Roberts class monitor

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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.

Career

General Characteristics ((source: Conway's All the world's fighting ships 1922-1946))
Type:	Monitor
Displacement:	Standard: 7,973 tons (Abercrombie 8,536 tons) Full load 9,150 tons (Abercrombie 9,717 tons).
Length:	373 ft
Beam:	89 ft
Draught:	13 ft 6 inch (Abercrombie 14 ft 5 inch)
Propulsion:	2 shaft Parsons steam turbines, 2 boilers, 4,800 hp
Speed:	12.5 knots
Range:
Complement:	442 - 460
Armament:	2 x 15-inch /42 Mk 1 guns in a single turret 8 x 4-inch (4x2) AA guns 16 2-pdr "pom-pom"s (1x8, 2x4) 20 20 mm guns
Armour:	belt: 4-5 inches barbette: 8 inches turret: 13 inches

Features of the class, apart from two 15" guns in a twin mounting (taken from two Marshall class monitors), were shallow draught for operating inshore, broad beam to give stability (and also resistance to torpedoes and mines) and high observation platform to observe fall of shot.

[edit] Ships

HMS Roberts (F40), named after Field Marshal Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts.

Built by John Brown & Company, Clydebank, laid down 30 April 1940, launched 1 April 1941 and completed on 27 October 1941. She reused the turret of the World War I monitor Marshall 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 Operation Husky (the invasion of Sicily), Allied landings near Salerno Operation Avalanche, the D-Day landings and the Walcheren operations. She was scrapped in 1965.

HMS Abercrombie (F109), named after General James Abercrombie, built by Vickers Armstrong, Tyne. She was laid down 26 April 1941, launched 31 March 1942 and completed 5 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 repaired. Scrapped 1954.