Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Erebus-class monitor
open-in-new
<h2 id="ships">Ships</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/HMS_Erebus_(I02)/rWcr4NAJ"><i>Erebus</i></a> was built by <a href="/facts/Harland_%2526_Wolff/9qtDYQ1c">Harland & Wolff</a>, 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, <i>Erebus</i> was scrapped in 1946.</li> <li><a href="/facts/HMS_Terror_(I03)/TwfPdxQp"><i>Terror</i></a> was built by <a href="/facts/Harland_%2526_Wolff/9qtDYQ1c">Harland & Wolff</a>, 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 <i>Terror</i> served in the <a href="/facts/Mediterranean/Vr2pzVbM">Mediterranean</a> in support of the North Africa campaign. She sunk in Benghazi harbour on 23 February 1941, after being damaged by <a href="/facts/Luftwaffe/k7PAsBlo">Luftwaffe</a> <a href="/facts/Junkers_Ju_88/I9jEWlAU">Junkers Ju 88</a> bomber while operating as anti-aircraft defence.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a></li></ul> <h2 id="service">Service</h2> <p>The class was to see most of its service for shore bombardment (<a href="/facts/Naval_gunfire_support/CJFnpuL2">naval gunfire support</a>, "NGS") role. During <a href="/facts/World_War_I/vITTUanQ">World War I</a>, they operated off the German-occupied <a href="/facts/Belgium/YKuMXP5j">Belgian</a> coast bombarding naval forces based at <a href="/facts/Ostend/uj37lppN">Ostend</a> and <a href="/facts/Zeebrugge/ae754wQ6">Zeebrugge</a> including the <a href="/facts/Zeebrugge_raid/C8suJIGa">Zeebrugge raid</a>. <i>Erebus</i> was damaged by a remote controlled explosive motor boat and <i>Terror</i> was torpedoed by motor <a href="/facts/Torpedo_boat/lPtPPLD2">torpedo boats</a>. </p><p>Both ships were <a href="/facts/Reserve_fleet/SH225kWF">placed in reserve</a> between the wars but returned to service in <a href="/facts/World_War_II/2efV5L1U">World War II</a>, when they were again used to provide fire support to British troops. </p><p><i>Erebus</i> participated in the invasion of Normandy June 1944 as part of Task Force O off <a href="/facts/Omaha_beach/fh0D4dlu">Omaha beach</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="in-popular-culture">In popular culture</h2> <p><a href="/facts/Douglas_Reeman/QRbKrUGt">Douglas Reeman's</a> 1965 novel <i>H.M.S. Saracen</i> is a fictional account of the service of an <i>Erebus</i> class monitor in the Mediterranean Sea in both World Wars. </p> <h2 id="bibliography">Bibliography</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Reginald_Bacon/GMxM3Xfr">Bacon, Reginald</a> (1919). <i>The Dover Patrol 1915–1917</i>. (2 vols.). New York: George H. Doran Co. <a href="https://archive.org/stream/doverpatrol01bacogoog#page/n6/mode/2up">Vol. 1</a> • <a href="https://archive.org/stream/doverpatrol00bacogoog#page/n10/mode/2up">Vol. 2</a></li> <li>Buxton, Ian (2008) [1978]. <i>Big Gun Monitors: Design, Construction and Operations 1914–1945</i> (2nd Revised ed.). Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-1-84415-719-8.</li> <li>Crossley, Jim (2013). <i>Monitors of the Royal Navy; How the Fleet Brought the Great Guns to Bear</i>. Barnsley, UK: Pen & Sword. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-1-78383-004-6.</li> <li>Dittmar, F. J. & Colledge, J. J., "British Warships 1914–1919", (Ian Allan, London, 1972), <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 0-7110-0380-7</li> <li>Dunn, Steve R (2017). <i>Securing the Narrow Sea: The Dover Patrol 1914–1918</i>. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-1-84832-251-6.</li> <li><a href="/facts/Norman_Friedman/xXIfSk4w">Friedman, Norman</a> (2011). <i>Naval Weapons of World War One: Guns, Torpedoes, Mines and ASW Weapons of All Nations; An Illustrated Directory</i>. Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-1-84832-100-7.</li> <li>Gray, Randal (ed), "Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921", (Conway Maritime Press, London, 1985), <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 0-85177-245-5</li> <li>Parkes, Oscar; Prendergast, Maurice, eds. (1969) [First published 1919]. <a href="https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/012202881"><i>Jane's Fighting Ships 1919</i></a>. New York: Arco Publishing Co. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-0-71534-716-4. <a href="/facts/OCLC_(identifier)/Yqad8waq">OCLC</a> <a href="https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/1902851">1902851</a>. Retrieved 23 December 2019.</li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> Wikimedia Commons has media related to Erebus class monitor. <ul><li><a href="http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/class.html?ID=232&navy=HMS">Uboat.net – <i>Erebus</i> Class</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-03Mon-Erebus.htm">naval-history.net – Service History of <i>Erebus</i></a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Mason, Geoffrey. Gordon Smith (ed.). "HMS Terror – Erebus-class 15in gun Monitor". Naval-History.Net. Retrieved 6 April 2014. <a href="http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-03Mon-HMS_Terror.htm" target="_blank">http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-03Mon-HMS_Terror.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Antony Beevor (28 September 2010). D-Day: The Battle for Normandy. Penguin. p. 81. ISBN 978-0-14-311818-3. Retrieved 10 February 2012. <a href="978-0-14-311818-3" target="_blank">978-0-14-311818-3</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>