149 November 1915April 1916Sold for breaking up 9 May 1921.

2nd War Programme

Nine further vessels were ordered in early November 1914.
NameShip BuilderLaid DownLaunchedCompletedFate
John Brown23 December 191414 August 1915October 1915Sold for breaking up 22 September 1921.
Denny11 January 19157 October 191528 December 1915Sold for breaking up 9 May 1921.
Fairfield24 August 191510 November 1915Sold for breaking up 22 September 1921.
Fairfield12 October 191516 December 1915Sold for breaking up 8 November 1921.
Palmers7 December 1915February 1916Sold for breaking up 9 May 1921.
Palmers8 March 1915Sunk after colliding with in the North Sea on 21 December 1916;depth charges from Hoste exploded and blew out the Negros hull plating.
ThornycroftFebruary 191522 January 1916March 1916Sold for breaking up 15 November 1921.
ThornycroftMarch 191524 February 1916May 1916Sold for breaking up 15 November 1921.
Swan Hunter24 August 1915Sunk after colliding with in the North Sea on 8 September 1916.

3rd War Programme

Twenty-two further vessels were ordered in late November 1914.
Sixteen further vessels were ordered in February 1915. 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.
Eighteen final vessels were ordered in May 1915. However, two of the eighteen were fitted with geared turbines and became the prototypes for the Admiralty R class destroyers. The other sixteen were all to the Admiralty design were of the Repeat M subgroup with raking stems apart from the two ships ordered from White as Redmill and Redwing, which were completed to the earlier 'M' Class design and were renamed Medina and Medway while building.