The 1939 plan was to station Erebus at Cape Town as a guard ship whose 15-inch guns could ambush a German commerce raider approaching the harbour. She instead served with the Eastern and Mediterranean fleets and carried supplies into Tobruk. Her heavy guns later supported the bombardment of Sicily and the Normandy landings, including fire against batteries near Barfleur and La Pernelle. She also engaged German positions around Le Havre before taking part in Operation Infatuate, giving one specialist hull a notably varied wartime career.
Chapter · 10:03-11:38
From commerce-raider guard ship to Allied fire support
Erebus's changing Second World War assignments show how a slow monitor could guard a harbour, carry supplies, and support major amphibious operations.