Medea-class destroyer
World War I class of Greek navy destroyers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Medea class were a class of destroyers that were being built for the Greek Navy at the outbreak of World War I but were taken over and completed for the Royal Navy for wartime service. All were named after characters from Greek mythology as result of their Greek heritage.
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'Medea'-class destroyer | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders | |
| Operators |  Royal Navy |
| Built | 1914–1915 |
| In commission | 1915–1921 |
| Completed | 4 |
| Lost | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Destroyer |
| Displacement | 1,040 long tons (1,060 t) |
| Length | 273 ft 6 in (83.4 m) |
| Beam | 26 ft 6 in (8.1 m) |
| Draught | 10 ft 6 in (3.2 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 3 shafts; steam turbines |
| Speed | 32 kn (59 km/h; 37 mph) |
| Complement | 80 |
| Armament |
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The Medeas were a private design roughly similar to their various Royal Navy M-class contemporaries. They had three funnels, the foremost of which was taller, and unusually, the mainmast was taller than the foremast, giving rise to a distinctive appearance. They shipped three single QF 4 inch guns, one on the forecastle, one between the first two funnels and the third on the quarterdeck.
Ships
| Name | Ship Builder | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medea (ex-Kriti) | John Brown & Company, Clydebank | 8 April 1914 | 30 January 1915 | May 1915 | Sold for breaking up, 9 May 1921 |
| Medusa (ex-Lesbos) | John Brown, Clydebank | 1914 | 27 March 1915 | 1915 | Rammed and sunk by HMS Laverock off of Schleswig, 25 March 1916 |
| Melampus (ex-Chios) | Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan | 1914 | 16 December 1914 | 29 June 1915 | Sold for breaking up, 22 September 1921 |
| Melpomene (ex-Samos) | Fairfield, Govan | 1914 | 1 February 1915 | 16 August 1915, | Sold for breaking up, 9 May 1921 |
Bibliography
- Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben & Bush, Steve (2020). Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy from the 15th Century to the Present (5th revised and updated ed.). Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-5267-9327-0.
- Friedman, Norman (2009). British Destroyers From Earliest Days to the Second World War. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-081-8.
- March, Edgar J. (1966). British Destroyers: A History of Development, 1892–1953; Drawn by Admiralty Permission From Official Records & Returns, Ships' Covers & Building Plans. Seeley Service. OCLC 164893555.
- Destroyers of the Royal Navy, 1893-1981, Maurice Cocker, 1983, Ian Allan ISBN 0-7110-1075-7
- Jane's Fighting Ships, 1919, Jane's Publishing
- Preston, Antony (1985). "Great Britain and Empire Forces". In Gray, Randal (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Naval Institute Press. pp. 1–104. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.