Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Notable Point · 18:31-20:55

Marshal Ney class: diesel machinery's early trade-off

The 15-inch-gun Marshal Ney class used novel diesels to save space, but unreliable machinery undermined the expected advantages.

15-inch GunsGuard ShipsHeadquarters ShipsHMS ErebusHMS Marshal NeyHMS Marshal SoultMarine Diesel EnginesMarshal Ney Class MonitorsNaval MonitorsNaval Training ShipsShip Design
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Notes

Diesel machinery removed the need for boiler rooms and reduced funnel and superstructure weight, which suited a shallow-draught monitor armed with 15-inch guns. The engines had been designed for smaller freighters and proved slow and unreliable in the heavier monitors. Marshal Soult later served as a gunnery training and headquarters ship. At the start of the Second World War, the Royal Navy built a new Abercrombie instead of returning her to front-line work. Marshal Ney's turret went to Erebus, and Ney ended the First World War with six- and four-inch guns as a guard ship. Their service exposed the limits of an attractive propulsion scheme whose machinery had not been designed for hulls of this size.