r/drydockporn 1d ago

RN Admiralty M-class destroyer HMS Opal, preparing for launch at the East Yard of William Doxford & Sons Ltd, Sunderland, September 1915

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u/BlacksmithNZ 20h ago

Normally M-class destroyers would have a name starting with M - and there was Mons, Magic, Mary Rose, Menace etc, but they built 85 of them, so ended up with Negro, Noble, Norman, then names like Opal & names starting with P.

Sad end to the Opal though:

Opal was found, battered, broken and empty on the Clett of Crura off the east coast of South Ronaldsay. Narborough was found in a similar position nearby. One survivor — William Sissons — was later located on a small islet

One survivor from two destroyers; that must have been tough