H.M.S. Princess Margaret (1914)
| H.M.S. Princess Margaret (1914) | |
|---|---|
| Pendant Number: | P.46 (Jan 1915)[1] |
| Builder: | William Denny & Brothers[2] |
| Launched: | 1914[3] |
| Requisitioned: | 26 Dec, 1914[4] |
| Sold: | 30 May, 1929[5] |
| Fate: | Broken up |
H.M.S. Princess Margaret was an ocean liner taken up for service as a minelayer in the Royal Navy.
Her sister ship, Princess Irene was also employed in the same capacity, but was lost to an explosion after a short career.
Service
In March, 1915, she and her sister were began serving with the Minelayer Squadron, then six ships strong.[6]
With the squadron being four ships in number, Princess Margaret was made flagship of the squadron, bearing a Captain (M) in February, 1916.[7] In April 1917, she would cease carrying this special designation in the Navy Lists.
In May 1919, she was the only minelayer in the Home Fleet, again bearing a Captain (M). This arrangement would persist until at least June, 1919 and possibly quite some time beyond.[8]
At war's end, she was regarded as being the best minelayer in service, owing to her great radius of action (1500 miles at full speed), shallow draught and oil burning machinery. She was not without defects, however. Her speed was insufficient (even though hers was notably higher than average), she had a single drop point for her mines, she presented a big target with her high freeboard, and could not embark mines directly onto her rails aft, and forward required special low-freeboard barges to bring them alongside.[9]
She re-commissioned on 11 April, 1923 for service with the Atlantic Fleet.[10]
On 7 November, 1924, she collided with the Norwegian auxiliary vessel Marie Margaretha in the English Channel near Owers Light. The other vessel was lost.[11]
She paid off to a C & M Party on 17 May, 1927.[12]
Armament
Guns
Her guns were as follows.[13]
- two 4.7-in
- two 12-pdrs
- two 6-pdr H.A.
Mines
- 420 H.2 or Mark VIII sinker mines[14]
Captains
Dates of appointment are provided when known.
- Captain Frederick S. Litchfield-Speer, June, 1915 – January, 1916
- Commander Lockhart Leith, 2 January, 1916[15] – November, 1917
- Captain Cyril Peel, 5 November, 1917 – January, 1918
- Captain Harry H. Smyth, 3 January, 1918[16][17] – 9 November, 1919[18]
- Captain Walter E. Woodward, 9 November, 1919[19] – 20 January, 1920
- Captain Robert A. Hornell, 6 March, 1923[20] – 21 April, 1925
- Captain Leonard L. P. Willan, 21 April, 1925[21] – 8 August, 1927[22]
See Also
Footnotes
- ↑ Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 118.
- ↑ Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 118.
- ↑ This year may be incorrect.
- ↑ Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 118.
- ↑ Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 118.
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (March, 1915). p. 11.
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (March, 1916). p. 14.
- ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (May, 1919). p. 12.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, Mining Appendix, 1917-18. p. 12.
- ↑ The Navy List. (April, 1925). p. 260.
- ↑ "Collision in the Channel." The Times (London, England), 8 Nov. 1924, p. 9.
- ↑ The Navy List. (July, 1927). p. 260.
- ↑ Dittmar; Colledge. British Warships 1914–1919. p. 118.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, Mining Appendix, 1917-18. p. 12, Plate 7.
- ↑ The Navy List. (August, 1917). p. 401y.
- ↑ Smyth Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/287. ff. 227, 287.
- ↑ The Navy List. (January, 1919). p. 1002-3.
- ↑ Smyth Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/287. ff. 227, 287.
- ↑ "Naval Appointments." The Times (London, England), 12 Nov. 1919, p. 22.
- ↑ The Navy List. (April, 1925). p. 260.
- ↑ Willan Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/44/322. f. 322.
- ↑ Willan Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/44/322. f. 322.
Bibliography
| Minelayer H.M.S. Princess Margaret | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
