The M class submarines were a small class of Diesel electric submarine used by the British Royal Navy during World War I. The main distinguishing feature of the M class was a 12_inch gun mounted in a turret forward of the conning tower. The intention was that merchant ships could be engaged on the surface using the gun, rather than torpedoes. As many more 12_inch shells could be carried than torpedoes this seemed a good idea, however in practice they were not very successful and only three were made between 1917 and 1918. M_class submarines are sometimes called submarine monitors.
M1 was the only one to see active service during World War I. She was lost with all hands while on exercise in the English Channel after a collision with a Swedish collier SS Vidar on 12 November1925.
M2 was converted to a seaplane carrier in 1925, a hangar replacing the gun turret. She was lost off Chesil Beach on 26 January1933. It is thought that the hangar door was opened prematurely.
The wreck of the M1 was discovered by a diving team lead by Innes McCartney in 1999 at a depth of 73m. Later that year the wreck was visited again by Richard Larn and a BBC TV documentary crew, and the resulting film was aired in March 2000.
Reference
Martin H. Brice M-class Submarines, Outline Publications, 1983, ISBN 0946784000
External links
Submariners Association page with details including politics and tactics (http://www.hillbeck.plus.com/sa/Boats/Barrowbuilt/M_Class/)
Maidstone Sub Aqua 427 (http://www.msac.org.uk/wrecks/affray.htm) - Innes McCartney History and details of discovery of wreck of M1
Known as the conning tower on older submarines, the sail of a modern nuclear submarine houses periscopes, radar and radio masts, snorkel, and diving planes.
To submerge the submarine, water is admitted to the ballast tanks in sufficient quantities to sink it to the desired depth.
With the development of the periscope and the self-propelled torpedo, the submarine became a formidable factor in naval warfare.
Victor III was the first class of Russian submarine to be built with this new mentality, armed with torpedoes, subrocs, cruise and supersonic missiles they posed a significant threat to NATO sea power.
Graney classsubmarines continue its design and are respected as some of the finest submarines in the world.
Submarines did not have a major impact on the outcome of the war, but they did portend their coming importance to naval warfare and increased interest in their use in naval warfare.
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