HMS Somerset |
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Type 23 class |
| Builders: | Yarrow Shipbuilders and Swan Hunter |
| Operators: | Royal Navy Chilean Navy |
| Preceded by: | Type 22 frigate |
| Succeeded by: | Type 26 frigate (planned) |
| In commission: | 24 November 1987 |
| Completed: | 16 |
| Active: | 13 (Royal Navy) & 3 (Chilean Navy) |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Frigate |
| Displacement: | 4,900 tonnes[1] |
| Length: | 133 m (436 ft 4 in)[1][2] |
| Beam: | 16.1 m (52 ft 10 in)[1][2] |
| Draught: | 5 m (16 ft 5 in)[3] 18 ft (5.5 m) screws[2] 24 ft (7.3 m) sonar[2] |
| Propulsion: | CODLAG with four 1510 kW (2,025 shp) Paxman Valenta 12CM diesel generators powering two GEC electric motors delivering 2980kW (4000 shp) and two Rolls-Royce Spey SM1A delivering 23,190 kW (31,100 shp) to two shafts |
| Speed: | 28 knots HMS Sutherland achieved 34.4 knots during high-speed trials (November 2008) |
| Range: | 14,485 km (9,000 miles) at 15 knots |
| Complement: | 185[1] or 181 (13 officers)[2] |
| Armament: |
Anti-air missiles; Anti-ship missiles; Anti-submarine torpedoes; Guns; Decoys; |
| Aircraft carried: |
1 x Lynx HMA8 or Merlin HM1 helicopter Armed with
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The Type 23 frigate is a class of frigate built for the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. All the ships were first named after British Dukes, thus the class is also known as the Duke class. The first Type 23 was commissioned in 1989, and the sixteenth, HMS St Albans was launched in May 2000 and commissioned in June 2002. They form the majority of the Royal Navy's destroyer and frigate fleet.
Three of the frigates have been sold to Chile and serve with the Chilean Navy. The remaining thirteen remain in service with the Royal Navy.
Contents |
When first conceived in the late 1970s, the Type 23 was intended to be a light anti-submarine frigate to counter Soviet nuclear submarines operating in the North Atlantic. The Type 23 would be replacing the Leander class frigates (which had entered service in 1960s) and the Type 21 frigate (a general purpose design that recently entered service) as "the backbone of the Royal Navy's surface ship anti-submarine force".[5] Although not intended to replace the Type 22 frigate, reductions in the size of the Navy due to the 1998 Strategic Defence Review led to HMS St Albans replacing HMS Coventry, a Type 22 frigate.[6]
The ships were intended to carry a towed array sonar to detect Soviet submarines in the North Atlantic and carry a Westland Lynx or EHI Merlin helicopter to attack them.[7] It was initially proposed that the frigates would not mount defensive armament. Instead the Sea Wolf missile system was to be carried by Fort Victoria class replenishment oilers, one of which was to support typically four Type 23s. The Fort class oilers would also provide servicing facilities for the force's helicopters; the Type 23 would have facilities only for rearming and refuelling them.
As a result of lessons learned from the Falklands War, the design grew in size and complexity to encompass the Vertical Launch Sea Wolf (VLS) system with an extra tracking system as a defence against low-flying aircraft and sea-skimming anti-ship missiles such as Exocet.[7] With the addition of Harpoon surface-to-surface missiles and a medium calibre gun for naval gunfire support, the Type 23 had evolved into a more complex and balanced vessel optimised for general warfare, which introduced a host of new technologies and concepts to the Royal Navy. These included extensive radar cross section reduction design measures, automation to substantially reduce crew size, a Combined diesel-electric and gas (CODLAG) propulsion system providing very quiet running for anti-submarine operations along with excellent range, vertical launch missile technology and a fully distributed combat management system.
The Vertical Launch Sea Wolf surface-to-air missile system was designed for and first deployed on the Type 23. Unlike conventional Sea Wolf, the missile is boosted vertically until it clears the ship's superstructure and then turns to fly directly to the target. Consequently, the ship's structure does not cause no-fire zones that would delay or inhibit missile firing in a conventionally launched system.
HMS Norfolk was the first of the class to enter service, commissioned into the Fleet on 1 June 1990 at a cost of £135.449 million GBP, later vessels cost £60–96 million GBP.[8]
The class are currently going through mid-life refits which last 12-18 months and cost £15-20m. Aside from refurbishment of the mess decks and drive train, the ships are being fitted with a transom flap which can add up to 1 knot to the top speed[9] and reduce fuel consumption by 13%, and Intersleek anti-fouling paint which added 2 knots to the top speed of Ark Royal.[10] Although the top speed of the Duke class is commonly quoted as 28 knots, the caption of an official Navy photo suggests that Lancaster was capable of 32 knots even before her mid-life refit;[11][12] The Sea Wolf Mid Life Update (SWMLU) improves the sensors and guidance of the missiles, point defences are further improved with new remotely-operated 30mm guns, and Mod 1 of the Mk8 main gun has an all-electric loading system and a smaller radar cross-section. The communications and command systems are also upgraded. Iron Duke will be the first to receive the Type 997 Artisan main radar during her refit in 2012-13,[13] and the class will replace Sea Wolf with the CAMM(M) variant of the Common Anti-Air Modular Missile from 2016.[14] CAMM has a longer range (25 kilometres (16 mi) compared to 8 km) and can be packed much more tightly, with up to four CAMM fitting into the space occupied by one Sea Wolf, giving 128 missiles ready for launch.[15]
Although the Type 23 is officially the "Duke" class, and includes such famous names as HMS Iron Duke, (which had been the name of the battleship HMS Iron Duke, Admiral Jellicoe's flagship at the Battle of Jutland), five of the names had previously been used on classes known as the "County class": Kent and Norfolk were names given both to 1960s guided missile destroyers and Second World War-era County class heavy cruisers, while Monmouth, Lancaster, Kent and Argyll revived names carried by First World War-era Monmouth class armoured cruisers. This use of Ducal and County names broke a tradition of alphabetical names for escort ships which had run in two – not unbroken – cycles from the L-class destroyers of 1913 to the Daring-class destroyers of 1950; this progression was revived with the Amazon-class Type 21 frigates of 1972–75, and continued with B and C names for most of the Type 22 frigates of 1976–89. However, the D names have since been used for the new Type 45 Daring-class destroyers now entering service from 2009.
Note: Type 23's Search Radar will be replaced by BAE Systems Insyte Artisan 3D Radar. The radar also equips the Albion and Ocean class Assault Ships, and will be on the two future Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers. The project was worth £100 Million and the contract was announced in 4 August 2008.[16]
The first few Type 23 frigates entered service without a computerised command system, so the Secretary of State for Defence was asked "what ability those type 23 frigates not fitted with an automated command and control system will possess to identify aircraft as either friendly or hostile." The reply given was that: "The classification of an aircraft as friendly or hostile is based on information from a variety of sources including the ships Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) system and other sensors. In T23 frigates not fitted with a command system this information will be available but will not be correlated automatically."[17]
"When first commissioned the complement of crew carried by Type 23 frigates was 173. The current [February 1998] complement is 171." "There are no plans to reduce the complement of Type 23 frigates by refitting with less manpower-intensive equipment. Manning implications are taken into consideration when the Operational Requirement for future ships is considered; however, the size of the complement is affected by other considerations such as the manpower needed for damage control and fire-fighting."[18]
As reported by the Navy in January 2006, all the ships were operating one helicopter each. The Lynx Mark 3 was operated by HMS Sutherland, and the Lynx Mk 8 was operated by the Argyll, Montrose, Saint Albans, Iron Duke, Kent, Portland, Somerset, and Grafton.[19][20] HMS Lancaster, Monmouth, Westminster and Northumberland operated the Merlin Mk 1.[20] By 2010, Sutherland was operating a Merlin.[21]
Five Type 23 frigates, HM Ships Montrose, Monmouth, Iron Duke, Lancaster and Argyll are not scheduled to receive Sonar 2087. These ships will be employed across the normal range of standing strategic, home and overseas commitments. These include Fleet Ready Escort duties around home waters, operational deployments to the Gulf and Arabian Sea, and standing tasks in the South Atlantic (APT(S)), Caribbean (APT(N)) and within NATO's Standing Maritime Group in the Mediterranean (SNMG2). They will also continue to contribute to the UK's Maritime Joint Rapid Reaction Force (JRRF) held at high readiness for contingent operations, and deploy on pre-planned activities as JRRF elements within a Task Group."[22]
As of July 2010, six of the thirteen Type 23s in service are equipped with 2087 Sonar,[23] and MoD "plan to fit a further two with it by 2013. Following the withdrawal from service of the Nimrod MR2, other assets, including the Type 23, are providing cover for some of its tasks."[24]
Unlike the Types 22 and 45, the "Type 23 frigate does not have the capability or configuration to act as flagship and is not tasked in this way."[25]
Prior to the Falklands War the cost of the Type 23 frigates was estimated at £75 million (September 1980 prices)[26] Changes following the experiences in the Falklands, including improved damage control and fire precautions[27] led to an increased cost estimated at £110 million (1984–85 prices)[26] By 2001, the Ministry of Defence said the cost of HMS Norfolk was £135.449 million and the remaining ships would have a final cost between £60 million and £96 million each[5]
The Ministry of Defence said in 1998 that the Merlin ASW helicopter was costing them £97M each (this was for an order for 44 airframes), and that this was 57% of the cost of Type 23.[28] From this it can be calculated that the cost of Type 23 was £ 170.1M each.
The costs in the table below are in two columns:
The Government's declared policy for construction contracts for Type 23 was "...competition, the aim being to secure best value for money for the defence budget." while maintaining "sufficient warship-building capacity to meet likely future defence requirements and a competitive base"[17]
| Pennant | Name | (a) Hull builder | Ordered | Laid down | Launched | Accepted into service[31] | Commissioned | Original hull cost | Estimated building cost[30] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F230 | Norfolk | Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd.[29] | 29 October 1984[32] | 14 December 1985[33] | 10 July 1987[33][34] | 1 June 1990[33][34] | £112.03M[29] | £142M[35] £135.449M[5] |
|
| F231 | Argyll | Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd.[29] | 1 September 1986[32] | 20 March 1987[2][34] | 8 April 1989[2][34] | 17 April 1991[36] | 31 May 1991[2][34] | £118.95M[29] | |
| F229 (ex-F232)[33] | Lancaster | Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd.[29] | 1 September 1986[32] | 18 December 1987[2][34] | 24 May 1990[2][34] | 1 May 1992[2] | £119.71M[29] | ||
| F233 | Marlborough | Swan Hunter.[29] | 1 September 1986[33] | 22 October 1987[33][34] | 21 January 1989[33][34] | 7 March 1991[36] | 14 June 1991[33][34] | £118.43M[29] | £120M[35] |
| F234 | Iron Duke | Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd.[29] | 11 July 1988[32] | 12 December 1988[2][34] | 2 March 1991[2][34] | 20 May 1993[2][34] | £109.77M[29] | ||
| F235 | Monmouth | Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd.[29] | 11 July 1988[32] | 1 June 1989[2][34] | 23 November 1991[2][34] | 24 September 1993[2][34] | £111.66M[29] | ||
| F236 | Montrose | Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd.[29] | 11 July 1988[32] | 1 November 1989[2][34] | 31 July 1992[2][34] | 2 June 1994[2] | £117.29M[29] | ||
| F237 | Westminster | Swan Hunter.[29] | December 1989[33] | 18 January 1991[2][34] | 4 February 1992[2] | 13 May 1994[2][34] | £112.68M[29] | ||
| F238 | Northumberland | Swan Hunter.[29] | December 1989[33] | 4 April 1991[2][34] | 4 April 1992[2][34] | 29 November 1994[2] | £114.73M[29] | ||
| F239 | Richmond | Swan Hunter.[29] | December 1989[33] | 16 February 1992[2] | 6 April 1993[2][34] | 22 June 1995[2] | £116.2M[29] | ||
| F82 | Somerset | Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd.[29] | January 1992[33] | 12 October 1992[2][34] | 25 June 1994[2][34] | 20 September 1996[2] | £114.14M[29] | ||
| F80 | Grafton | Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd.[29] | January 1992[33] | 13 May 1993[33][34] | 5 November 1994[33] | 29 May 1997[33] | £115.56M[29] | £79M[35] | |
| F81 | Sutherland | Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd.[29] | January 1992[33] | 14 October 1993[2][34] | 9 March 1996[2] | 4 July 1997[2] | £143.58M[29] | ||
| F78 | Kent | Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd.[29] | February 1996[33] | 16 April 1997[2] | 27 May 1998[2] | 8 June 2000[2] | £108.42M[29] | ||
| F79 | Portland | Marconi Marine.[29] [Formerly Yarrow.] | February 1996[33] | 14 January 1998[2] | 15 May 1999[37] | 15 December 2000[37] | 3 May 2001[2] | £92.06M[29] | |
| F83 | St Albans | BAE Systems Marine.[29] [Formerly Yarrow.] | February 1996[33] | 18 April 1999[2] | 6 May 2000[2] | 6 June 2002[2] | £106.82M[29] |
| Date | Running cost | What is included | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987–88 | £3.6 million | Estimate of the annual running costs for a type 23 frigate. These costs include personnel, fuel, spares and so on, and administrative support services, but exclude new construction, capital equipment, and refit-repair costs. | [38] |
| 2001–02 | £10.3 million | "Average annual operating costs, based on historic costs over the last two full financial years are given in the table. The figures include manpower, maintenance, fuel, stores and other costs (such as harbour dues), but exclude depreciation and cost of capital." | [39] |
| 2002–03 | £10.3 million | ||
| 2007-08 | £26.18 million | "The Type 23 Class of Frigates, comprising 13 vessels, has a combined annual operating cost of £340.3M." "This is based on information primarily from Financial Year 07/08 the last year for which this information is available, and includes typical day-to-day costs such as fuel and manpower and general support costs covering maintenance, repair and equipment spares. Costs for equipment spares are also included, although these are based on Financial Year 08/09 information as this is the most recent information available. Costs for weapon system support are not included as they could only be provided at disproportionate cost." | [40] |
| 2009-10 | £24.14 million | The average running cost per class for Type 23 was £313.8 million. "These figures, based on the expenditure incurred by the Ministry of Defence in 2009-10, include maintenance, safety certification, military upgrades, manpower, inventory, satellite communication, fuel costs and depreciation." | [41] |
| HM Ship | Refit dates | Approx. duration | Contracted price[44] | Final cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argyll | Jun 2003 – Nov 2003 | 24 weeks | £5.6 million | £5.6 million | [45] |
| Lancaster | May 2004 – Dec 2004 | 32 weeks | £7.6 million | £7.6 million | [45] |
| Somerset | May 2006 – Jun 2007 | 56 weeks | £11.9 million | £11.9 million | [45] |
| Portland | May 2006 – Jan 2007 | 44 weeks | £8.7 million | £8.7 million | [45] |
| Richmond | Aug 2005 – Sep 2006 | 56 weeks | £9.4 million | £9.4 million | [45] |
| Kent | Jan 2005 – Jun 2005 | 24 weeks | £5.8 million | £5.8 million | [45] |
| HM Ship | Refit dates | Duration | Contracted price incl. profit and growth | Out-turn cost excl. profit | Final cost (£m) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Duke | Feb 2007 – Nov 2007 | 40 weeks | £10.8 million | [45] | ||
| St Albans | May 2007 – Jul 2008 | 60 weeks | £15.4 million | [45] |
In February 1998, it was stated that: "Type 23 frigates achieved approximately 85–89 per cent average availability for operational service in each of the last five years with the exception of 1996 when the figure dropped to just over 80 per cent due to a number of ships experiencing a particular defect. This discounts time spent in planned maintenance."[18]
On 21 July 2004, in the Delivering Security in a Changing World review of defence spending, Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon announced that HMS Norfolk, Marlborough and Grafton were to be paid off. In 2005 it was announced that these three vessels would be sold to the Chilean Navy, to be delivered in 2008. In September 2005 BAE Systems was awarded a £134 million GBP contract to prepare the frigates for transfer.
The Marlborough, Norfolk and Grafton were sold to Chile for a total of £134 million.[35] The letter of intent for purchase was signed in December 2004, followed by a formal contract on 7 September 2005.[46]
The Norfolk was handed over by the Defence Logistics Organisation and BAE Systems and commissioned into the Chilean Navy on 22 November 2006, and named Almirante Cochrane (FF-05) (after Lord Cochrane, a naval hero to both the British and Chileans). The Grafton was delivered to Chilean Navy on 28 March 2007 at Portsmouth and renamed Almirante Lynch (FF-07). The Marlborough was delivered to Chilean Navy on 28 May 2008 at Portsmouth and renamed Almirante Condell (FF-06).
| Name | RN Home port | Out-of-service date (as planned in 2006) |
Out-of-service date (as announced in 2009) |
Actual out-of-service date | Name after sale abroad | New home port | Commissioned by foreign navy | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMS Norfolk | Devonport[33] | FY2005-06 | Almirante Cochrane FF-05 | Valparaiso | 22 November 2006[46] | Active Chilean Navy | ||
| HMS Marlborough | Portsmouth[33] | FY2005-06 | Almirante Condell FF-06 | Valparaiso | 2008[46] | Active Chilean Navy | ||
| HMS Grafton | Portsmouth[33] | Non-operational from 31 March 2006.[20] | Almirante Lynch FF-07 | Valparaiso | 28 March 2007[46] | Active Chilean Navy | ||
| HMS Argyll | Devonport[33] | 2019[22] | 2023[47] | Active RN | ||||
| HMS Lancaster | Portsmouth[33] | 2019[22] | 2024[47] | Active RN | ||||
| HMS Iron Duke | Portsmouth[33] | 2020[22] | 2025[47] | Active RN | ||||
| HMS Monmouth | Devonport[33] | 2021[22] | 2026[47] | Active RN | ||||
| HMS Montrose | Devonport[33] | 2021[22] | 2027[47] | Active RN | ||||
| HMS Westminster | Portsmouth[33] | 2028[47] | Active RN | |||||
| HMS Northumberland | Devonport[33] | 2029[47] | Active RN | |||||
| HMS Richmond | Portsmouth[33] | 2030[47] | Active RN | |||||
| HMS Somerset | Devonport[33] | 2031[47] | Active RN | |||||
| HMS Sutherland | Devonport[33] | 2033[47] | Active RN | |||||
| HMS Kent | Portsmouth[33] | 2034[47] | Active RN | |||||
| HMS Portland | Devonport[33] | 2035[47] | Active RN | |||||
| HMS St. Albans | Portsmouth[33] | 2036[47] | Active RN |
The Royal Navy’s current Type 22 and Type 23 frigates will be replaced by the Future Surface Combatant programme, of which the first vessel (of the C1/Type 26 variant) is planned to enter service around 2020.[48]
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