HMS Terror (I03) manufacturer Harland and Wolff
Design and construction
The new design, which would later be named the Erebus-class, was for a vessel 405 ft (123.4 m) long, 88 ft 2 in (26.9 m) wide with a draught of 11 ft 8 in (3.6 m). It would have 8,450 long tons (8,590 t) loaded displacement, with a maximum operational speed of 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) produced by triple-expansion steam engines with two shafts, and a crew of 204. Power would be provided by four Babcock & Wilcox water-tube boilers, which would generate a combined 6,000 ihp (4,500 kW). The monitors would have an operational range of 2,480 nmi (4,590 km; 2,850 mi) at a speed of 12 knots.The ships would be armoured to a similar standard to the Abercrombie class, which were launched in April 1915. Deck armour would range from 1 in (25 mm) on the forecastle, through 2 in (51 mm) on the upper deck and 4 in (102 mm) over the magazine and belt. With the main 15 in guns being originally intended for use on a battleship, the armour for the turret was substantially thicker than elsewhere in the design; with 13 in (330 mm) on the front, 11 in (279 mm) on the other sides and 5 in (127 mm) on the roof. The main gun's barbette would be protected by 8 in (203 mm) of armour. The conning tower was protected by 6 in (152 mm) of armour on the sides and 2.5 in (64 mm) on the roof. Each anti-torpedo bulge was 13 ft (4 m) wide with an outer air-filled compartment 9 ft (2.7 m) wide and an inner compartment 4 ft (1.2 m) wide containing the steel tubes.Orders for two vessels of the new design were placed with Harland and Wolff on 29 September with reinstated yard numbers 492 and 493, which were renamed respectively Erebus and Terror on 13 October. Terror was laid down at Harland and Wolff's shipyard in Belfast on 26 October 1915 and launched on 18 May 1916.The ship's main armament consisted of two BL 15 in Mk I naval guns in a single forward turret. Terror's turret had previously been installed on Marshal Ney, which had been rearmed with smaller guns following its poor sea trials. Learning from the earlier experience with Ney, the turrets were adjusted to increase elevation to 30 degrees, which would add greater firing range. Unlike her sister, Terror was launched with a minimal secondary armament of one 3 in (76 mm) anti-aircraft gun and two "12-pounder" 3-inch (76 mm) guns.Terror was commissioned on 22 July 1916 before conducting sea trials, during which the ship was slower than her sister at 13.1 knots (24.3 km/h; 15.1 mph) compared to 14.1 knots (26.1 km/h; 16.2 mph) for Erebus. However, under service conditions the maximum speed that could be achieved for both vessels was 13 kn (24 km/h; 15 mph) with a clean hull or 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph) with a fouled hull. Terror was recorded as officially completed on 6 August.
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