HMS Munster
Design and development
Munster was one of the sixteen Admiralty M-class destroyers ordered by the British Admiralty in September 1914 as part of the First War Programme. The M class was an improved version of the earlier L-class, required to reach a higher speed in order to counter rumoured new German fast destroyers. The remit was to have a maximum speed of 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph) and, although ultimately the destroyers fell short of that ambition in service, the extra performance that was achieved was valued by the navy. It transpired that the German warships did not exist.
The destroyer had a length of 265 ft (80.8 m) between perpendiculars and 273 ft 4 in (83.3 m) overall, with a beam of 26 ft 8 in (8.1 m) and draught of 8 ft 11 in (2.7 m). Displacement was 971 long tons (987 t) normal. Power was provided by three Yarrow boilers feeding Brown-Curtiss rated at 23,000 shaft horsepower (17,000 kW), driving three shafts and exhausting through three funnels. Design speed was 34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph), although Munster managed 33.88 knots (62.75 km/h; 38.99 mph) on 22,500 shp (16,800 kW) during trials. A total of 228 long tons (232 t) of oil was carried. Design range was 2,530 nautical miles (4,690 km; 2,910 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph), but actual endurance in service was less; sister ship Murray had a range of 2,240 nautical miles (4,150 km; 2,580 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).
Munster had a main armament consisting of three single QF 4-inch (102 mm) Mk IV guns on the centreline, with one on the forecastle, one aft on a raised platform and one between the middle and aft funnels. Torpedo armament consisted of two twin torpedo tubes for 21 in (533 mm) torpedoes located aft of the funnels. Two single 1-pounder 37 mm (1.5 in) "pom-pom" anti-aircraft guns were carried. The anti-aircraft guns were later replaced by 2-pdr 40 mm (1.6 in) "pom-pom" guns. The ship had a complement of 80 officers and ratings.
Construction and career
Munster was laid down by John I. Thornycroft & Company at their yard in Woolston, Southampton in November 1914, was launched on 24 November the following year and was completed three months later in January 1916. The vessel was the only vessel in the Royal Navy to be named after the Irish province of Munster, previously the Kingdom of Munster.
Munster was deployed as part of the Grand Fleet, joining the Twelfth Destroyer Flotilla. On 26 and 27 February, the flotilla took part in a large naval exercise east of Shetland, involving four flotillas of destroyers, as well as all the operational battlecruisers, battleships and cruisers of the Grand Fleet. The exercise was deemed a success. Two days later, the armed merchantman Alcantara sank after attacking the German merchant raider Grief. Munster and the light cruiser Comus left Scapa Flow and sped to the site of the conflict. Fearing submarine attacks, the warships initially held back and sank the German warship with gunfire. The destroyer subsequently rescued 200 survivors and, along with the surgeon from Alcantara, John Berry, returned to port.
On 30 May, the destroyer sailed with the Grand Fleet to confront the German High Seas Fleet in what would be the Battle of Jutland, forming part of the First Half of the Flotilla that was led by Faulknor and included sister ships Maenad, Marvel and Mindful. The destroyer was deployed in action against the German light cruisers, but lagged behind the main division and so did not participate in the action. However, in the battle melee, the division also got within the range of the main batteries of the battleships and battlecruisers which were at the centre of the action. The destroyer took up a defensive position between the British battleships and battlecruisers. Shortly afterwards, the division saw the approaching line of the German Third Torpedo Boat Flotilla and attacked. The destroyer, along with the rest of the flotilla, sank the torpedo boat V48, previously disabled by the destroyer Shark. Munster was undamaged in the action.
The flotilla returned to Scapa Flow on 2 June. A few days later, Munster joined the unsuccessful search for the armoured cruiser Hampshire, sunk by a German mine off the coast of Mainland, Orkney. The destroyer remained part of the Twelfth Destroyer Flotilla on 19 August, based at Scapa Flow. On 17 June 1917, Munster, along with Strongbow, was sent out to assist the merchant ship Queen Adelaide, which had seen a submarine. The destroyers failed to find the ship, which was sunk by U-70. On 16 November, the destroyer was deployed as part of a screen for the First Battle Squadron to take part in the Second Battle of Heligoland Bight. The warship saw no action in the battle.
At the end of the war, Munster was part of the Third Destroyer Flotilla. After the Armistice that ended the war, the Royal Navy returned to a peacetime level of strength and both the number of ships and personnel needed to be reduced to save money. The destroyer was transferred to reserve at Portsmouth. However, the harsh conditions of wartime operations, particularly the combination of high speed and the poor weather that is typical of the North Sea, exacerbated by the fact that the hull was not galvanised, meant that the ship was soon worn out. Munster was declared superfluous to operational requirements, retired, and, on 15 November 1921, was sold to Cashmore of Newport, Wales, and broken up.
Pennant numbers
| Pennant number | Date |
|---|---|
| G33 | January 1917 |
| G7A | June 1918 |
| G35 | January 1919 |
| H8C | August 1918 |
References
Citations
- ^ McBride 1991, p. 45.
- ^ Friedman 2009, p. 132.
- ^ Friedman 2009, p. 296.
- ^ Parkes & Prendergast 1969, p. 109.
- ^ McBride 1991, p. 44.
- ^ Preston 1985, pp. 76, 80.
- ^ March 1966, p. 174.
- ^ Preston 1985, p. 76.
- ^ Friedman 2009, p. 308.
- ^ Manning & Walker 1959, p. 306.
- ^ Colledge & Warlow 2006, p. 236.
- ^ "Destroyer Flotillas of the Grand Fleet". Supplement to the Monthly Navy List: 12. January 1916. Retrieved 5 June 2023 – via National Library of Scotland.
- ^ Poolman 1985, p. 60.
- ^ Poolman 1985, p. 59.
- ^ Corbett 1920, p. 272.
- ^ Poolman 1985, p. 61.
- ^ Brooks 2016, pp. 155.
- ^ Brooks 2016, pp. 417–419.
- ^ Campbell 1998, p. 297.
- ^ Corbett 1920, p. 397.
- ^ Jutland: Official Despatches 1920, pp. 331–332.
- ^ Newbolt 1928, p. 1.
- ^ Newbolt 1931, p. 169.
- ^ Newbolt 1931, p. 177.
- ^ "Destroyer Flotillas of the Grand Fleet". Supplement to the Monthly Navy List: 12. October 1918. Retrieved 5 June 2023 – via National Library of Scotland.
- ^ Moretz 2002, p. 79.
- ^ "V Vessels in Reserve at Home Ports and Other Bases". The Supplement to the Monthly Navy List: 16. July 1919. Retrieved 5 June 2023 – via National Library of Scotland.
- ^ Preston 1985, p. 80.
- ^ Bush & Warlow 2021, p. 63.
- ^ Bush & Warlow 2021, p. 68.
- ^ Bush & Warlow 2021, p. 78.
Bibliography
- Battle of Jutland, 30 May to 1 June 1916: Official Despatches with Appendices. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office. 1920.
- Brooks, John (2016). The Battle of Jutland. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-15014-0.
- Bush, Steve; Warlow, Ben (2021). Pendant Numbers of the Royal Navy: A Complete History of the Allocation of Pendant Numbers to Royal Navy Warships & Auxiliaries. Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-526793-78-2.
- Campbell, John (1998). Jutland: An Analysis of the Fighting. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 978-0-85177-750-4.
- Colledge, James Joseph; Warlow, Ben (2006). Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of All Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy. London: Chatham Press. ISBN 978-1-93514-907-1.
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- McBride, Keith (1991). "British 'M' Class Destroyers of 1913–14". In Gardiner, Robert (ed.). Warship 1991. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 34–49. ISBN 978-0-85177-582-1.
- Monograph No. 31: Home Waters Part VI: From October 1915 to May 1916 (PDF). Naval Staff Monographs (Historical). Vol. XV. Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division. 1926.
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- Newbolt, Henry (1928). Naval Operations: Volume IV. History of the Great War. London: Longmans, Green and Co. OCLC 1049894132.
- Newbolt, Henry (1931). Naval Operations: Volume V. History of the Great War. London: Longmans, Green and Co. OCLC 220475309.
- Parkes, Oscar; Prendergast, Maurice (1969). Jane's Fighting Ships 1919. Newton Abbott: David & Charles. OCLC 907574860.
- Preston, Antony (1985). "Great Britain and Empire Forces". In Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Randal (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 1–104. ISBN 978-0-85177-245-5.
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