Marshal Ney-class monitor

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Marshal Ney with guns trained to starboard
Class overview
NameMarshal Ney class
BuildersPalmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company
Operators Royal Navy
Preceded byLord Clive class
Succeeded byGorgon class
In service1915–1957
In commission1915
Completed2
General characteristics [1]
TypeMonitor
Displacement
  • 6,670 tons (Standard)
  • 6,900 tons (Full load)
Length355 ft (108 m)
Beam90 ft (27 m)
Draught10 ft 5 in (3.18 m)
PropulsionDiesel engines (MAN for Ney, Vickers for Soult), 2 shafts, 1,500 hp
Speed
  • 9 knots (17 km/h) designed
  • 6 knots (11 km/h) best actual
Complement187
Armament
  • 2 ×
    15-inch main guns
    in a single turret
  • 8 ×
    4 in (100 mm)
    guns
  • 2 × single mount
    3-inch (76 mm) guns
  • 2 ×
    12-pounders
Armour
  • Turret: 13 in (330 mm)
  • Barbette: 8 in (203 mm)
  • Belt: 4 in (102 mm)

The Marshal Ney class was a class of monitor built for the Royal Navy during the First World War.

Design and development

The need for monitors for shelling enemy positions from the

Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult and Michel Ney
.

For machinery the two monitors received diesel engines, which were then a novelty – the majority of ships being steam powered. The use of diesels meant that they had no need of boiler rooms which went well with a low draught, nor of large funnels which reduced the amount of superstructure. These engines were originally designed for much smaller freighters and therefore they proved particularly slow and unreliable.

The turret was on multi-sided barbette made of individual flat plates, cutting down on the build time. The 4-inch (102 mm) guns were disposed along her sides for protection from smaller vessels, the 3-inch (76 mm) guns being for anti-aircraft use.

Ships

Marshal Ney underway 26 August 1915
Built by
Palmers
, Newcastle
Launched June 1915
Completed August 1915
Served with the Dover Monitor Squadron, after the war became a gunnery training ship. At the start of World War II she was considered for recommissioning but instead her turret was removed for a new monitor, Abercrombie, and she became a headquarters ship. She was paid off and scrapped in 1946
Built by
Palmers
, Newcastle
Launched August 1915
Completed November 1915
After trials the turret was removed for Erebus and she was regunned with 6- and 4-inch (102 mm) guns and acted as a guardship until the end of the war. She later acted as a depot ship gaining onshore buildings, and was renamed Alaunia II and was only finally scrapped in 1957

References

  1. ^ Conway, All The World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921

Bibliography