Medea-class destroyer
Appearance
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![]() 'Medea'-class destroyer
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Class overview | |
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Builders | |
Operators | ![]() |
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 (83.36 m) |
Beam | 26 ft 6 in (8.08 m) |
Draught | 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 32 knots (37 mph; 59 km/h) |
Endurance | 270 tons oil |
Complement | 80 |
Armament |
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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.
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 |
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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) | Fairfields, Govan | 1914 | 1 February 1915 | 16 August 1915, | Sold for breaking up 9 May 1921. |
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