The ''M29'' class comprised five
monitor
Monitor or monitor may refer to:
Places
* Monitor, Alberta
* Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States
* Monitor, Kentucky
* Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States
* Monitor, Washington
* Monitor, Logan County, West ...
s of the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
, all built and launched during 1915.
The ships of this class were ordered in March, 1915, as part of the
Emergency War Programme of ship construction. The contract for construction was granted to
Harland & Wolff
Harland & Wolff is a British shipbuilding company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It specialises in ship repair, shipbuilding and offshore construction. Harland & Wolff is famous for having built the majority of the ocean liners for the Wh ...
,
Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
, who sub-contracted the construction of ''M32'' and ''M33'' to
Workman, Clark and Company
Workman, Clark and Company was a shipbuilding company based in Belfast.
History
The business was established by Frank Workman and George Clark in Belfast in 1879 and incorporated Workman, Clark and Company Limited in 1880. By 1895 it was the UK ...
.
The main armament of the ships, two
6-inch Mk XII guns, came from guns originally intended for the five s which became surplus when their aft casemate mountings turned out to be unworkable and were dispensed with.
Ships of the class
*
HMS ''M29'' – launched on 22 May 1915 and later renamed ''Medusa'' and ''Talbot'', she was sold in 1946.
*
HMS ''M30'' – launched on 23 June 1915, and sunk on 14 May 1916.
*
HMS ''M31'' – launched on 24 June 1915, and broken up for scrap in 1948.
*
HMS ''M32'' – launched on 22 May 1915, and sold in January 1920.
*
HMS ''M33'' – launched on 22 May 1915, is one of a number of World War I-era warships in existence today and is located in dry-dock near
HMS ''Victory'' at
Portsmouth Naval Base
His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth (HMNB Portsmouth) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Devonport). Portsmouth Naval Base is part of the city of Portsmouth; it is lo ...
. It has been restored and is open to public.
References
Bibliography
* &nbs
Vol. 1â€
Vol. 2*
*
*
*Dittmar, F. J. & Colledge, J. J., "British Warships 1914-1919", (Ian Allan, London, 1972),
*
*
*Gray, Randal (ed), "Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921", (Conway Maritime Press, London, 1985),
*
{{WWI British ships
Monitor classes