- 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.Features of the class, apart from two 15" guns in a twin mounting (taken from two First World War era "Marshall" 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.
hips
* HMS "Roberts" (F40), named after
Field Marshal Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts . :Built byJohn Brown & Company ,Clydebank , laid down30 April 1940 , launched1 April 1941 and completed on27 October 1941 . She reused the turret of theWorld War I monitor "Marshall Soult". "Roberts" provided bombardment support duringOperation Torch innorth Africa , where she was damaged by two 500 kg bombs. She was repaired in time to support Operation Husky (the invasion ofSicily ), Allied landings near SalernoOperation Avalanche , the D-Day landings and the operations. She was scrapped in 1965.One of HMS "Robert's" guns (formerly in HMS "Resolution") is mounted outside the
Imperial War Museum in Lambeth, South London, together with one from the battleship "Ramillies". HMS "Roberts" herself was sold for scrapping shortly after the war, but hired back by the navy as an accommodation ship at Devonport until 1965: it was widely rumoured that the ship-breakers who bought her had more than recovered their purchase price in rent before they then sold her remains as scrap metal.* HMS "Abercrombie" (F109), named after General James Abercrombie, built by
Vickers Armstrong , Tyne. She was laid down26 April 1941 , launched31 March 1942 and completed5 May 1943 . 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. Scrapped in 1954.References
External links
* [http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/class.html?ID=233&navy=HMS Roberts class monitors]
* [http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5462.html HMS Roberts]
* [http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5463.html HMS Abercrombie]
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