"M" Class Submarine (1917)
From The Dreadnought Project
M 1 shows off her unusual armament.[1]
Three of four projected "M" class submarine monitors were completed for the Royal Navy.
Only M 1 saw war service.
| Overview of 4 vessels | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citations for this data available on individual ship pages | |||||
| Name | Builder | Laid Down | Launched | Completed | Fate |
| M 1 | Vickers | 9 Jul, 1917 | Collision 12 Nov, 1925 | ||
| M 2 | Vickers | 19 Oct, 1918 | Foundered 26 Jan, 1932 | ||
| M 3 | Armstrong, Whitworth & Company | 19 Oct, 1918 | Sold Feb, 1932 | ||
| M 4 | Armstrong, Whitworth & Company | 20 Jul, 1919 | Cancelled 1918 | ||
Armament
Guns
- one 12-in 40 cal Mark IX, 50 shells
The 12-in gun could train 15 degrees to either side, elevate 20 degrees or depress 5 degrees.
It proved remarkably workable, and even after the war the British were considering how this might be preferable as an anti-submarine weapon to firing a spread of torpedoes. The submarine was able to transition from periscope depth to firing depth in 25 seconds, and to return to periscope depth after firing in 15 seconds.[2] Unfortunately, the gun had to be reloaded in the surface.
Torpedoes
M 1, M 2:
- four 18-in tubes forward, eight torpedoes
M 3:
- four 21-in tubes forward, eight torpedoes
Mines
M 3 was converted to a minelaying submarine in 1927. She had a capacity for 100 mines, which were laid off the stern.
See Also
Footnotes
- ↑ The Technical History and Index, Vol. 3, Part 21. Plate 9.
- ↑ The Technical History and Index, Vol. 3, Part 21. p. 8.
Bibliography
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| <– | "L" Class | Submarines (UK) | "R" Class | –> | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
