ROBERTS
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Nationality: |
Britain |
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| Type: | Monitor | ||||||||||||
| Class: | ROBERTS - two in class | ||||||||||||
| Builder: | John Brown | ||||||||||||
| Completed: | October, 1941 | ||||||||||||
| Displacement: | 7,973 tons | ||||||||||||
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Dimensions: (in feet and inches) |
373' 4" x 89' 9" x 13' 6" | ||||||||||||
| Armor: |
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| Machinery: | 2-shaft Parsons geared turbines, 2 Admiralty 3-drum boilers; 4,800shp. Oil: 491 tons. | ||||||||||||
| Speed: | 12.5 knots | ||||||||||||
| Armament: |
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| Compliment: | 442 |
Sister ship: ABERCROMBIE
Pennant number: F.40
Notes: The ROBERTS class were a development of the World War I era EREBUS class; as such, they were the last monitors constructed for the Royal Navy, and the only monitors of any navy to be built during Word War II. ROBERTS was armed with the turret from the MARSHAL SOULT, and the mounting was modified to allow an elevation of 30°. The 4" guns were mounted on the upper deck (on ABERCROMBIE, they were mounted on the shelter deck). During the war, several single 20mm AA guns were added. In 1945, ROBERTS' AA armament was augmented by the addition of eight single 40mm Bofors guns.
ROBERTS was sent to the Mediterranean, arriving at the Suez Canal (after sailing around Africa and the Cape of Good Hope) in February, 1942. On 11 November 1942, while supporting the "Operation Torch" landings in Libya, ROBERTS took two 1,100-pound bomb hits from German Ju-88 bombers (along with a near-miss), which her armor withstood, although considerable damage was caused. During this attack, 17 of her crew were killed and another 35 were wounded. ROBERTS returned to Liverpool for repairs, which took until May, 1943. Upon her return to duty, ROBERTS was sent again to the Mediterranean, where she served with her sister ABERCROMBIE and the monitor EREBUS in supporting the invasion of Sicily in July, 1943. In September, 1943, ROBERTS took part in the invasion of Italy, supporting troops as Salerno. Following that, she sailed to Port Said in Egypt for refit, arriving in October. Following a five-month overhaul, ROBERTS returned to home waters, and once again supported an invasion -- this time, the Allied landings at Normandy in June, 1944. After the surrender of Germany, ROBERTS was sent to the Pacific for further duties, but had only proceeded as far as Port Said when World War II ended. She returned home, arriving in home waters in November, 1945. After serving in a variety of duties for nearly two decades, ROBERTS was sold for breaking up in July, 1965, and scrapped at Inverkeithing.
Note: Many thanks to Steelnavy.com for additional information on the ROBERTS!
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