HMS Marne was a Admiralty M-class destroyer which served with the Royal Navy during the First World War. The M class were an improvement on the preceding L class, capable of higher speed. The ship, the first Royal Navy vessel to be named after the River Marne, was launched in 1915. For much of the war, the destroyer escorted merchant ships in convoys and Royal Navy warships, but was also involved in the rescue of crew from the battleship HMS King Edward VII in 1916. The destroyer also took part in the Battle of Jutland as part of the shield for the British battlecruisers and engaged with the German light cruiser force with torpedoes. After the armistice, Marne was placed in reserve before being decommissioned and, in 1921, sold to be broken up.
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History | |
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Name | HMS Marne |
Namesake | Marne |
Ordered | September 1914 |
Builder | John Brown & Company, Clydebank |
Yard number | 434 |
Laid down | 30 September 1914 |
Launched | 29 May 1915 |
Completed | 27 September 1915 |
Out of service | 31 November 1921 |
Fate | Sold to be broken up |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Admiralty M-class destroyer |
Displacement |
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Length | 273 ft 8 in (83.4 m) (o.a.) |
Beam | 26 ft 9 in (8.2 m) |
Draught | 16 ft 3 in (4.95 m) |
Installed power | 3 Yarrow boilers, 25,000 shp (19,000 kW) |
Propulsion | Brown-Curtis steam turbines, 3 shafts |
Speed | 34 knots (63.0 km/h; 39.1 mph) |
Range | 2,280 nmi (4,220 km; 2,620 mi) at 17 kn (31 km/h; 20 mph) |
Complement | 80 |
Armament |
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Marne was one of the initial six Admiralty M-class destroyers ordered by the British Admiralty in September 1914 as part of the First Emergency War Programme.[1] The M class was an improved version of the earlier L-class destroyers, required to reach a higher speed in order to counter rumoured German fast destroyers. The remit was to have a maximum speed of 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph) and, although the eventual design did not achieve this, the greater performance was appreciated by the navy. It transpired that the German ships did not exist.[2]
The destroyer had a length of 273 feet 8 inches (83.4 m) overall, with a beam of 26 feet 9 inches (8.2 m) and a draught of 16 feet 3 inches (5.0 m). Displacement was 860 long tons (870 t) normal and 1,021 long tons (1,037 t) full load.[3] Power was provided by three Yarrow boilers feeding Brown-Curtis steam turbines rated at 25,000 shaft horsepower (19,000 kW) and driving three shafts, to give a design speed of 34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph). Three funnels were fitted.[4] A total of 268 long tons (272 t) of oil could be carried, including 40 long tons (41 t) in peace tanks that were not used in wartime, giving a range of 2,280 nautical miles (4,220 km; 2,620 mi) at 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph).[5]
Armament consisted of three single QF 4-inch (102 mm) Mk IV guns on the ship's centreline, with one on the forecastle, one aft on a raised platform and one between the middle and aft funnels. Torpedo armament consisted of two twin mounts for 21 in (533 mm) torpedoes.[6][7] A single QF 2-pounder 40 mm (1.6 in) "pom-pom" anti-aircraft gun was mounted between the torpedo tubes.[4][8] After February 1916, for anti-submarine warfare, Mameluke was equipped with two chutes for two depth charges.[9] The number of depth charges carried increased as the war progressed.[10] The ship had a complement of 80 officers and ratings.[11]
Marne was laid down by John Brown & Company of Clydebank on 30 September 1914 alongside sister ship Mons with the yard number 434, launched on 29 May the following year and completed on 27 September.[3] The destroyer was the first vessel in the navy to be named after the river Marne in France.[12] The ship was deployed as part of the Grand Fleet, joining the newly formed Eleventh Destroyer Flotilla.[13]
After the battleship King Edward VII had struck a mine on 10 January 1916, Marne was one of twelve destroyers that came to the stricken ship's aid. The destroyer, along with Fortune, Musketeer and Nessus, transferred all but one of the crew and took them back to port.[14] On 1 May, the destroyer picked up the survivors from the armed merchant ship SS San Urbano, which had been sunk by U-81.[15] At the Battle of Jutland later that year, Marne served as one of four members of the Eleventh Destroyer Flotilla attached to the First and Fourth Battle Squadrons.[16] The flotilla then formed close to the dreadnought battleship King George V when the two fleets converged on 31 May.[17] As the German fleet approached during the night, the flotilla was spotted by the vanguard of the High Seas Fleet,[18] The destroyers, led by the light cruiser Castor, attacked the German light cruisers. Marne launching a torpedo that failed to impact.[19] In return, the destroyer received a hit from a 4.1 in (100 mm) shell on the upper deck aft which failed to explode.[20]
During the following year, Marne was transferred to the Northern Division of the Coast of Ireland Station based at Buncrana.[21] The destroyer was part of the escort service provided to convoys travelling across the Atlantic. The Division provided three escorts every eight days to protect convoys travelling to and from Halifax, Nova Scotia.[22] On 2 October, the destroyer briefly escorted Drake after the armoured cruiser had been torpedoed by U-79.[23]
After the Armistice of 11 November 1918 that ended the war, the Royal Navy returned to a peacetime level of strength and both the number of ships and the amount of personnel needed to be reduced to save money.[24] Marne was declared superfluous to operational requirements. On 22 October 1919, the destroyer was reduced and placed in reserve at Devonport.[25] However, this did not last long and, after being decommissioned, on 31 November 1921, Marne was sold to G Cohen to be broken up in Germany.[26]
Pennant number | Date |
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HA6 | August 1915[27] |
G05 | January 1917[28] |
HA0 | March 1918[27] |
H38 | January 1919[29] |
M-class destroyers | |||||||||||
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