This is a list of monitors of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom.

Key Main guns The number and type of the main battery guns Displacement Ship displacement at standard combat load Propulsion Number of shafts, type of propulsion system Laid down The date the keel began to be assembled Commissioned The date the ship was commissioned Fate The fate of the ship

Humber-class

The Humber-class monitors were three river monitors under construction for the Brazilian Navy in Britain in 1913, all three were taken over by the Royal Navy shortly before the outbreak of the First World War and were commissioned as small monitors, seeing extensive service during the war.

Ship Main guns Displacement Propulsion Service Laid downAcquiredFate (ex-Javary) 2 × 2 × shaftstriple expansion engines2 × boilers24 Aug 19128 Aug 1914Sold to F. Rijsdijk 17 Sep 1920 for use as a crane lighter (ex-Madeira) 2 × 2 × shaftstriple expansion engines2 × boilers24 Aug 19123 Aug 1914Sold for scrap 1921 (ex-Solimoes) 2 × 2 × shaftstriple expansion engines2 × boilers24 Aug 19128 Aug 1914Sold for scrap 9 May 1921

Abercrombie-class

The ''Abercrombie-class monitors came about when Bethlehem Steel in the United States, the contracted supplier of the main armament for the Greek battleship being built in Germany, instead offered to sell the four 14"/45 caliber gun twin gun turrets to the Royal Navy on 3 November 1914, the ships were laid down and launched within six months, seeing service throughout the war.

Ship Main guns Displacement Propulsion Service Laid downCommissionedFate 2 × 2 × vertical triple expansion reciprocating engines2 × boilers12 Dec 19141 May 1915Sold for scrap 25 Jun 1927 2 × 2 × vertical triple expansion reciprocating engines2 × boilers12 Dec 1914May 1915Sold for scrap 25 Jun 1921 2 × 2 × vertical triple expansion reciprocating engines2 × boilers1 Dec 1914May 1915Sunk 20 Jan 1918 2 × 2 × vertical triple expansion reciprocating engines2 × boilers17 Dec 191421 May 1915Sold for scrap Sep 1936

Lord Clive-class

The Lord Clive-class monitors, sometimes referred to as the General Wolfe-class, were built to meet the need for more shore bombardment ships, using twin gun turrets taken from decommissioned Majestic-class pre-dreadnought battleships. Three of the ships, HMS General Wolfe, Lord Clive and Prince Eugene, were converted to take the BL 18 inch Mk I naval gun that had originally been allocated to .

Ship Main guns Displacement Propulsion Service Laid downAcquiredFate 2 × later also 1 × 2 × shaftsreciprocating steam engines2 × boilers9 January 191510 July 1915Sold for scrap 10 October 1927 2 × 2 × shaftsreciprocating steam engines2 × boilers9 January 191526 August 1915Sold for scrap 1921 2 × 2 × shaftsreciprocating steam engines2 × boilers16 January 191523 September 1915Sold for scrap 1921 2 × 2 × shaftsreciprocating steam engines2 × boilers16 January 191530 September 1915Sold for scrap 1921 2 × conversion to 1 × incomplete at armistice 2 × shaftsreciprocating steam engines2 × boilers1 February 1915September 1915Sold for scrap 1921 2 × 2 × shaftsreciprocating steam engines2 × boilers12 January 1915May 1915Sold for scrap 1923 2 × 2 × shaftsreciprocating steam engines2 × boilers13 January 1915May 1915Sold for scrap 1921 2 × later also 1 × 2 × shaftsreciprocating steam engines2 × boilersJanuary 191527 October 1915Sold for scrap 1923

Marshal Ney-class

The Marshal Ney-class monitors were built to use the two modern 15-inch turrets made available by the redesign of and as battlecruisers.

Ship Main guns Displacement Propulsion Service Laid downCommissionedFate 2 × 2 × shaftsDiesel enginesAugust 1918Sold for scrap 10 July 1946 2 × 2 × shaftsDiesel enginesAugust 1915Sold for scrap 1957

Gorgon-class

The Gorgon-class monitors were originally built as coastal defence ships for the Royal Norwegian Navy, but requisitioned for British use.

Ship Main guns Displacement Propulsion Service Laid downCommissionedFate (ex-Nidaros) 2 × 2 × shaftsVertical triple-expansion steam engines4 × boilers11 June 19131 May 1918Sold for scrap 26 August 1928 (ex-Bjørgvin) 2 × 2 × shaftsVertical triple-expansion steam engines4 × boilers26 May 191331 August 1918Wrecked by explosion 16 September 1918, 79 killed

M15-class

The M15-class monitors were fourteen ships ordered in March 1915, as part of the War Emergency Programme of ship construction, mounting 9.2 inch Mk VI gun turrets removed from the and the Mk X turrets held in stock for the and s.

Ship Main guns Displacement Propulsion Service Laid downCommissionedFate 1 × 4 × shafts4-cylinder semi-diesel engines1 March 1915June 1915Sunk by on 11 November 1917, 26 killed. 1 × 4 × shafts4-cylinder semi-diesel engines1 March 1915June 1915Sold 29 January 1920 1 × 4 × shafts4-cylinder semi-diesel engines1 March 1915June 1915Sold 12 May 1920 1 × 4 × shafts4-cylinder semi-diesel engines1 March 1915July 1915Sold 29 January 1920 1 × 4 × shafts4-cylinder semi-diesel engines1 March 1915June 1915Sold 12 May 1920 1 × 4 × shafts4-cylinder semi-diesel engines1 March 1915July 1915Sold 29 January 1920 1 × later 1 × 2 × shaftsTriple Expansion steam engines1 March 1915July 1915Sunk 20 October 1918 off Dover (later HMS Medea) 1 × 2 × shaftsTriple Expansion steam engines1 March 1915August 1915Converted to a minelayer in 1920, renamed HMS Medea 1925, became a training ship 1937, sold 1938, wrecked 2 January 1939 (later RNVR Claverhouse) 1 × later 1 × 4 × shafts4-cylinder semi-diesel engines1 March 1915July 1915Became a Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve drillship, and was renamed Claverhouse in 1922, sold 1959 1 × later 1 × 4 × shaftsCampbell 4-cylinder paraffin engines1 March 1915August 1915Sold 29 January 1920 for conversion to a mercantile oil tanker, and renamed Satoe 1 × later 1 × 4 × shafts4-cylinder semi-diesel engines1 March 1915September 1915Scuttled in the Dvina River 16 September 1919 1 × later 1 × 4 × shafts4-cylinder semi-diesel engines1 March 1915October 1915Sold 29 January 1920 1 × later 1 × 4 × shafts4-cylinder semi-diesel engines1 March 1915November 1915Scuttled in the Dvina River 16 September 1919 1 × later 1 × 4 × shafts4-cylinder semi-diesel engines1 March 1915August 1915Sunk during the Battle of Imbros on 20 January 1918, 11 killed

M29-class

The M29-class monitors were five ships ordered in March 1915, as part of the War Emergency Programme of ship construction.

Ship Main guns Displacement Propulsion Service Laid downCommissionedFate (later HMS Medusa, HMS Talbot & HMS Medway II) 2 × 4 × shaftsTriple expansion engines. Oil fuel 45 tons boilers1 March 1915June 1915Converted to minelayer and renames HMS Medusa in 1925, converted to a repair ship and became the depot ship and renames HMS Talbot in 1941, again renamed HMS Medway II in 1944, sold in December 1946 for breaking 2 × 4 × shaftsTriple expansion engines. Oil fuel 45 tons boilers1 March 1915July 1915Sunk by shore batteries at the Gulf of Smyrna 14 May 1916 (later HMS Melpomene, then HMS Menelaus) 2 × 4 × shaftsTriple expansion engines. Oil fuel 45 tons boilers1 March 1915July 1915Converted to minelayer in 1923, renamed HMS Melpomene in 1925, converted to a torpedo training vessel in 1939, renamed HMS Menelaus in 1941, in 1944, sold in 1948 for breaking 2 × 4 × shaftsTriple expansion engines. Oil fuel 45 tons boilers1 March 1915June 1915Sold in January 1920 for use as an oil tanker, and named Ampat (later HMS Minerva and Hulk C23) 2 × 4 × shaftsTriple expansion engines. Oil fuel 45 tons boilers1 March 1915June 1915Converted to mine-laying training ship and was renamed HMS Minerva in 1925, later became a fuelling hulk and boom defence workshop, renamed Hulk C23, currently museum ship at Portsmouth

Erebus-class

The Erebus-class monitors were two ships mounting a single twin BL 15 inch Mk I naval gun turret. They saw active service in World War I off the Belgian coast, were placed in reserve between the wars then served in World War II, with Terror being lost in 1941 and Erebus surviving to be scrapped in 1946.

Ship Main guns Displacement Propulsion Service Laid downCommissionedFate 2 × 2 × shafts4 x oil-fired boilers12 October 19152 September 1916Scrapped July 1946 2 × 2 × shafts4 x oil-fired boilers26 October 19156 August 1916Sunk 23 February 1941 off Derna, Libya

Roberts-class

The Roberts''-class monitors were two ships mounting a single twin BL 15 inch Mk I naval gun turret built during the Second World War, featuring shallow draught for operating inshore, broad beam to give stability and a high observation platform to observe fall of shot.

Ship Main guns Displacement Propulsion Service Laid downCommissionedFate 2 × 2 × shafts2 × Parsons steam turbines2 × boilers30 April 194027 October 1941Sold for scrap June 1965 2 × 2 × shafts2 × Parsons steam turbines2 × boilers26 April 19415 May 1943Scrapped 24 December 1954

See also List of monitors of the United States Navy

References