M-class submarine-monitors were interesting part of history

HMS M-1
(Picture 1)

Kimmo Huosionmaa

A major problem with submarines has always been that they could not attack against ground installations. So a couple of submarines have been equipped with very big cannons, what gave them the capacity to attack against the beach targets. The British  “M-class" submarine with monstrous 305 mm (12 inches). cannon might seem like incredible and bizarre creature, what just waits for being struck. That submarine was created to destroy warships and beach bunkers during WW I and there were only three of those vessels what were accomplished after WW I.


In those submarines were many problems, what caused two bad accidents, where all men of those submarines were killed. And this makes them very interesting creature for investigators. The idea of the submarine, what could also destroy beach bunkers would be very fascinated by the admirals of Royal Navy. But there were problems with the big gun of this submarine.

HMS M-1 fires gun
(Picture 2)

It must be reloaded in the surface, but the submarine could launch it underwater. The mission of those submarines was to destroy coastal installations like oil- and other storage, but officially the mission if those “cannon submarines” were another warships. There were three of that type of submarines, what was accomplished, and the second last one named M-2 was modified as the diving aircraft carrier. The accidents were happened because of the handling mistakes of the equipment or by the impact of other vessels. The M-2 was scrapped after she was modified as the minelayer in 1932.


This kind of submarine could not fight against other warships because a single hole in her hull might cause destruction. Those three experimental submarines were also interested in US NAVY in 1950’s because if the cannons were equipped with nuclear grenades, they might be able to attack against enemy harbors and coastal installations. Those plans were disbanded after the cruise missiles came to the submarines.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_M-class_submarine

Picture 1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_M-class_submarine#/media/File:HMS_M1_from_air_port_bow.jpg

Picture 2

https://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/images/m1mpl2315.jpg

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