River monitors are military craft designed to patrol rivers.
![Monitor model2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Monitor_model2.jpg)
They are normally the largest of all riverine
warships
A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster an ...
in river flotillas, and mount the heaviest weapons. The name originated from the US Navy's , which made her first appearance in the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
, and being distinguished by the use of revolving
gun turret
A gun turret (or simply turret) is a mounting platform from which weapons can be fired that affords protection, visibility and ability to turn and aim. A modern gun turret is generally a rotatable weapon mount that houses the crew or mechani ...
s, which were particularly useful in rivers, whose narrow channels could severely limit the directions vessels could face.
River monitors were used on
inland waterway
A body of water, such as a river, canal or lake, is navigable if it is deep, wide and calm enough for a water vessel (e.g. boats) to pass safely. Such a navigable water is called a ''waterway'', and is preferably with few obstructions against d ...
s such as rivers, estuaries, deltas and lakes. Usually they had a shallow
draft
Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to:
Watercraft dimensions
* Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel
* Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail
* Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...
which was necessary for them to be able to operate in enclosed waters; but their displacement, size and draft varied depending on where they were used.
Most river monitors were lightly armored although this varied, with some carrying more armor. Exceptional examples, however, most notably the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
's s, which could operate in coastal or certain riparian/estuarine situations, bore extra-thick armor plating and heavy shore-bombardment guns, up to a massive 18 inches (457 mm) in size. Typically, however, river monitors displayed a mixture of gun sizes from 3-inch (75 mm) to 6-inch (152 mm), plus
machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...
s. This type of vessel overlaps with the
river gunboat
A river gunboat is a type of gunboat adapted for river operations. River gunboats required shallow draft for river navigation. They would be armed with relatively small caliber cannons, or a mix of cannons and machine guns. If they carried mor ...
that would be armed with relatively small caliber cannons, or a mix of cannons and machine guns.
United States
![USS Neosho (1863-1873) - NH 60617](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/USS_Neosho_%281863-1873%29_-_NH_60617.jpg)
River monitors were used during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
, playing an important role in the
Mississippi River Campaigns The Mississippi River campaigns, within the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War, were a series of military actions by the Union Army during which Union troops, helped by Union Navy gunboats and river ironclads, took control of the ...
.
They also played a role in the
Battle of Mobile Bay
The Battle of Mobile Bay of August 5, 1864, was a naval and land engagement of the American Civil War in which a Union fleet commanded by Rear Admiral David G. Farragut, assisted by a contingent of soldiers, attacked a smaller Confederate fle ...
. The American Civil War river monitors were very large, weighing up to 1,300 tons.
On 18 December 1965, the US Navy, for the second time in one hundred years, authorized the reactivation of a
brown-water navy
The term brown-water navy or riverine navy refers in its broadest sense to any naval force capable of military operations in littoral zone waters. The term originated in the United States Navy during the American Civil War, when it referred t ...
for riparian operations in
South Vietnam
South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
. In July 1966, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara authorized the formation of a
Mobile Riverine Force
In the Vietnam War, the Mobile Riverine Force (MRF) (after May 1967), initially designated Mekong Delta Mobile Afloat Force, and later the Riverines, were a joint US Army and US Navy force that comprised a substantial part of the brown-water n ...
(MRF); a force that would bring back the river monitor.
![US riverboat using napalm in Vietnam](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/US_riverboat_using_napalm_in_Vietnam.jpg)
The US Navy operated its
Monitors
Monitor or monitor may refer to:
Places
* Monitor, Alberta
* Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States
* Monitor, Kentucky
* Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States
* Monitor, Washington
* Monitor, Logan County, West Vir ...
as part of their River Assault Flotilla One, which initially consisted of four River Assault Divisions (RAD); with RAD 91 containing three monitors, RAD 92 having two monitors, RAD 111 having three monitors, and RAD 112 operating two monitors.
The Vietnam monitors were divided into two programs; program 4 would consist of the 40 mm gun monitors, while the later program 5 would entail the eight Monitor (H) Howitzer versions, and the six Monitor (F) Flamethrower models. All of the monitors were converted from
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
long
Landing Craft Mechanized (LCMs) Mk 6s. When completed, they were long, wide, with a
draft
Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to:
Watercraft dimensions
* Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel
* Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail
* Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...
of , had two screws driven by two Gray Marine model 64NH9
diesel engine
The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...
s, could do and were manned by usually 11 or more crewmen. They usually carried about ten tons of armor.
Asia
On Asian rivers, the
Amur Military Flotilla
The Amur Military Flotilla (AMF) (russian: Амурская военная флотилия) was a military flotilla on the Amur river in the Far East region of Russia.
History
In 1900, the Russians formed a temporary flotilla on the Amur from ...
on the
Amur
The Amur (russian: река́ Аму́р, ), or Heilong Jiang (, "Black Dragon River", ), is the world's List of longest rivers, tenth longest river, forming the border between the Russian Far East and Northeast China, Northeastern China (Inne ...
used large ''Taifun''-class river monitors of the
Imperial Russian Navy
The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution of 1917. It developed from a ...
from around 1907; the
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...
captured some of these ships in 1918. They were up to 1,000 tons displacement, armed with 130 mm guns. Some of these Russian monitors, such as the recommissioned ''Sverdlov'', were still in use by the
Soviet Navy in the 1945
Soviet invasion of Manchuria
The Soviet invasion of Manchuria, formally known as the Manchurian strategic offensive operation (russian: Манчжурская стратегическая наступательная операция, Manchzhurskaya Strategicheskaya Nastu ...
.
During the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
, the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
, in conjunction with other riverine craft, commissioned 24 monitors, ten of which mounted a single 40 mm cannon in a Mk 52 turret, eight which mounted an M49 105 mm
howitzer
A howitzer () is a long- ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...
within a T172 turret, and six monitors which mounted two M10-8 flamethrowers from two M8 turrets located on either side of the vessel's 40 mm cannon. Referred to as "river battleships" by their crews, they provided the firepower of the
brown-water navy
The term brown-water navy or riverine navy refers in its broadest sense to any naval force capable of military operations in littoral zone waters. The term originated in the United States Navy during the American Civil War, when it referred t ...
.
Europe
![River monitor Inn](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/River_monitor_Inn.png)
On the
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
, river monitors were employed during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
by
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
and
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
. The Austro-Hungarian river monitor ''
Bodrog
The Bodrog is a river in eastern Slovakia and north-eastern Hungary. It is a tributary to the river Tisza. The Bodrog is formed by the confluence of the rivers Ondava and Latorica near Zemplín in eastern Slovakia. It crosses the Slovak–H ...
'' fired the first shots of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, against the city of
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
, and later also fought in the
Romanian Campaign, notably during the
Flămânda Offensive
The Flămânda Offensive (or Flămânda Maneuver), which took place during World War I between 29 September and 5 October 1916, was an offensive across the Danube mounted by the Romanian Third Army (Romania), 3rd Army supported by Romanian coastal ...
in October 1916, when she was damaged. Another river monitor, ''
Körös
The Körös () or Criș () ( German: ''Kreisch'') is a river in eastern Hungary and western Romania. Its length is from the confluence of its two source rivers Fehér-Körös ('' Crișul Alb'') and Fekete-Körös ('' Crișul Negru'') to its out ...
'', was also heavily damaged by Romanian artillery, taking 12 hits and ran aground after her steam lines were severed. On 22 September 1917, the
''Enns''-class river monitor ''
Inn
Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...
'' was sunk by a Romanian mine near
Brăila. She was refloated but her repairs were not completed before the War ended, and she was eventually handed over to Romania as war reparation, being renamed ''Basarabia''.
![Monitor_Sava_-_05](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Monitor_Sava_-_05.jpg)
During World War I, Romania had the largest river monitors on the Danube, displacing 680 tons, armed mainly with three 120 mm guns and protected by at least 70 mm of armor around the belt, turrets and conning tower. They were built in sections at
Triest
Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into provi ...
in
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
, transported to Romania by rail and assembled by the Romanians at the
Galați shipyard __NOTOC__
The Galați shipyard ( ro, Șantierul naval Galați), formally Damen Shipyards Galați, is a shipyard located on the Danube in Galați, a city located in the Moldavia region of Romania.
History Origins through communism
Shipbuilding is ...
in 1907–1908. They did not engage enemy ships, however, instead they were used to support ground forces during the
Battle of Turtucaia
The Battle of Turtucaia ( ro, Bătălia de la Turtucaia; bg, Битка при Тутракан, ''Bitka pri Tutrakan''), also known as Tutrakan Epopee ( bg, Тутраканска епопея, ''Tutrakanska epopeya'') in Bulgaria, was the openi ...
and the
First Battle of Cobadin
The First Battle of Cobadin, also known as the First Battle of the Rasova–Cobadin–Tuzla Line, was a battle fought from 17 to 19 of September 1916 between the Bulgarian Third Army and the Romanian–Russian Army of the Dobruja. The battle end ...
, and also took part in the
1917 campaign, contributing to the stemming of the enemy advance. During the Interwar period, the Romanian Danube Flotilla was the most powerful riverine fleet in the world. In 1924, the Romanian river monitors helped suppress the
Tatarbunary Uprising
The Tatarbunary Uprising ( ro, Răscoala de la Tatarbunar) was a Bolshevik-inspired and Soviet-backed peasant revolt that took place on 15–18 September 1924, in and around the town of Tatarbunary (''Tatar-Bunar'' or ''Tatarbunar'') in Budjak ...
, along with the entire Romanian Danube Flotilla.
![Hlídková loď President Masaryk (2)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Hl%C3%ADdkov%C3%A1_lo%C4%8F_President_Masaryk_%282%29.jpg)
Czechoslovakia had one monitor, , of about 200 tons displacement. She was captured by the Germans in 1939 and commissioned as ''Bechelaren''. She was extensively rebuilt in 1943 and her armament was also modified in February 1945. She supported German troops during
Operation Spring Awakening
Operation Spring Awakening (german: Unternehmen Frühlingserwachen) was the last major German offensive of World War II. The operation was referred to in Germany as the Plattensee offensive and in the Soviet Union as the Balaton defensive operati ...
and later fought in Austria, sinking two Soviet gunboats.
Yugoslav river monitors were former Austro-Hungarian warships received as reparations. They were renamed (ex-''Bosna''), (ex-''Bodrog''), (ex-''Enns'') and ''
Morava'' (ex-''Körös''). After the
fall of Yugoslavia in April 1941, ''Morava'' (renamed ''Bosna'') and ''Sava'' were commissioned by the newly created
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia ( sh, Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH; german: Unabhängiger Staat Kroatien; it, Stato indipendente di Croazia) was a World War II-era puppet state of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. It was established in p ...
.
Smaller monitors (70–100 ton displacement) were used by
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
in 1939 on the
Pripyat River
The Pripyat or Prypiat ( , uk, Прип'ять, ; be, Прыпяць, translit=Prypiać}, ; pl, Prypeć, ; russian: Припять, ) is a river in Eastern Europe, approximately long. It flows east through Ukraine, Belarus, and Ukraine ag ...
and by the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
in 1941 on the Pripyat and
Dnepr Dnepr may refer to:
*Dnieper, a river flowing through Russia, Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea
* Dnepr (motorcycle), a Ukraininan motocycle brand
* Dnepr (rocket), a 1999 space launch vehicle
*Dnepr radar Dnepr may refer to:
*Dnieper, a river ...
rivers. The Soviet Union also had five ''Zheleznyakov''-class monitors of 263 tons, which served with the
Danube Flotilla and
Dnieper Flotilla The Dnieper Flotilla () is the name given to the various naval flotillas on the Dnieper River. These were particularly active in four conflicts: the Russo-Turkish wars of 1735–39 and 1787–92, the Russian Civil War, and World War II (called, in ...
in World War II.
Hungary also used river monitors, five of them notably taking part during the
Kozara Offensive
The Kozara Offensive (also known as Operation West-Bosnien) was fought in 1942 on and around the mountain of Kozara in northwestern Bosnia. It was an important battle of the Yugoslav Partisan resistance movement in World War II. It later becam ...
in 1942.
South America
![M_Parnaíba_(U-17)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/M_Parna%C3%ADba_%28U-17%29.jpg)
The Brazilian river monitor was built for the navy in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
and
commissioned on 9 March 1938. She participated in the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and is currently the world's oldest commissioned warship still in active service.
She is assigned to the Brazilian navy's
Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso ( – lit. "Thick Bush") is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest by area, located in the Central-West region. The state has 1.66% of the Brazilian population and is responsible for 1.9% of the Brazilian GDP.
Neighboring ...
Flotilla.
See also
*
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.
History Pre-steam ...
*
List of monitors of the United States Navy
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.
Historical overview
The whole cate ...
*
List of monitors of the Royal Navy
*
List of monitors of the Swedish Navy
This is a list of Swedish monitors from the ironclads era.
Classes of Monitors
*
** (1865) - sold in 1919
** (1865) - sold in 1922
** (1866) - Sold for scrap in 1922
** (1869) - scrapped in 1908
* (1867) - sold for scrap in 1893
* (1868 ...
*
List of monitors of the Netherlands
This is a list of monitors of the Netherlands navy.
*
** (1868)
** (1868)
*
** (1868)
** (1870)
*
** (1867)
** (1868)
** (1868)
*
** (1869)
** (1869)
*
** (1870)
** (1870)
** (1871)
** (1871)
** (1871)
** (1876)
* (1877)
* ...
References
* Carrico, John M., ''Vietnam Ironclads'', 2007; Brown Water Enterprises. .
* Friedman, Norman, ''U.S. Small Combatants: An Illustrated Design History'', 1987; Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. .
* Kramer, Charles (Illustrator), ''Popular Mechanics'' Magazine, 1967; Charles Kramer of Zik Assoc., Ltd. cutaway view of Vietnam "River Battleship".
{{DEFAULTSORT:River Monitor
Ship types
Riverine warfare
Monitors
Warships
Gunboats