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HMS Marne (1915)

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History
United Kingdom
NameHMS Marne
NamesakeMarne
OrderedSeptember 1914
BuilderJohn Brown & Company, Clydebank
Yard number434
Laid down30 September 1914
Launched29 May 1915
Completed27 September 1915
Out of service31 November 1921
FateSold to be broken up
General characteristics
Class and typeAdmiralty M-class destroyer
Displacement
Length273 ft 8 in (83.4 m) (o.a.)
Beam26 ft 9 in (8.2 m)
Draught16 ft 3 in (5.0 m)
Installed power3 Yarrow boilers, 25,000 shp (19,000 kW)
PropulsionBrown-Curtis steam turbines, 3 shafts
Speed34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph)
Range2,280 nmi (4,220 km; 2,620 mi) at 17 kn (31 km/h; 20 mph)
Complement80
Armament

HMS Marne was an Admiralty M-class destroyer which served with the Royal Navy during the First World War. The M class was 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 battleships and engaged with the German light cruiser force with torpedoes, although all missed. In 1918, the destroyer, along with sister ships Milbrook and Pigeon, sank the German submarine UB-124. After the armistice, Marne was placed in reserve before being decommissioned and, in 1921, sold to be broken up.

Design and development

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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 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-inch (533 mm) torpedoes located aft of the funnels.[6][7] A single QF 2-pounder 40 mm (1.6-inch) "pom-pom" anti-aircraft gun was mounted between the torpedo tubes.[4][8] After February 1916, for anti-submarine warfare, Marne was equipped with two chutes, with initially one depth charge each.[9] The number of depth charges carried increased as the war progressed.[10] The ship had a complement of 80 officers and ratings.[11]

Construction and career

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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 off the northern Scottish coast, 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 24 April, the destroyer, as part of the Eleventh Destroyer Flotilla, was based at Cromarty.[15] The flotilla formed part of the support for the Grand Fleet in their response to the German bombardment of Yarmouth and Lowestoft which took place on that day. However, the slower speed of the destroyers in the choppy seas meant that they were left behind and the fleets did not meet.[16] On 1 May, the destroyer picked up the survivors from the armed merchant ship SS San Urbano, which had been sunk by U-81.[17]

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.[18] The flotilla then formed close to the dreadnought battleship King George V when the two fleets converged on 31 May, providing part of the screen for the British battle line.[19] As the German fleet withdrew during the night, the ships were spotted by the vanguard of the High Seas Fleet.[20] The destroyers, led by the light cruiser Castor, attacked the German light cruisers of the 4th Scouting Group, Marne launching a torpedo that failed to impact.[21] The gun flashes from the British cruiser so blinded the crew that they could not fire any more.[22] In return, the destroyer received a hit from a 4.1-inch (100 mm) shell on the upper deck aft which failed to explode.[23] After the end of the battle, the vessel returned to Scapa Flow, arriving on 2 June.[24]

During the following year, Marne was transferred to the Northern Division of the Coast of Ireland Station based at Buncrana.[25] The destroyer was part of the escort service provided to convoys travelling across the Atlantic. The destroyers at Buncrana assisted convoys arriving across the Atlantic Ocean from the American industrial complex at Hampton Roads and via Sydney, Nova Scotia, or departing ports on the Clyde and Mersey.[26] The Division also provided three escorts every eight days to protect fast convoys travelling to and from Halifax, Nova Scotia.[27] On 2 October, the destroyer briefly escorted Drake after the armoured cruiser had been torpedoed by U-79.[28] The convoy escort role continued into 1918.[29][30] On 20 July, the destroyer, along with sister ships Milbrook and Pigeon, successfully drove the German submarine UB-124 to the surface with depth charges. The ships then sank the submarine with gunfire.[31]

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 personnel needed to be reduced to save money.[32] Marne was declared superfluous to operational requirements. On 22 October 1919, the destroyer was reduced and placed in reserve at Devonport.[33] 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.[34]

Pennant numbers

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Pennant number Date
HA6 August 1915[35]
G05 January 1917[36]
HA0 March 1918[35]
H38 January 1919[37]

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ McBride 1991, p. 44.
  2. ^ Friedman 2009, p. 132.
  3. ^ a b Johnston 2014, p. 189.
  4. ^ a b Parkes & Prendergast 1969, p. 109.
  5. ^ Friedman 2009, p. 157.
  6. ^ Preston 1985, pp. 76, 80.
  7. ^ March 1966, p. 174.
  8. ^ Friedman 2009, p. 156.
  9. ^ Friedman 2009, p. 150.
  10. ^ Friedman 2009, p. 152.
  11. ^ Preston 1985, p. 79.
  12. ^ Manning & Walker 1959, p. 288.
  13. ^ "Flotillas of the Grand Fleet". The Navy List: 12. October 1915. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  14. ^ Corbett 1920, p. 266.
  15. ^ Naval Staff Monograph No. 32 1927, p. 44.
  16. ^ Naval Staff Monograph No. 32 1927, p. 33.
  17. ^ Naval Staff Monograph No. 35 1939, p. 18.
  18. ^ Brooks 2016, p. 155.
  19. ^ Brooks 2016, p. 270.
  20. ^ Corbett 1920, p. 391.
  21. ^ Brooks 2016, p. 386.
  22. ^ Corbett 1920, p. 392.
  23. ^ Campbell 1998, p. 397.
  24. ^ Newbolt 1928, p. 1.
  25. ^ "VII. Coast of Ireland Station". Supplement to the Monthly Navy List: 17. October 1917. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  26. ^ Newbolt 1931, p. 103.
  27. ^ Newbolt 1928, p. 106.
  28. ^ Newbolt 1931, p. 162.
  29. ^ Newbolt 1931, p. 335.
  30. ^ "IX Coast of Ireland Station". Supplement to the Monthly Navy List: 18. October 1918. Retrieved 17 December 2022 – via National Library of Scotland.
  31. ^ Eaton & Haas 1989, p. 195.
  32. ^ Moretz 2002, p. 79.
  33. ^ "Marne", The Navy List, p. 813, July 1920, retrieved 1 February 2022 – via National Library of Scotland
  34. ^ Colledge & Warlow 2006, p. 217.
  35. ^ a b Bush & Warlow 2021, p. 78.
  36. ^ Dittmar & Colledge 1972, p. 65.
  37. ^ Bush & Warlow 2021, p. 72.

Bibliography

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  • Brooks, John (2016). The Battle of Jutland. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-15014-0.
  • Bush, Steve; Warlow, Ben (2021). Pendant Numbers of the Royal Navy: A Complete History of the Allocation of Pendant Numbers to Royal Navy Warships & Auxiliaries. Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-526793-78-2.
  • Campbell, John (1998). Jutland: An Analysis of the Fighting. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 978-0-85177-750-4.
  • Colledge, J.J.; Warlow, Ben (2006). Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of All Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy. London: Chatham Press. ISBN 978-1-93514-907-1.
  • Corbett, Julian S. (1920). Naval Operations: Volume III. History of the Great War. London: Longmans, Green and Co. OCLC 1049894619.
  • Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J. (1972). British Warships 1914–1919. Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 978-0-71100-380-4.
  • Eaton, John; Haas, Charles (1989). Falling Star, Misadventures of White Star Line Ships. Wellingborough: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-084-6.
  • Friedman, Norman (2009). British Destroyers: From Earliest Days to the First World War. Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-049-9.
  • Johnston, Ian (2014). A Shipyard at War: Unseen Photographs of John Brown & Co. Ltd, Clydebank, 1914–18. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-189-1.
  • Manning, Thomas Davys; Walker, Charles Frederick (1959). British Warship Names. London: Putnam. OCLC 780274698.
  • March, Edgar J. (1966). British Destroyers: A History of Development, 1892–1953; Drawn by Admiralty Permission From Official Records & Returns, Ships' Covers & Building Plans. London: Seeley Service. OCLC 164893555.
  • McBride, Keith (1991). "British 'M' Class Destroyers of 1913–14". In Gardiner, Robert (ed.). Warship 1991. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 34–49. ISBN 978-0-85177-582-1.
  • Monograph No. 32: Lowestoft Raid: 24th – 25th April, 1916 (PDF). Naval Staff Monographs (Historical). Vol. XVI. The Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division. 1927.
  • Monograph No. 35: Home Waters—Part IX.: 1st May, 1917 to 31st July, 1917 (PDF). Naval Staff Monographs (Historical). Vol. XIX. The Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division. 1939.
  • Moretz, Joseph (2002). The Royal Navy and the Capital Ship in the Interwar Period. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-71465-196-5.
  • Newbolt, Henry (1928). Naval Operations: Volume IV. History of the Great War. London: Longmans, Green and Co. OCLC 1049894132.
  • Newbolt, Henry (1931). Naval Operations: Volume V. History of the Great War. London: Longmans, Green and Co. OCLC 220475309.
  • Parkes, Oscar; Prendergast, Maurice (1969). Jane's Fighting Ships 1919. Newton Abbott: David & Charles. OCLC 907574860.
  • Preston, Antony (1985). "Great Britain and Empire Forces". In Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Randal (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 1–104. ISBN 978-0-85177-245-5.
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