French destroyer Magon

Magon was one of six Bisson-class destroyers built for the French Navy during the 1910s.

History
France
Name: Magon
Builder: Ateliers et Chantiers de Bretagne, Nantes
Laid down: 1911
Launched: 19 April 1913
Completed: 1914
Stricken: 16 February 1926
General characteristics
Class and type: Bisson-class destroyer
Displacement: 756–791 t (744–779 long tons)
Length: 78.1 m (256 ft 3 in) (p/p)
Beam: 8.6 m (28 ft 3 in)
Draft: 3.1 m (10 ft 2 in)
Installed power:
Propulsion: 2 shafts; 2 steam turbines
Speed: 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Range: 1,950 nmi (3,610 km; 2,240 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complement: 80–83
Armament:

Construction and design

Magon was laid down at the Nantes shipyard of Ateliers et Chantiers de Bretagne in 1911 as one of six Bisson-class destroyers ordered for the French Navy under the 1910 and 1911 construction programmes as a follow-on to the earlier Bouclier-class "800-tonne" destroyers. She was launched on 19 April 1913 and was completed in 1914.[1][2]

The Bisson-class were 78.10 metres (256 ft 3 in) long between perpendiculars, with a beam of 8.63 metres (28 ft 4 in) and a draught of 3.1 metres (10 ft 2 in). The machinery powering the ships differed in detail between the ships of the class. Magon was fitted with four Indret boilers which fed steam to two set of Rateau steam turbines, with the machinery rated at 15,000 shaft horsepower (11,000 kW), giving a design speed of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph). Four funnels were fitted. Magon reached a speed of 32.02 knots (59.30 km/h; 36.85 mph) during sea trials, and was the fastest of her class, although operational sea speeds were lower.[1][2]

Armament consisted of two 100 mm (3.9 in) Modèle 1893 guns, four 65 mm (2.6 in) Modèle 1902 guns and four 450mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes in two twin mounts. This was modified during the First World War by the addition of a 47 mm or 75 mm anti-aircraft gun, two machineguns and provision for up to ten depth charges.[2][3] The ship had a crew of 5–7 officers and 75–77 other ranks.[1]

Service

Mediterranean

On 23 May 1915, Italy declared war on Austro-Hungary, and Magon was one of 12 French destroyers deployed in support of the Italian Fleet, operating out of Brindisi.[4][5] She was deployed on patrols aimed at stopping Austro-Hungarian surface ships and submarines from passing through the Straits of Otranto.[6] On 8 June, Magon was part of the escort (consisting of four Italian and three French destroyers) for the British light cruiser Dublin on a patrol off the Albanian coast intended to destroy Austro-Hungarian light naval forces. Despite the strong escort, the Austro-Hungarian submarine U-4 managed to torpedo Dublin, killing 13 of the British cruiser's crew, but the escort managed to drive away several more suspected submarine attacks, and Dublin successfully reached Brindisi without further damage.[7]

On 12 July, Magon and sister ship Bisson raided the island of Lastovo off the Austrian coast of the Adriatic (now part of Croatia), destroying oil stores and the telegraph station. This attack was simultaneous with the Italian occupation of Palagruža.[8] She remained based at Brindisi in September 1915, but on 6 December was recorded as being at Nantes.[9]

Dunkirk flotilla

From December 1916 Magon served in the Dunkirk flotilla, operating in the English Channel and Dover Straits.[5][2]

References
  1. Couhat 1974, p. 111
  2. Gardiner & Gray 1985, p. 203
  3. Couhat 1974, p. 101
  4. Naval Staff Monograph No. 21 1923, pp. 143–144
  5. Couhat 1974, p. 115
  6. Naval Staff Monograph No. 21 1923, p. 147
  7. Naval Staff Monograph No. 21 1923, p. 152
  8. Naval Staff Monograph No. 21 1923, pp. 176–177
  9. Naval Staff Monograph No. 21 1923, pp. 192, 248

Bibliography
  • Couhat, Jean Labayle (1974). French Warships of World War I. London: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0445-5.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Fock, Harald (1989). Z-Vor! Internationale Entwicklung und Kriegseinsätze von Zerstörern und Torpedobooten 1914 bis 1939 (in German). Herford, Germany: Koehlers Verlagsgesellschaft mBH. ISBN 3-7822-0207-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal (1985). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Halpern, Paul G. (1984). A Naval History of World War I. London: UCL Press. ISBN 1-85728-498-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Karau, Mark K. (2014). The Naval Flank of the Western Front: The German MarineKorps Flandern 1914–1918. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-231-8.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Monograph No. 21: The Mediterranean 1914–1915 (PDF). Naval Staff Monographs (Historical). VIII. The Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division. 1923.
  • Newbolt, Henry (1928). History of the Great War: Naval Operations: Volume IV. London: Longmans, Green & Co.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

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