Erebus-class monitor

The Erebus class of warships was a class of 20th century Royal Navy monitors armed with a main battery of two 15-inch /42 Mk 1 guns in a single turret. It consisted of two vessels, Erebus and Terror. Both were launched in 1916 and saw active service in World War I off the Belgian coast. After being placed in reserve between the wars, they served in World War II, with Terror being lost in 1941 and Erebus surviving to be scrapped in 1946.

Class overview
Name: Erebus-class monitor
Builders: Harland and Wolff
Operators:  Royal Navy
In service: 1916 - 1946
In commission: August 1916
Completed: 2
Laid up: 2
Lost: 1
Retired: 1
General characteristics
Type: Monitor
Displacement:
  • 8,000 tons (standard)
  • 8,450 tons (full load)
Length: 405 ft (123 m)
Beam: 88 ft (27 m)
Draught: 11 ft 8 in (3.56 m)
Propulsion: 4 oil-fired boilers, 2 shaft reciprocating engines, 6,000 hp (4,500 kW)
Speed: 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement: 204, rising to 315 later
Armament:
  • Original:
  • 2 × 15-inch /42 Mk 1 guns in a single turret
  • 2 × single 6-inch (150 mm) guns
  • 4 × single 3-inch (76 mm) anti-aircraft guns
  • After refit:
  • 2 × 15-inch /42 Mk 1 guns in a single turret
  • 8 × single mount 4-inch (102 mm) BL Mk IX guns
  • 2 × single mount 3-inch (76 mm) anti-aircraft guns
  • 2 × quadruple .50-inch (12.7 mm) Vickers machine gun AA mounts
Armour:
  • Belt and bulkheads: 4 inch
  • Barbette: 8 inch
  • Turret: 13 inch
  • Deck: 4 inch
  • Anti-torpedo bulges: 9 ft (2.7 m) wide

Ships
  • Erebus was built by Harland and Wolff, Govan. She was laid down on 12 October 1915, launched on 19 June 1916 and commissioned in September 1916. After seeing service in both World Wars, Erebus was scrapped in 1946.
  • Terror was built by Harland and Wolff, Belfast. She was laid down on 26 October 1915, launched on 18 May 1916 and commissioned in August 1916. She saw extensive service in both World Wars. Terror was lost in the Mediterranean on 23 February 1941, after being damaged by Luftwaffe Ju 88 bombers the previous day.[1]

Service

The class was to see most of its service in the naval gunfire support (or "NGS") role. During World War I, they operated off the German-occupied Belgian coast bombarding naval forces based at Ostend and Zeebrugge. Erebus was damaged by a remote controlled explosive motor boat and Terror was torpedoed by motor torpedo boats.

Both ships were placed in reserve between the wars but returned to service in World War II, when they were again used to provide fire support to British troops.

Erebus participated in the D-Day invasion as part of Task Force O off Omaha beach.[2]

Douglas Reeman's 1965 novel H.M.S. Saracen is a fictional account of the service of an Erebus class monitor in the Mediterranean Sea in both World Wars.

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References
  1. Mason, Geoffrey. "HMS Terror - Erebus-class 15in gun Monitor". Edited by Gordon Smith, Naval-History.Net. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  2. Antony Beevor (28 September 2010). D-Day: The Battle for Normandy. Penguin. p. 81. ISBN 978-0-14-311818-3. Retrieved 10 February 2012.

Bibliography
  • Conway, All The World's Fighting Ships 1906-1921
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