Roberts-class monitor
The Roberts class of monitors of the Royal Navy consisted of two heavily gunned vessels built during the Second World War. They were the Roberts, completed in 1941, and Abercrombie, completed in 1943.
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Roberts |
| Operators: |
 Royal Navy |
| In commission: | 1 April 1941 |
| Completed: | 2 |
| Lost: | 0 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Type: | monitor |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 373 ft (114 m) |
| Beam: | 89 ft (27 m) |
| Draught: |
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| Propulsion: | 2 shaft, Parsons steam turbines, 2 boilers, 4,800 hp |
| Speed: | 12.5 knots (14.4 mph) |
| Complement: | 442 - 460 |
| Armament: |
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| Armour: |
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| Notes: | Ships in class include: HMS Roberts (F40), HMS Abercrombie (F109) |
Features of the class, apart from two 15-inch guns in a twin mounting (taken from two First World War era Marshal Ney class monitors), were shallow draught for operating inshore, broad beam to give stability (and also resistance to torpedoes and mines) and a high observation platform to observe fall of shot.
Ships
| Ship | Builder | Namesake | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roberts | John Brown, Clydebank | Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts | 30 April 1940 | 1 February 1941 | 27 October 1941 | Broken up at Inverkeithing, 1965 |
| Abercrombie | Vickers-Armstrongs, Wallsend | Lieutenant General Sir Ralph Abercromby | 26 April 1941 | 31 March 1942 | 5 May 1943 | Broken up at Barrow-in-Furness, 1955 |
- HMS Roberts: Reused the turret of the World War I monitor Marshal Soult. Roberts provided bombardment support during Operation Torch in North Africa, where she was damaged by two 500 kg bombs. She was repaired in time to support the Allied invasion of Sicily, landings near Salerno, invasion of Normandy, and landing at Westkapelle.
- One of Roberts' guns (formerly in HMS Resolution) is mounted outside the Imperial War Museum in Lambeth, South London, together with one from the battleship Ramillies. Roberts herself was sold for scrapping shortly after the war, but hired back by the Royal Navy as an accommodation ship at Devonport until 1965.
- HMS Abercrombie: She used a 15-inch gun turret originally built as a spare for HMS Furious. She was damaged by contact mines on several occasions while supporting the invasion of Italy, but was repaired. On completion of repairs, Abercrombie was sent for service in the Pacific, although the war ended before her arrival. She was used as a gunnery training and accommodation ship at Chatham after the war.
References
- Conway, All The World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946
Bibliography
- Buxton, Ian (2008) [1978]. Big Gun Monitors: Design, Construction and Operations 1914–1945 (2nd Revised ed.). Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84415-719-8.
- Crossley, Jim (2013). Monitors of the Royal Navy; How the Fleet Brought the Great Guns to Bear. Barnsley, UK: Pen & Sword. ISBN 978-1-78383-004-6.
External links
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