HMS ''M29'' was a

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 ...

of the

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 ...

. The ship was constructed by

Harland & Wolff Harland & Wolff Holdings plc is a British shipbuilding and Metal fabrication, fabrication company headquartered in London with sites in Belfast, Arnish yard, Arnish, Appledore, Torridge, Appledore and Methil. It specialises in ship repair, ship ...

, in

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

and launched on 22 May 1915, she was completed in June 1915. During

World War I 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 ...

, the monitor served in the

Mediterranean Sea 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 Eur ...

at the Battle of Jaffa in 1917 and took part in operations in support of British and White Russian forces in the

White Sea The White Sea (; Karelian language, Karelian and ; ) is a southern inlet of the Barents Sea located on the northwest coast of Russia. It is surrounded by Karelia to the west, the Kola Peninsula to the north, and the Kanin Peninsula to the nort ...

during the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

in 1919. The ship was then converted to a

minelayer A minelayer is any warship, submarine, military aircraft or land vehicle deploying explosive mines. Since World War I the term "minelayer" refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines. "Mine planting" was the term for ins ...

and renamed HMS ''Medusa'' in 1925. In 1941 ''Medusa'' was converted to a

repair The technical meaning of maintenance involves functional checks, servicing, repairing or replacing of necessary devices, equipment, machinery, building infrastructure and supporting utilities in industrial, business, and residential installat ...

and

depot ship A depot ship is an auxiliary ship used as a mobile or fixed base for submarines, destroyers, minesweepers, fast attack craft, landing craft, or other small ships with similarly limited space for maintenance equipment and crew dining, berthing an ...

and was renamed HMS ''Talbot'', then renamed HMS ''Medway II'' in 1944. In 1946, the vessel was sold for

scrap Scrap consists of recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap can have monetary value, especially recover ...

. However, the ship was given a reprieve and acquired by a Greek shipowner who rebuilt the vessel as a

cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's List of seas, seas and Ocean, oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. ...

in 1950–1951. The ship, renamed ''Gerogeorgakis'' was used for

smuggling Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. More broadly, soc ...

and was seized off Cavallo Island in 1971. The ship was then sold at auction and broken up for scrap in 1974.

Construction and career

The availability of ten 6-inch Mk XII guns from the s in 1915 prompted the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Tra ...

to order five scaled down versions of the s, which had been designed to utilise 9.2-inch guns. HMS ''M29'' and her sisters were ordered from

in March 1915. Launched on 22 May 1915, she was completed in June 1915. Upon completion, ''M29'' was sent to the Mediterranean, and took part in the Battle of Jaffa and remained there until December 1918. She served from May to September 1919 in support of British and White Russian forces in the

, before returning to England. In September 1923, ''M29'' was taken in hand for conversion to a

. Equipped to carry 52 mines, she was renamed HMS ''Medusa'' in December 1925. In May 1941, she was converted to a repair ship and became the

for the

10th Submarine Flotilla The 10th Submarine Flotilla was a Royal Navy submarine formation during World War I and during World War II In January 1915 it was based on the Humber but by January 1917 it had relocated to the Tees. During the Second World War it was formed at ...

, being renamed HMS ''Talbot''. Again renamed HMS ''Medway II'' in February 1944, she became the depot ship for the 1st Submarine Flotilla. She was finally sold in December 1946 for breaking up at

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

. Resold circa 1950 to Spyros Theodoratos, Greece and registered on January 21, 1951, at Lavrion (Nr. 7) as ''Gerogeogakis''. Rebuilt at Perama as cargo motorship. Sold in 1956 to Elpida & Panagiotis Leivadas. On 16 November 1971 ''Gerogeogakis'' was intercepted off Cavallo Island, Corse, with a cargo of 12 tons of smuggled cigarettes. Seized and auctioned in 1974 for breaking up at Vado Ligure.

References

* Young, John. A Dictionary of Ships of the Royal Navy of the Second World War. Patrick Stephens Ltd, Cambridge, 1975. * Lenton, H.T. & Colledge, J. J. Warships of World War II, Ian Allan, London, 1973. * Dittmar, F. J. & Colledge, J. J., "British Warships 1914-1919", (Ian Allan, London, 1972), * Gray, Randal (ed), "Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921", (Conway Maritime Press, London, 1985), * Bilalis, Aris, Monitors in the Aegean (Greek), Periplous Nautikis Istoria, Issue No. 113, Oct-Dec.2020, Maritime Museum of Greece. {{DEFAULTSORT:M29 M29-class monitors Ships built in Belfast 1915 ships World War I monitors of the United Kingdom Royal Navy ship names Ships built by Harland and Wolff