Marshal Ney was paid off so her 15-inch turret could arm a newer monitor and her machinery could be radically altered. She returned to the Dover Patrol early in 1917 as a guard ship for the merchant anchorage in the Downs, where her six-inch battery still had practical value. Her handling remained eccentric: caught by wind and tide near Dungeness, she reported herself helpless and at risk of grounding. Bacon reassured the new captain that the ship commonly navigated the patrol sideways, an anecdote that distinguishes limited local usefulness from genuine seaworthiness.
Notable Point · 25:18-26:22
Rearmed Marshal Ney becomes a useful Downs guard ship
After surrendering her turret and receiving altered engines plus six-inch guns, Marshal Ney returns in 1917 to defend the merchant anchorage in the Downs.