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Class overview
HMS Erebus
Name	Erebus-class monitor
Builders	Harland and Wolff
Operators	Royal Navy
Preceded by	M29 class
Succeeded by	Roberts class
In service	1916 - 1946
In commission	August 1916
Completed	2
Lost	1
Scrapped	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

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, named after the two ships lost in the Franklin Expedition. 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.

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. In the Second World War Terror served in the Mediterranean in support of the North Africa campaign. She sunk in Benghazi harbour on 23 February 1941, after being damaged by Luftwaffe Junkers Ju 88 bomber while operating as anti-aircraft defence.^[1]

Service

The class was to see most of its service for shore bombardment (naval gunfire support, "NGS") role. During World War I, they operated off the German-occupied Belgian coast bombarding naval forces based at Ostend and Zeebrugge including the Zeebrugge raid. 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 invasion of Normandy June 1944 as part of Task Force O off Omaha beach.^[2]

In popular culture

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.

References

Bibliography

External links

Erebus-class monitors

British naval ship classes of the First World War

British naval ship classes of the First World War
Aircraft/Seaplane carriers	Empress^S^V Riviera^S^V Engadine^S^V Ark Royal^S Ben-my-Chree^S^V Campania^S^V Raven II^S^V Anne^S^V Vindex^S^V Manxman^S^V Furious^M Pegasus^S^V Nairana^S^V Argus^S^V Vindictive^S^V
Dreadnought battleships	Dreadnought^S Bellerophon St Vincent Neptune^S Colossus Orion King George V Erin^S Agincourt^S Iron Duke Canada^S Queen Elizabeth Revenge
Pre-dreadnought battleships	Royal Sovereign Majestic Canopus Formidable London Duncan King Edward VII Swiftsure Lord Nelson
Battlecruisers	Invincible Indefatigable Lion Queen Mary^S Tiger^S Renown Courageous Admiral^S^A
Armoured cruisers	Cressy Drake Monmouth Devonshire Duke of Edinburgh Warrior Minotaur
Heavy cruisers	Hawkins^A
Light cruisers	Town^G Arethusa C^G^C Danae^C Emerald^A
Protected cruisers	Apollo Astraea Eclipse Blake Pearl Edgar Powerful Diadem Arrogant Pelorus Highflyer Challenger Topaze
Scout cruisers	Adventure Forward Pathfinder Sentinel Boadicea Blonde Active
Destroyer flotilla leaders	Swift^S Faulknor Marksman Parker Thornycroft (or Shakespeare)^C Admiralty (or Scott)^C
Destroyers	A^G B^G C^G D^G E^G F G H I K L Admiralty M Hawthorn M Thornycroft M Yarrow M Yarrow Later M Medea Arno^S R^G S^G^C Talisman V and W^G^C
Torpedo boats	TB 81^S TB 98 TB 109 TB 114 Cricket^G
Monitors	Marshal Ney Abercrombie Lord Clive Humber Gorgon M15 M29 Erebus
Minesweepers	Racecourse Hunt Dance
Gunboats	Fly Insect
Submarines	A B C D E F G H^C J K L^C M^C R^C Swordfish^S V
Sloops	P Cadmus Flower Acacia Azalea Arabis Anchusa Aubrietia 24^C
naval trawlers	Castle Mersey
A All completed after the war C One or more completed after the war G Grouping of several classes M converted from Courageous class S Single ship of class V Conversions X Cancelled

British naval ship classes of the Second World War

British naval ship classes of the Second World War
Aircraft carriers	Courageous Eagle Ark Royal Illustrious Implacable Audacious^C Malta^X
Light aircraft carriers	Argus Hermes Unicorn Colossus Majestic^C Centaur^C
Escort carriers	Archer^AV Audacity^V Avenger^AV Attacker^A Ruler^A Activity^V Pretoria Castle^V Nairana^V
Battleships	Queen Elizabeth Revenge Nelson King George V Lion^X Vanguard^C
Battlecruisers	Renown Hood
Heavy cruisers	Hawkins County York
Light cruisers	C Danae Hawkins Emerald Leander Arethusa Town Dido Fiji Minotaur Neptune^X Minotaur (1947)^X
Destroyer leaders	Thornycroft type (Shakespeare) Admiralty type (Scott)
Destroyers	R S V & W Town^A Ambuscade Amazon A & B C & D E & F G & H I Tribal J, K & N Hunt L & M O & P Q & R S & T U & V W & Z C Battle Weapon^C G^X Daring^C,P
Frigates	River Captain^A Colony^A Loch Bay
Corvettes	Flower Castle
Sloops	24 Bridgewater Hastings Banff^A Shoreham Grimsby Kingfisher Bittern Egret Black Swan
Minelayers	Adventure Abdiel Plover Linnet M Agamemnon^V Menestheus^V Port Napier^V Port Quebec^V Southern Prince^V Teviot Bank^V
Minesweepers	Hunt Halcyon Bangor MMS Auk^A Algerine Cybele
Netlayers	Guardian Protector Bar Net
Submarines	H L Odin Parthian Rainbow S River Grampus T U P611 V Amphion X XE
Coastal	Harbour Defence Motor Launch Fairmile B motor launch Motor Torpedo Boat Motor Gun Boat Steam Gun Boat Insect-class gunboat Dragonfly-class river gunboat Type Two 63 ft HSL
Other	Trawlers Castle Basset Isles Portuguese Tree Dance Shakespearian Round Table Monitors Erebus Roberts Seaplane carriers Pegasus Albatross Submarine depot ship Adamant Bonaventure Forth Maidstone Titania Merchant aircraft carriers Fighter catapult ships Armed merchant cruisers Ocean boarding vessels
A American built X Cancelled C Completed after the war C,P Laid down and completed after the war V Conversions

Erebus-class monitors
Erebus Terror
Preceded by: M29 class Followed by: Roberts class
List of monitors of the Royal Navy