M class destroyer (1913)
HMS Pasley
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators: |
 Royal Navy
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| Preceded by: | L-class destroyer |
| Succeeded by: | R-class destroyer |
| Subclasses: | |
| Built: | 1914–1916 |
| In commission: | 1915–1923 |
| Completed: | 85 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 269 ft (82 m) |
| Beam: | 27 ft 6 in (8.38 m) |
| Draught: |
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| Propulsion: | 3 shafts, steam turbines, 25,000 shp (18,642 kW) |
| Speed: | 34 knots (39.1 mph; 63.0 km/h) |
| Range: | 237–298 tons fuel oil |
| Complement: | 80 |
| Armament: |
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The M class, more properly known as the Admiralty M class, were a class of 85 destroyers built for the Royal Navy that saw service during World War I. All ships were built to an identical - Admiralty - design, hence the class name (25 other vessels of the 'M' class were built to variant designs by three specialist builders Thornycroft, Yarrow, and Hawthorn Leslie).
The Admiralty design was based on the preceding L class and all ships had three identical narrow, circular funnels.
Six vessels were built under the 1913-14 Naval Programme. These differed from the wartime vessels by being 1,010 tons full load, with slightly smaller dimensions.
Besides the above six vessels, three destroyers already under construction were purchased from Yarrow, two from Thornycroft and two from Hawthorn Leslie to these builders' individual designs, and these are listed in separate articles. Three further ships were projected under the 1914-15 Naval Programme - and named Marksman, Menace and Monitor; however these three ships were cancelled before being contracted to any specific builder, in favour of two Marksman-class leaders.
All the following vessels were ordered in five batches as part of the War Emergency Programme. Wartime builds omitted the cruising turbines originally specified and carried by the pre-war sub-group. The funnel heights were also raised compared with the pre-war vessels, and the second 4 in gun was mounted on a bandstand, as with the earlier L-class destroyers. Partridge, Norman, Maenad, Ophelia and Observer were later fitted to carry a kite balloon.
Sixteen vessels were ordered in September 1914 (as well as four of the Yarrow M class), but part of their cost was met by the provision in the 1914-15 Programme for ten destroyers.
Nine further vessels were ordered in early November 1914 (as well as one further Yarrow M class).
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