HMS M24
Encyclopedia
HMS M24 was a First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
M15-class
M15 class monitor
The M15-class comprised fourteen monitors of the Royal Navy, all built and launched during 1915.- Design :The ships of this class were ordered in March, 1915, as part of the Emergency War Programme of ship construction...
monitor. After service in the Dover Patrol
Dover Patrol
The Dover Patrol was a Royal Navy command of the First World War, notable for its involvement in the Zeebrugge Raid on 22 April 1918. The Dover Patrol formed a discrete unit of the Royal Navy based at Dover and Dunkirk for the duration of the First World War...
, she was also served in the British intervention in Russia in 1919. She was sold in mercantile service in 1920.
Design
Intended as a shore bombardment vessel, M24s primary armament was a single 9.2 inch Mk VI gunBL 9.2 inch gun Mk I - VII
The BL 9.2 inch guns Mk I - Mk VII were a family of early British heavy breechloading naval and coast defence guns in service from 1881 to the end of World War I...
removed from the HMS Endymion
HMS Endymion (1891)
HMS Endymion was a first class cruiser of the Edgar class. She was launched on 22 July 1891. She took part in suppressing the Boxer Rebellion in China, during which time future rear admiral and VC recipient Eric Gascoigne Robinson served aboard her...
. In addition to her 9.2 inch gun, she also possessed one 12 pounder
QF 12 pounder 12 cwt naval gun
The QF 12 pounder 12 cwt gun was a common calibre naval gun introduced in 1894 and used until the middle of the 20th century. It was produced by Armstrong Whitworth, Elswick and used on Royal Navy warships, and exported to allied countries...
and one six pound anti-aircraft gun
QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss
The QF 6 pounder Hotchkiss was a light 57 mm naval gun and coast defence gun of the late 19th century used by many countries, and was adapted for use in the early British tanks in World War I.- Canada History :...
. Due to the shortage of diesel engines, she was instead equipped with four cylinder paraffin engines from the Campbell Gas Co. Producing 640 horse power, these allowed a top speed of eleven knots. The monitor's crew consisted of sixty nine officers and men.
Construction
HMS M24 ordered in March, 1915, as part of the Emergency War Programme of ship construction. She was laid down at the Sir Raylton Dixon & Co.Sir Raylton Dixon
Sir Raylton Dixon , was a shipbuilder at Middlesbrough on the River Tees. He was one of the seven children of Jeremiah Dixon and Mary Frank of Cockfield, County Durham who were married on 21 July 1833 in St. Cuthberts, Darlington...
Ltd shipyard at Govan
Govan
Govan is a district and former burgh now part of southwest City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south bank of the River Clyde, opposite the mouth of the River Kelvin and the district of Partick....
in March 1915, launched on 9 August 1915, and completed in October 1915.
World War 1
M24 served in the Dover PatrolDover Patrol
The Dover Patrol was a Royal Navy command of the First World War, notable for its involvement in the Zeebrugge Raid on 22 April 1918. The Dover Patrol formed a discrete unit of the Royal Navy based at Dover and Dunkirk for the duration of the First World War...
from October 1915 to June 1918. M24 had her main 9.2in gun removed early in 1916, as it was required for artillery use on the Western Front
Western Front
Western Front was a term used during the First and Second World Wars to describe the contested armed frontier between lands controlled by Germany to the east and the Allies to the west...
, and a BL 7.5 inches (190.5 mm) Mk III 50-caliber gun
BL 7.5 inch Mk II - V naval gun
The BL 7.5 inch guns Mk II - Mk V were a variety of 50 calibres naval guns used by Britain in World War I. They all had similar performance and fired the same shells.-Mark II:...
was fitted in lieu.
Russia
M24 next saw service in support of the North Russian Expeditionary Force. Prior to departure, she had her two QF 2-pounder Mark IIQF 2 pounder naval gun
The 2-pounder gun, officially designated the QF 2-pounder and universally known as the pom-pom, was a 1.575 inch British autocannon, used famously as an anti-aircraft gun by the Royal Navy. The name came from the sound that the original models make when firing...
and her 12pdr (76mm) QF Mk 1 gun
QF 12 pounder 12 cwt naval gun
The QF 12 pounder 12 cwt gun was a common calibre naval gun introduced in 1894 and used until the middle of the 20th century. It was produced by Armstrong Whitworth, Elswick and used on Royal Navy warships, and exported to allied countries...
replaced by AA guns. She remained in the White Sea
White Sea
The White Sea is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the northeast. The whole of the White Sea is under Russian sovereignty and considered to be part of...
until September, 1919