Whitby class frigate
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HMS Whitby, with modified funnel form. Whitby's bridge face was unique in that the windows were vertical. |
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| Type 12 Whitby class |  |
|---|---|
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 2,150 tons standard / 2,560 tons full load |
| Length: | 360 ft w/l, 370 ft o/a |
| Beam: | 41 ft |
| Draught: | 17 ft |
| Propulsion: | Y-100 plant; 2 Babcock and Wilcox boilers, 2 English Electric steam turbines, 2 shafts, 30,000 shp |
| Speed: | 30 knots |
| Range: | 370 tons oil fuel, 4,200 nautical miles at 12 knots |
| Complement: | 152, later 225 |
| Armament: | 1 x twin 4.5in gun Mark 6 1 x twin 40 mm Bofors gun STAAG Mark 2 , later; |
| Electronics: | Radar Type 293Q target indication, later; Radar Type 993 target indication |
The Type 12 frigates of the Whitby class were a six-ship class of anti-submarine warfare (A/S) frigates of the Royal Navy that entered service late in the 1950s. They were designed as first rate ocean-going convoy escorts in light of experience gained during World War II. At this time the Royal Navy were designing single-role escorts, and the Whitbys were designed as fast convoy escorts capble of tackling high-speed submarines. However, this made the Whitbys more expensive and sophisticated to produce in large numbers in the event of a major war, and so the Type 14 "Utility" or "2nd rate" A/S frigate was developed to complement the Type 12. Although themselves rapidly outdated, the Type 12 proved to be an excellent basis for a series of British and Commonwealth frigate designs that led the world in A/S vessels for the next 20 years.
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[edit] Design
Critical to the design of the Type 12 was the requirement to be able to steam for long periods of time in heavy seas, economically and at high speed. For this reason a novel hull form was devised. The hull showed the fine lines more typical of a destroyer, but had a raised forecastle with considerable flare. This meant that the hull cut through the water, but that spray was thrown upwards and outwards, away form the bridge and gun turret. This was especially important in high latitudes were war experience had shown that spray could cause rapid and undesireable ice build-up on the forecastle. The deck edges and hull also met at a curve rather than an angle, the anchors were recessed, and protrusions were kept to a minimum to limit the potential sources of ice build-up and spray generation. The excellent hull form, coupled with a twin-shaft double-reduction geared steam turbine plant (the Y-100) that operated at high temperature and pressure (for efficiency) and low revolutions (for efficiency and quietness) lent themselves to the perfect hull for a high speed, all weather A/S vessel.
Experience with the Type 15 frigate program, rebuilding wartime destroyers into fast A/S frigates had led to the adoption of a bridge design characteristic of Royal Navy escorts up to the Leander class of 1969. The covered bridge, where the ship was conned, was located above the operations room where the ship was fought, and there was a small pilot's position located to the front of the bridge, giving the indicative "T" shape when viewed from above. Whitby was unique in that her bridge face was vertical, her sisters having the windows mounted at an angle to the face, to cut down on internal reflections inside the bridge in low-light. There was also an open bridge located above and behind the enclosed one.
The original funnel was a straight stumpy affair, but was prone to down-draughting and did not clear the hot exhaust gasses particularly well. It was replaced by a heightened, raked, streamlined affair with a characteristic domed top. This was incorporated in later build vessels, and in all of the subsequent Rothesay class.
[edit] Armament
The armament was based around 2 Limbo Mark 10 A/S mortars, to allow for a salvo to be placed both above and below the target, creating a convergant pressure wave more likely to assure a kill. The Limbos were mounted in a well on the quarterdeck, with a 360° arc of fire. Again, wartime experience had shown that the quarterdeck, perhaps an unobvious location for an ahead throwing weapon, was indeed the best location for such weapons where they were out of the spray towards the front of the vessel. This allowed the forecastle to be left clear for a twin 4.5in Mark 6 gun for anti-surface and limited anti-aircraft fire, controlled by a Mark 6M director with radar Type 285 mounted behind the bridge. Further anti-submarine capability was to be afforded by twelve 21in A/S torpedo tubes. 4 pairs were fixed firing forward on either beam, with a trainable pair behind these on each side. Ultimately the Mark 20E torpedo was a failure, and the tubes were removed (if they were fitted at all) and the torpedoes never deployed.
Self defence against aircraft was provided by the elaborate STAAG weapon, a complex and ultimately failed exercise in engineering. The STAAG, or Stabilised Tachymetric Anti-Aircraft Gun, consisted of a twin barrel Bofors 40 mm gun, the radar Type 262 fire control set and a tachymetric (speed predicting) computer on a common, stabilised, powered gun mounting. Intended to function much as the modern CIWS does, this weapon was ahead of its time and was overweight, overly complex and a maintenance nightmare. Ultimately STAAG would be replaced by a ubiquitous Bofors 40 mm gun on the single Mark 7 mounting.
The Limbo mortars were controlled by three sonars, the Type 174 search set, Type 162 target classification set and the Type 170 'pencil beam' targeting set. The lattice foremast carried the radar Type 293Q target indication set and the Type 974 navigation set, and a Type277Q height finder was carried on a stump mast between the bridge and the mainmast. These sets were all derived from units of second world war vintage.
[edit] Service
The Whitbys served up until the 1970s, when increasing age and defence economies led to their gradual withdrawal or re-assignment. In 1966, HMS Blackpool was loaned to the Royal New Zealand Navy, while they waited for the delivery of HMNZS Canterbury, a Leander class frigate. It would remain in New Zealand service until 1971 when it returned to the RN, and decommissioned that same year. All other ships, except Eastbourne and Torquay, were decommissioned in the 1970s. The latter two ships were decommissioned in 1984 and 1985 respectively. HM ships Scarborough and Tenby were intended to have been sold to Pakistan, however, the country could not afford the refits required for the two ships, and thus the sale was aborted. Blackpool was decommissioned for use as a target vessel in the Firth of Forth, Eastbourne became an engine room training ship alongside at HMS Caledonia at Rosyth and Torquay was stripped of armament and fitted with CAAIS (Computer Assisted Action Information System) for use as a trials and training ship.
[edit] Vessels
- Royal Navy ships
| Name | Pennant | Builder | Laid Down | Launched | Commissioned | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitby | F36 | Cammell Laird, Birkenhead | September 30th 1952 | July 2nd 1954 | July 10th 1956 | Paid off 1974, sold for scrapping 1979 |
| Torquay | F43 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | March 11th 1953 | July 1st 1954 | May 10th 1956 | Paid off 1985, sold for scrapping 1987 |
| Tenby | F65 | Cammell Laird, Birkenhead | March 26th 1953 | October 4th 1955 | December 18th 1957 | Paid off 1972, sold for scrapping 1979 |
| Scarborough | F63 | Vickers Armstrong, Barrow in Furness | September 11th 1953 | April 4th 1955 | May 10th 1957 | Paid off 1972, sold for scrapping 1977 |
| Eastbourne | F73 | Vickers Armstrong, Barrow in Furness | January 13th 1954 | December 29th 1955 | January 9th 1958 | Paid off 1984, sold for scrapping 1985 |
| Blackpool | F77 | Harland & Wolff, Belfast | December 20th 1954 | February 14th 1957 | August 14th 1958 | Loaned to RNZN 1966 - 1971
Paid off 1971, sold for scrapping 1980 |
- Indian Navy Ships
| Name | Pennant | Builder | Laid Down | Launched | Commissioned | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INS Talwar | F40 | Cammell Laird | 7 June 1957 | 18 July 1958 | 26 April 1959 | Broken up 1992 |
| INS Trishul | F43 | Harland & Wolff | 19 February 1957 | 18 June 1958 | 13 January 1960 | Broken up 1996 ? |
[edit] See also
- River class destroyer escort - Australian ships based on the Type 12.
- Rothesay class frigate - an Improved form of the Type 12.
| Whitby-class frigate |
|
Blackpool | Eastbourne | Scarborough | Tenby | Torquay | Whitby |
| List of frigates of the Royal Navy |
[edit] Bibliography
- "Royal Navy Frigates 1945-1983" Leo Marriot, Ian Allan, 1983 ISBN 0-7110-1322-5
- "Warships of the Royal Navy; New Edition" Capt. John E. Moore, Jane's Publishing, 1981 ISBN 0-7106-0105-0
