Erebus Monitors

The order for the construction of monitors was received in 1915 under the influence of the experience of the unsuccessful operation for the Entente Dardanelles fleets, during which there was an acute shortage of specialized ships for shelling coastal targets ^[3] . Monitors of this type were intended to act specifically against German positions on the Belgian coast ^{[2] [1]} .

"Erebus" and "Terror" were laid at the shipyards of the company "Harland and Wolf" - the first in Gowen ( Glasgow district), the second in Belfast in October 1915 ^{[4] [5]} . The armament of the monitors was very powerful. The main caliber was made up of two 381 mm guns of the Mk I model in the turret , the auxiliary caliber was two 152 mm guns in the casemate. The tower was mounted on a high barbet , which made it possible to increase the elevation angle of the guns to increase the firing range. It was supposed, therefore, that the guns would get a range exceeding the reach of the German 380- and 280-mm coastal guns on the coast of Flanders . According to a leading British reference book , the Janes , the battlefield of the Erebus and Terror guns reached 40,000 yards (approximately 36,560 m). The main caliber tower was slightly in front of the midship . A casemate with 152 mm guns was located in the central part of the ship ^[1] . The conning tower was low and, located in front of the tower, found itself in the zone of muzzle gas 381 mm guns. Observation and adjustment posts were placed on a tripod mast ^[3] . Reservation of monitors was quite powerful: the tower's forehead up to 330 mm, a barbette of 203 mm. There was no full side armor belt, but the cellars were protected by 102 mm slabs; bulkheads and deck were also booked. ^[1]

Particular attention was paid to underwater protection. The ships received a system of boules (additional longitudinal hollow trim on the sides) along the entire length of the hull. The outer compartment of each boule was empty (filled with air), and the inner, adjacent to the hull, was filled with water ^[6] . The boules were divided by transverse bulkheads into 50 compartments ^[1] .

Monitors received a twin-shaft triple expansion steam engine with oil heating boilers "Babcock and Wilcox". During the tests, Erebus developed a 14.1 knot stroke with a machine power of 7,244 liters. from. , "Terror" - 13.1 knots with a capacity of 6,235 liters. from. These ships became one of the largest monitors - the total displacement significantly exceeded 8 thousand tons ^{[1] [3]} .

After commissioning, both monitors actively operated off the Belgian coast. In October 1917, both of them received significant combat damage - the Terror, attacked by German destroyers , was hit by three torpedoes , but remained afloat. The Erebus became known as the first ship in history against which telecontrolled weapons were successfully used, but a German boat with an explosive charge in it got into it did not violate the watertightness of the case outside the bullet ^[1] . After the war, Erebus was equipped for training purposes, but took part in the campaign of the British forces covering up the intervention in Russia in 1919 .

In the period between the world wars, both monitors remained in active service. The beginning of World War II “Terror” was found in Singapore , “Erebus”, which was also planned to be sent to the colony , at that time was on a complete set. Ships most actively participated in the war in various theaters. "Terror" died February 24, 1941 in the Mediterranean Sea , during operations to cover the British counteroffensive in Libya . He was attacked by German aircraft, received damage to the underwater part and soon sank during towing. Erebus was located in the Indian Ocean in 1942 , where it came under attack from Japanese aircraft in Trincomalee , then was directed to the Mediterranean Theater. He acted extremely actively and with high efficiency with the support of the Anglo-American forces in Italy and France . The Erebus was also among the ships supporting the landing in Normandy in June 1944 . After the war, the ship was again decided to be sent to the East, but in 1946 it was decommissioned ^{[4] [5]} .

In general, despite a number of shortcomings, Erebus-type monitors were considered one of the most powerful (if not the most) ships of their class in the Royal Navy of the First World War. They were distinguished by good seaworthiness for ships of their class and were able to freely maneuver when operating offshore - other monitors during tidal currents and strong winds off the coast of Flanders usually had to anchor so that they would not be carried ashore. The speed of these monitors, taking into account the significant width of their case relative to the length, was, as experts emphasized, amazingly high ^[1] . The powerful artillery armament of the ships, combined with the extremely long range of fire of the main caliber guns, made them formidable weapons against coastal targets ^[2] .

The underwater hull protection system proved to be good. The Erebus, attacked by a German radio-controlled boat, withstood an underwater explosion of a 230-kilogram charge, but received only moderate damage and independently returned to base. "Terror", which received three torpedo hits at once (two of which were outside the boulevard system), not only did not sink, but did not even lose its course ^[2] . Nevertheless, some sources indicate that the effectiveness of the underwater protection of Erebus and Terror turned out to be significantly lower than calculated ^[6] .