...the "M" Class destroyer! Over 100 were built between 1914 and the end of the war. They were highly successful, but were all scrapped after the end of the war .... being worn out and obsolete compared to newer, bigger Royal Navy destroyers.
Below is the "M" Class HMS "Mary Rose" - a ship that became famous in the war for all the wrong reasons. Fittingly, I am working on this model almost on the anniversary of "Mary Rose's" last battle.
By October 1917 the convoy system was slowly but surely defeating the U-Boats. To protect trade between Scandinavia and the UK, the Royal Navy deployed large numbers of DD's and armed trawlers to shepherd merchant vessels on the Norway - England route.
On October 16, 1917 the regular Scandinavia convoy of 12 freighters sailed West, with "Mary Rose", her sister destroyer "Strongbow", and two armed trawlers as escort .... more than enough to deal with any submarine.
Unfortunately for the British, the German cruisers "Brummer" and "Bremse" were in the area - information about their raid was not passed on to "Mary Rose's" commander. On the morning of October 17, "Mary Rose" challenged the Germans at close range, mistaking them for British cruisers ... and got blown out of the water in a hail of gunfire. Her gunners bravely returned fire but were soon forced overboard as she sank beneath them. "Strongbow" was also sunk in minutes, and the raiders went on to annihilate the convoy. Only three cargo ships escaped. Out of Mary Rose's 100 crew, only 10 men reached shore in a damaged lifeboat. In all, more than 250 sailors were killed, and the German raiders escaped with no loss.
Photo of Mary Rose's crew is courtesy of the author Kristen den Hartog.
Almost exactly 105 years later, the sacrifice of "Mary Rose" and her brave men is almost forgotten - probably because it was such an embarrassing defeat for the Royal Navy. May the men of "Mary Rose" RIP as their anniversary approaches.
My model of the "M" class has several errors and still needs some parts and crew figures, but it is much better than the previous version IMHO ... I am a slow learner but I learn.
