- Thornycroft M class destroyer
The Thornycroft M or "Mastiff" class were a class of six
destroyer s completed for theRoyal Navy during 1914-16 forWorld War I service. They were quite different from the Admiralty-designed ships of the Admiralty M class class, although based on a basic sketch layout provided by the Admiralty from whichJ I Thornycroft developed their own design. Like the 'standard' Admiralty M class they had 3 funnels, but the centre funnel was thicker in the Thornycroft ships. The midships 4 in gun was shipped between the 2nd and 3rd funnels. "Patriot" was fitted to carry akite balloon .hips
Two ships were ordered (contracted) on
1 February 1913 , two more on26 February 1915 and the last two on15 May 1915 .
*"Meteor" - laid down8 May 1913 , launched24 July 1914 , completed15 September 1914 . Sold for breaking up9 May 1921 .
*"Mastiff" - laid down10 July 1913 , launched5 September 1914 , completed12 November 1914 . Sold for breaking up9 May 1921 .
*"Patrician" - laid down3 June 1915 , launched5 June 1916 , completed4 August 1916 . Transferred toRoyal Canadian Navy in September 1920, subsequently scrapped in 1929 atEsquinalt .
*"Patriot" - laid down15 July 1915 , launched20 April 1916 , completed27 June 1916 . Transferred toRoyal Canadian Navy in September 1920, subsequently sold for breaking up in 1929 at Briton Ferry.
*"Rapid" - laid down12 August 1915 , launched15 July 1916 , completed19 September 1916 . Sold for breaking up20 April 1927 .
*"Ready" - laid down2 September 1915 , launched26 August 1916 , completed31 October 1916 . Sold for breaking up13 July 1926 .Note Thornycroft also built six other 'M' class destroyers for the Royal Navy - "Michael", "Milbrook", "Minion" and "Munster", all ordered on
20 September 1914 , and "Nepean" and "Nereus", both ordered on20 November 1914 ; however these were to the Admiralty 'M' design and are included with the article on that large group of destroyers.Bibliography
*"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.
*"The Thornycroft List", 1981 (unpublished compilation of J.I.Thornycroft records).
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