HMS M31
Encyclopedia
HMS M31 was an M29 class
monitor
of the Royal Navy
.
The availability of ten 6 inch Mk XII guns from the Queen Elizabeth class
battleships in 1915 prompted the Admiralty
to order five scaled down versions of the M15 class monitors
, which had been designed to utilise 9.2 inch guns. HMS M31 and her sisters were ordered from Harland & Wolff
, Belfast
in March 1915. Launched on 24 June 1915, she was completed in July 1915.
Upon completion, HMS M31 was sent to the Mediterranean, and remained there until March, 1919. In 1916, she defended the port city of Yenbo, in Saudi Arabia, against the Turkish army by providing artillery cover for the Arab rebels. She served from May to September 1919 in support of British and White Russian
forces in the White Sea
, before returning to England.
In September 1923, HMS M31 was taken in hand for conversion to a minelayer
. Equipped to carry 52 mines, she was renamed HMS Melpomene in December 1925. She was assigned to HMS Defiance the Torpedo School at Devonport
. In September, 1939 she was converted to a torpedo training vessel, fitted with one 21 inch torpedo tube on the forecastle
.
She was renamed HMS Menelaus in 1941, and was finally sold in 1948 and broken up at Llanelly
.
M29 class monitor
The M29-class comprised five monitors of the Royal Navy, 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...
monitor
Monitor (warship)
A monitor was a class of relatively small warship which was neither fast nor strongly armoured but carried disproportionately large guns. They were used by some navies from the 1860s until the end of World War II, and saw their final use by the United States Navy during the Vietnam War.The monitors...
of the 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...
.
The availability of ten 6 inch Mk XII guns from the Queen Elizabeth class
Queen Elizabeth class battleship
The Queen Elizabeth-class battleships were a class of five super-dreadnoughts of the Royal Navy. The lead ship was named after Elizabeth I of England...
battleships in 1915 prompted the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
to order five scaled down versions of the M15 class monitors
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...
, which had been designed to utilise 9.2 inch guns. HMS M31 and her sisters were ordered from Harland & Wolff
Harland and Wolff
Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries is a Northern Irish heavy industrial company, specialising in shipbuilding and offshore construction, located in Belfast, Northern Ireland....
, Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
in March 1915. Launched on 24 June 1915, she was completed in July 1915.
Upon completion, HMS M31 was sent to the Mediterranean, and remained there until March, 1919. In 1916, she defended the port city of Yenbo, in Saudi Arabia, against the Turkish army by providing artillery cover for the Arab rebels. She served from May to September 1919 in support of British and White Russian
White movement
The White movement and its military arm the White Army - known as the White Guard or the Whites - was a loose confederation of Anti-Communist forces.The movement comprised one of the politico-military Russian forces who fought...
forces 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...
, before returning to England.
In September 1923, HMS M31 was taken in hand for conversion to a minelayer
Minelayer
Minelaying is the act of deploying explosive mines. Historically this has been carried out by ships, submarines and aircraft. Additionally, since World War I the term minelayer refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines...
. Equipped to carry 52 mines, she was renamed HMS Melpomene in December 1925. She was assigned to HMS Defiance the Torpedo School at Devonport
HMNB Devonport
Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport , is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy . HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport, in the west of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England...
. In September, 1939 she was converted to a torpedo training vessel, fitted with one 21 inch torpedo tube on the forecastle
Forecastle
Forecastle refers to the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters...
.
She was renamed HMS Menelaus in 1941, and was finally sold in 1948 and broken up at Llanelly
Llanelly
Llanelly is the name of both a village and its respective parish in Monmouthshire principal area, within the historic boundaries of Brecknockshire, south-east Wales.- Situation :...
.