Medea

History

Profile of HMS Medea, date and location unknown.

Design

The Medea-class destroyers were a product of the waning contention between Greece and the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century. Especially after the First Balkan War, the Greek Navy placed an order for new warships from France and Britain. Specifically, they ordered a near identical version of the British M-class destroyers coming into service at the time.

The British Board of Admiralty conceived the M-class destroyers in 1913. They were based off the preceding Laforey-class destroyers, but with alterations made to the dimensions, and machinery.

The biggest change was the incorporation of the newer boilers designed by Yarrow & Company. Furthermore, some of the M-class destroyers added one more turbine than their predecessors, to three total. All of this meant that during speed trials, the class of destroyers added more than 6 knots to their total speed.

The armament was identical to the ones pioneered on the Laforey-class. Main armament consisted of three of the newer 4-inch/45 QF Mk VII guns, with two dual 533mm torpedo tube launchers; which was a quite heavy barrage for its time. The anti-aircraft suite was improved from 37mm guns to 40mm guns.

There were some differences to the Greek destroyers, compared to their British counterparts. The Greek ships had a taller fore funnel where as the British equivalents had equal-sized funnels. The mainmast was taller than the foremast; a practice not common till later in the century. The main guns were placed uniquely on the Medea-class; one on the forecastle, one abaft the fore funnel, and one of the quarterdecks. Both ships had the three boilers organized between two rooms; a large room housing two, and a smaller room housing one. The Greek ships had the large boiler room beside the single engine room, with the smaller boiler room front, whereas the British ships had the smaller room beside the engine room with the larger room front.

Service

Two separate firms – John Brown & Company, and Fairfield Shipbuilding – built all four ships. All were ordered on April 1914, but with the First World War commencing just two months after, the Royal Navy purchased the entire class from the Greek Navy by August 1914.

All four ships were commissioned as part of the well-known Harwich Force. At the beginning of the War, the Admiralty was keenly aware of the threat posed by any German raids entering the Channel form either end with the goal of harassing civilian and merchant traffic. The Harwich Striking Force was a collection of cruisers and destroyers stationed from the eponymous town in order to guard the southern entrance to the Channel from enemy raiders and to provide escort for maritime trade approaching and departing the Thames.

HMS Medea
She was completed on June 1915 and was part of the 10th Destroyer Flotilla, as part of the Harwich Force. She survived the war and was scrapped in 1921.

HMS Medusa
She was completed in July 1915 and was part of the Harwich Force. She was tragically lost in 1916 when destroyer HMS Laverock rammed her during a counter-raid against a German airship.

HMS Melampus
She was completed in June of 1915 and joined the Harwich Force as a tender for the 8th Submarine Flotilla. In April 1917 she accidentally rammed the C-class submarine C-16, which was lost with all hands on board. She survived the war and was scrapped in 1921.