HMS ''M29'' was a

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 Fr ...

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 ...

of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. The ship was constructed by

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 W ...

, in

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 Kingdom ...

and launched on 22 May 1915, she was completed in June 1915. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, the monitor served in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...

at the Battle of Jaffa in 1917 and took part in operations in support of British and White Russian forces in the

White Sea The White Sea (russian: Белое море, ''Béloye móre''; Karelian and fi, Vienanmeri, lit. Dvina Sea; yrk, Сэрако ямʼ, ''Serako yam'') is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is s ...

during the

Russian Civil War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Russian Civil War , partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I , image = , caption = Clockwise from top left: {{flatlist, *Soldiers ...

in 1919. The ship was then converted to a

minelayer A minelayer is any warship, submarine or military aircraft deploying explosive mines. Since World War I the term "minelayer" refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines. "Mine planting" was the term for installing control ...

and renamed HMS ''Medusa'' in 1925. In 1941 ''Medusa'' was converted to a

repair The technical meaning of maintenance involves functional checks, servicing, repairing or replacing of necessary devices, equipment, machinery, building infrastructure, and supporting utilities in industrial, business, and residential installa ...

and depot ship and was renamed HMS ''Talbot'', then renamed HMS ''Medway II'' in 1944. In 1946, the vessel was sold for

scrap Scrap consists of recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap has monetary value, especially recovered m ...

. However, the ship was given a reprieve and acquired by a Greek shipowner who rebuilt the vessel as a

cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usu ...

in 1950–1951. The ship, renamed ''Gerogeorgakis'' was used for

smuggling Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. There are variou ...

and was seized off Cavallo Island in 1971. The ship was then sold at auction and broken up for scrap in 1974.

Construction and career

The availability of ten 6-inch Mk XII guns from the s in 1915 prompted the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...

to order five scaled down versions of the s, which had been designed to utilise 9.2-inch guns. HMS ''M29'' and her sisters were ordered from

in March 1915. Launched on 22 May 1915, she was completed in June 1915. Upon completion, ''M29'' was sent to the Mediterranean, and took part in the Battle of Jaffa and remained there until December 1918. She served from May to September 1919 in support of British and White Russian forces in the

, before returning to England. In September 1923, ''M29'' was taken in hand for conversion to a

. Equipped to carry 52 mines, she was renamed HMS ''Medusa'' in December 1925. In May 1941, she was converted to a repair ship and became the depot ship for the

10th Submarine Flotilla The 10th Submarine Flotilla was formed during the First World War. In January 1915 it was based on the Humber but by January 1917 it had relocated to the Tees. During the Second World War it was formed at Malta in January 1941 and comprised Royal N ...

, being renamed HMS ''Talbot''. Again renamed HMS ''Medway II'' in February 1944, she became the depot ship for the 1st Submarine Flotilla. She was finally sold in December 1946 for breaking up at

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maids ...

. Resold circa 1950 to Spyros Theodoratos, Greece and registered on January 21, 1951, at Lavrion (Nr. 7) as ''Gerogeogakis''. Rebuilt at Perama as cargo motorship. Sold in 1956 to Elpida & Panagiotis Leivadas. On 16 November 1971 ''Gerogeogakis'' was intercepted off Cavallo Island, Corse, with a cargo of 12 tons of smuggled cigarettes. Seized and auctioned in 1974 for breaking up at Vado Ligure.

References

* Young, John. A Dictionary of Ships of the Royal Navy of the Second World War. Patrick Stephens Ltd, Cambridge, 1975. * Lenton, H.T. & Colledge, J. J. Warships of World War II, Ian Allan, London, 1973. * 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), * Bilalis, Aris, Monitors in the Aegean (Greek), Periplous Nautikis Istoria, Issue No. 113, Oct-Dec.2020, Maritime Museum of Greece. {{DEFAULTSORT:M29 M29-class monitors Ships built in Belfast 1915 ships World War I monitors of the United Kingdom Royal Navy ship names Ships built by Harland and Wolff