HMS ''M23'' was a

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

monitor Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, Wes ...

. After service in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

and the

Dover Patrol The Dover Patrol and later known as the Dover Patrol Force was a Royal Navy command of the First World War, notable for its involvement in the Zeebrugge Raid on 22 April 1918. The Dover Patrol formed a discrete unit of the Royal Navy based at Dov ...

, she was also served in the British intervention in Russia in 1919. Converted to the RNVR drillship ''Claverhouse'' in 1922, she served in that capacity at "Leith" until 1958.

Design

Intended as a shore bombardment vessel, ''M23''s primary armament was a single 9.2 inch Mk VI gun removed from the HMS ''Grafton''. In addition to her 9.2-inch gun, she also possessed one 12 pounder and one six pound anti-aircraft gun. She was equipped with a four-shaft Bolinder four-cylinder semi-diesel engine with 640 horsepower that allowed a top speed of eleven knots. The monitor's crew consisted of sixty-nine officers and men.

Construction

HMS ''M23'' ordered in March, 1915, as part of the

War Emergency Programme War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of State (polity), states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or betwe ...

of ship construction. She was laid down at the Sir Raylton Dixon & Co. Ltd shipyard at

Govan Govan ( ; Cumbric: ''Gwovan''; Scots language, Scots: ''Gouan''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'') is a district, parish, and former burgh now part of southwest Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the sout ...

in March 1915, launched on 17 June 1915, and completed in July 1915.

World War 1

''M23'' served initially in the

from October 1915. On her return from the Mediterranean in May 1917, ''M23'' had her main 9.2 in gun removed, as it was required for artillery use on the Western Front, and a BL Mk III 50-caliber gun was fitted in lieu. ''M23'' then served with the

from June 1917 to June 1918.

Russia

''M23'' next saw service in support of the North Russian Expeditionary Force. Prior to departure, she had her two QF 2-pounder Mark II and her 12-pdr (76 mm) QF Mk 1 gun replaced by AA guns.

RNVR Claverhouse

''M23'' returned to

Sheerness Sheerness () is a port town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 13,249, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby ...

in November 1919. In August 1922 she moved to

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

, where she became a

Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Roya ...

(RNVR) drillship, and was renamed ''Claverhouse'' on 16 December 1922. She served in this capacity until sold in 1959. She arrived at

Charlestown, Fife Charlestown (also known as Charlestown-on-Forth) is a village in Fife, Scotland. It lies on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, around west of Limekilns and south-west of Dunfermline. The village is known for its historic 18th century li ...

on 21 April 1959 for breaking up.

Citations

References

* *Dittmar, F. J. & Colledge, J. J., "British Warships 1914–1919", (Ian Allan, London, 1972), {{DEFAULTSORT:M23 M15-class monitors 1915 ships World War I monitors of the United Kingdom Royal Navy ship names