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SERVICE HISTORIES of ROYAL NAVY WARSHIPS in WORLD WAR 2
by Lt Cdr Geoffrey B Mason RN (Rtd) (c) 2003

HMS ABERCROMBIE - Roberts-class 15in gun Monitor
HMS Abercrombie (Navy Photos/Mark Teadham, click  to enlarge)

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Ordered on 4th April 1941 from Vickers-Armstrong at Newcastle on Tyne and laid down as Job Number 4359 (Yard No, 42) on  26th April 1941. The ship was  launched on 31st March 1942 as the 3rd RN ship to carry this name. It was first used in 1809 for the Prize D'HAULTPOULT and lastly by a Monitor sold in 1921. A second Monitor of this Class, HMS ROBERTS to be built by John Brown's at Clydebank was ordered in 1940. An association with the county of Angus by HMS ABERCROMBIE is recorded in the Admiralty list of adoptions after WARSHIP WEEK National Savings campaigns in 1942.

 

B a t t l e   H o n o u r s

 

GUADALOUPE 1810 - DARDANELLES 1915 - SICILY 1943 - SALERNO 1943 - MEDITERRANEAN   1943

 

H e r a l d i c   D a t a

Badge: On a Field White, a boar's head erased Blue in front

of two swords in saltire proper.

 

 

D e t a i l s   o f   W a r   S e r v i c e

 

(for more ship information, go to Naval History Homepage and type name in Site Search

 

 

1 9 4 3

 

March                    Contractors Trials

                                Nominated for service in Mediterranean.

 

April                       Commissioned for service.

                22nd       Build completion and commenced Acceptance Trials

 

May                        On completion of trials and storing took passage to join Fleet in Mediterranean.

 

June                        Nominated for service with US Task Force 85 to support US landings in Sicily.

                                (Operation HUSKY - For details see ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY by C.Barnett

                                Naval Staff History and BRITISH INVASION FLEETS by J de Winser.)

 

July                         Joined assault convoy with US cruisers USS BROOKLYN, BIRMINGHAM, SAVANNAH, BOISE

                                and PHILADELPHIA for passage to Beachhead.

                8th          Sailed from Tunis to CENT Beach Head

                9th          Covered landings by 45th US Infantry Division at Scoglitti in CENT Sector with USS

                                PHILADELPHIA and 15 US Navy destroyers.

                16th        Bombarded Porto Espedocle with US warships in support of US 7th Army with the US cruisers USS

                                BIRMINGHAM and PHILADELPHIA.

 

August                  Returned to RN service and nominated for support of British landings on Italian mainland.

                                (Operation BAYTOWN - See above references).

 

September

                2nd         Bombarded coast between Reggio Calabria and Pessaro with HM Monitors EREBUS, ROBERTS, HM

                                Battleships VALIANT, WARSPITE, HM Cruisers ORION AND MAURITIUS.

                3rd          Provided naval gunfire support during landings by British XIII corps near Reggio and Villa San

                Giovanni.

                On completion of BAYTOWN transferred to US Command.

                Joined Southern Attack Force (TF81) for support during Salerno landings.

                (Operation AVALANCHE - For details see above references.)

                7th          Sailed from Bizerta with Convoy FSS2.

                9th          Covered landings at Paestum with USS PHILADELPHIA, USS SAVANNAH, USS BROOKLYN,

                Dutch Gunboat FLORES and 17 US Navy destroyers.

                Sustained serious damage by mine.

 

October                  Under repair

to

December

 

P o s t   W a r   N o t e s

 

After repair HMS ABERCROMBIE took passage to join Eastern Fleet but was not deployed operationally before VJ Day. The ship returned to Chatham in November 1945 where she was retained for Gunnery training and also as an Accommodation Ship until 1954. Paid-off in 1953 and towed to Portsmouth to be laid-up in Fareham Creek awaiting disposal.. Placed on the Disposal List this monitor was sold to BISCO for demolition by TW Ward at Barrow in 1954 and arrived at the breaker’s yard in December 1954.
 

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