List of monitors of the United States Navy
Encyclopedia
This is a list of all monitors
of the United States Navy
. While the most famous name is represented in this list, many monitors held multiple names during their service life. View the complete list of names.
The whole category of monitors took its name from the first of these, , designed in 1861 by John Ericsson
. They were low-freeboard, steam-powered ironclad vessels, with one or two rotating armored turrets, rather than the traditional broadside
of guns. The low freeboard meant that these ships were unsuitable for ocean-going duties and were always at risk of swamping and possible loss, but it reduced the amount of armor required for protection.
They were succeeded by more seaworthy armored cruiser
s and battleship
s.
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(MRF) for the first time since the American Civil War
, during the Vietnam War
. World War II
all steel 56 feet (17.1 m)-long Landing Craft Mechanized
(LCMs) were used as the basic hull to convert into 24 River Monitors in the Republic of Vietnam (RVN) from 1966-1970. This was a separate US Navy Mobile Riverine Force
from the Swift Boats (PCFs) and PBRs already operating in country
. The twenty-four river Monitors were divided into two groups: Program 4 & 5. Ten Program 4 Monitors arrived first in RVN
, and were armed with one 40mm cannon mounted inside a revolving Mk 52 turret; while the 8 later arriving Program 5 versions (designated Monitor "H") mounted one M49 105mm Howitzer
inside a revolving T172 turret. Due to a shortage of M49 howitzers, the USN converted the remaining six Program 5 Monitors (designated Monitor "F") to Flamethrower
Monitors, and equipped them with an M10-8 flamethrower mounted inside an M8 cupola turret. The early Program 4 Monitors had hull numbers reflecting their River Assault Division (RAD) as well as their hull number. Later, simply the hull numbers were used, such as M-1 (Monitor 1), A-1 (Alpha Boat 1), C-1 (Command/Communications/Control 1), etc.
, an experimental ironclad steamer with composite armor and two armored three-gun towers, fought in one battle., an innovative semi-submersible spar torpedo boat, effectively employed in the Civil War., an ironclad harbor defense ram.
Monitor (warship)
A monitor was a class of relatively small warship which was neither fast nor strongly armoured but carried disproportionately large guns. They were used by some navies from the 1860s until the end of World War II, and saw their final use by the United States Navy during the Vietnam War.The monitors...
of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. While the most famous name is represented in this list, many monitors held multiple names during their service life. View the complete list of names.
The whole category of monitors took its name from the first of these, , designed in 1861 by John Ericsson
John Ericsson
John Ericsson was a Swedish-American inventor and mechanical engineer, as was his brother Nils Ericson. He was born at Långbanshyttan in Värmland, Sweden, but primarily came to be active in England and the United States...
. They were low-freeboard, steam-powered ironclad vessels, with one or two rotating armored turrets, rather than the traditional broadside
Broadside
A broadside is the side of a ship; the battery of cannon on one side of a warship; or their simultaneous fire in naval warfare.-Age of Sail:...
of guns. The low freeboard meant that these ships were unsuitable for ocean-going duties and were always at risk of swamping and possible loss, but it reduced the amount of armor required for protection.
They were succeeded by more seaworthy armored cruiser
Armored cruiser
The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Like other types of cruiser, the armored cruiser was a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a battleship, and fast enough to outrun any battleships it encountered.The first...
s and battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s.
Neosho class monitors
Casco class monitors
Coastal monitors
"New Navy" monitors
The first five of these were ostensibly rebuilds of Civil War era monitors (in much the same way that the 1854 sloop-of-war Constellation was ostensibly a refit of the 1797 sail frigate Constellation). In fact, they were entirely new ships, much larger and more capable than the previous ones.USN "Brown Water Navy" (Vietnam War) Monitors
The US Navy created their first Mobile Riverine ForceMobile Riverine Force
In the Vietnam War, the Mobile Riverine Force , initially designated Mekong Delta Mobile Afloat Force, and later euphemistically the Riverines, were a joint US Army and US Navy force that comprised a substantial part of the Brown Water Navy...
(MRF) for the first time since the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
all steel 56 feet (17.1 m)-long Landing Craft Mechanized
Landing Craft Mechanized
The Landing Craft Mechanized or Landing Craft Mechanical was a landing craft designed for carrying vehicles. They came to prominence during the Second World War when they were used to land troops or tanks during Allied amphibious assaults....
(LCMs) were used as the basic hull to convert into 24 River Monitors in the Republic of Vietnam (RVN) from 1966-1970. This was a separate US Navy Mobile Riverine Force
Mobile Riverine Force
In the Vietnam War, the Mobile Riverine Force , initially designated Mekong Delta Mobile Afloat Force, and later euphemistically the Riverines, were a joint US Army and US Navy force that comprised a substantial part of the Brown Water Navy...
from the Swift Boats (PCFs) and PBRs already operating in country
In Country
In Country is a 1989 American drama film produced and directed by Norman Jewison, starring Bruce Willis and Emily Lloyd. The screenplay by Frank Pierson and Cynthia Cidre was based on the novel by Bobbie Ann Mason. The original music score was composed by James Horner...
. The twenty-four river Monitors were divided into two groups: Program 4 & 5. Ten Program 4 Monitors arrived first in RVN
RVN
RVN can stand for:* South Vietnam* CBN , which had this callsign* Ruud van Nistelrooy, a Dutch footballer* Rovaniemi Airport, in Finland...
, and were armed with one 40mm cannon mounted inside a revolving Mk 52 turret; while the 8 later arriving Program 5 versions (designated Monitor "H") mounted one M49 105mm Howitzer
Howitzer
A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
inside a revolving T172 turret. Due to a shortage of M49 howitzers, the USN converted the remaining six Program 5 Monitors (designated Monitor "F") to Flamethrower
Flamethrower
A flamethrower is a mechanical device designed to project a long controllable stream of fire.Some flamethrowers project a stream of ignited flammable liquid; some project a long gas flame. Most military flamethrowers use liquids, but commercial flamethrowers tend to use high-pressure propane and...
Monitors, and equipped them with an M10-8 flamethrower mounted inside an M8 cupola turret. The early Program 4 Monitors had hull numbers reflecting their River Assault Division (RAD) as well as their hull number. Later, simply the hull numbers were used, such as M-1 (Monitor 1), A-1 (Alpha Boat 1), C-1 (Command/Communications/Control 1), etc.
River Assault Flotilla One Program 4 Monitors (40mm cannon)
- RAD 91
- M-91-1
- M-91-2
- M-91-3
- Command Monitor (CCB-Command Communications Boat) C-91-1
- RAD 92
- M-92-1
- M-92-2
- C-92-1
- RAD 111
- M-111-1
- M-111-2
- M-111-3
- C-111-1
- RAD 112
- M-112-1
- M-112
- C-112-1
River Assault Flotilla One Program 5 Monitors (105mm Howitzer) & (Flamethrower)
- M-1, M-2, M-3, M-4, M-5, M-6, M-7, and M-8
- Z-1 to Z-6.
Similar vessels of interest
- Brown Water Navy monitors, small turreted gunboats that were part of the US military's brown water fleet during the Vietnam WarVietnam WarThe Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.