HMS Birmingham |
|
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Type 42 |
| Builders: | Several different |
| Operators: | Royal Navy Argentine Navy |
| Preceded by: | Type 82 (RN) Sumner class (ARA) |
| Succeeded by: | Type 45 (RN) Almirante Brown class (ARA) |
| In service: | 1975 |
| Building: | 0 |
| Completed: | 16 |
| Active: | 4 |
| Laid up: | 0 |
| Lost: | 2 (Falklands War) |
| Retired: | 10 |
| Preserved: | 0 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Guided missile destroyer |
| Displacement: | Batch 1 & 2: 3,500 long tons (3,600 t) standard,[1] 4,100 long tons (4,200 t)[1] or 4,350 tons[2] full load Batch 3: 3,500 long tons (3,600 t) standard,[1] 4,775 long tons (4,852 t)[1] or 5,350 tons[2] full load |
| Length: | Batch 1 & 2: 119.5 m (392 ft) waterline,[1] 125 m (412 ft)[1] or 125.6 m (412 ft)[2] overall Batch 3: 132.3 m (434 feet) waterline,[1] 141.1 m (462.8 ft)[1][2] overall |
| Beam: | Batch 1 & 2: 14.3 m (47 ft)[1][2] Batch 3: 14.9 m (49 ft)[1][2] |
| Draught: | Batch 1, 2 & 3: 4.2 m (13.9 ft) keel,[1] 5.8 m (19 feet) screws[1][2] |
| Decks: | 8 |
| Installed power: | 50,000 shp |
| Propulsion: |
2 shafts COGOG; |
| Speed: | 30 knots (Olympus) 18 knots (Tyne) |
| Boats and landing craft carried: |
2 |
| Complement: | Batch 1 & 2: 253 (inc 24 officers)[1] or 274, accommodation for 312[1] Batch 3: 301 (inc 26 officers)[1] or 314 Batch 1, 2 & 3: 24 officers and 229 ratings[2] |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
Radar Type 1022/965P air surveillance, |
| Armament: |
|
| Aircraft carried: |
1× Westland Lynx HAS / HMA Armed with
|
| Aviation facilities: | Flight deck and enclosed hangar for embarking one helicopter |
The Type 42 or Sheffield class, are guided missile destroyers used by the British Royal Navy and the Argentine Navy. The first ship of the class was ordered in 1968 and launched in 1971, and today three ships remain active in the Royal Navy and one in the Argentinian Navy. Two of the class (Sheffield and Coventry) were sunk in the Falklands War of 1982.
Contents |
The class was designed in the late 1960s to provide fleet area air-defence. In total fourteen vessels were constructed in three batches, three of which remain in service (Liverpool, Edinburgh and York). In addition, two ships were also built to the same specifications as the Batch 1 vessels for the Argentine Navy, one of which remains in service. The ships, along with the Type 23 frigates, today help to form the backbone of the Royal Navy surface fleet, although their place is being taken by the Type 45 destroyers. Sheffield and Coventry were lost in the Falklands War to enemy action. (This was the first conflict when surface warships of the same design have been on opposite sides since the Second World War, when four Flower-class corvettes built for France in 1939, were taken over by the Kriegsmarine in 1940).
When the Type 82 air-defence cruisers were cancelled along with the proposed CVA-01 carrier by the Labour Government of 1966, the Type 42 was proposed as a lighter and cheaper design with similar capabilities to the Type 82. The class is fitted with the GWS30 Sea Dart surface-to-air missile first deployed on the sole Type 82, Bristol. The Type 42s were also given a flight deck and hangar to operate an anti-submarine warfare helicopter, greatly increasing their utility compared to the Type 82, which was fitted with a flight deck but no organic aviation facilities.
The design was budgeted with a ceiling of £19 million per hull, but soon ran over-budget. The original design at (£21 million) was similar to the lengthened 'Batch 3' Type 42s. To cut costs, the first two batches had 47 feet removed from the bow, and the beam-to-length ratio was reduced. These early Type 42s performed poorly during the contractor's sea trials particularly in heavy seas, and the hull was extensively examined for other problems. Strengthening girders were later designed into the weather deck structure in the batch 1 and 2 ships, and the batch 3 ships received an external 'strake' to counter longitudinal cracking. The batch 1 and batch 2 ships (Sheffield to Liverpool) were notoriously poor sea-keepers compared to the later, longer ships.
The first of class, Sheffield, was initially fitted with exhaust deflectors ("Loxton bends") on her funnel for the Rolls Royce Olympus TM1A turbine engines, to minimise damage to overhead aerials. As this provided a prominent target for the new infra-red homing missiles, these deflectors were removed during Sheffield's 1979-1980 refit in Portsmouth. All subsequent Olympus and Tyne uptakes were fitted with 'cheese graters' which mixed machinery space vent air with the engine exhaust to minimise infra-red signatures.
The Argentine versions of this class are both based at Puerto Belgrano; Santísima Trinidad is now being used to provide for spares for her heavily modified sister, Hércules, which has a new aft superstructure and hangar and Exocet missile launchers.
The Type 42 destroyer was built to fill the gap left by the cancellation of the large Type 82 destroyer. It was intended to fulfil the same role, with similar systems on a smaller and more cost effective hull. The ships are primarily carriers for the GWS-30 Sea Dart surface-to-air missile system. Although described as obsolete, it still proved effective against modern missile threats during the 1991 Gulf War.
The Type 42 is also equipped with a 4.5 inch Mark 8 naval gun and six torpedo launchers. Two Vulcan Phalanx Mk 15 Close-In Weapons Systems (CIWS) were fitted to British type 42s after the loss of Sheffield to an Exocet missile. There have been three batches of ships, batch 1 & 2 displacing 4,820 tonnes and batch 3 (sometimes referred to as the Manchester class) displacing 5,200 tonnes. The batch 3 ships were heavily upgraded, though the planned Sea Wolf missile systems were never fitted. Because of their more general warfare role, the two Argentine ships have been fitted with the MM38 Exocet, and not with a CIWS.
The electronics suite includes one Type 1022 D-band long range radar with Outfit LFB track extractor or one Type 965P long range air surveillance radar, one Type 996 E/F-band 3D target indication radar with Outfit LFA track extractor or type 992Q surface search, two Type 909 I/J-band fire control radars and an Outfit LFD Radar Track Combiner.
In recent years the importance of the aging Type 42 destroyers has increased. The UK has adopted an increasingly expeditionary defence policy and the deletion of the Sea Dart missile systems from the Invincible-class aircraft carriers has made the role of escort ships all the more important. However the deployment of Type 23s in lieu of Type 42s to high-intensity mission areas has become more prevalent as servicability and reliability issues have dogged Type 42s availability as has obsolescence of their combat and machinery system equipment. The 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) sounded a death knell for these venerable warships and it is forecast they will all be reduced to extended readiness ready for retirement by 2013.
All ships are propelled by Rolls Royce TM3B Olympus and Rolls Royce RM1C Tyne marinised gas turbines, arranged in a COGOG (Combined Gas or Gas) arrangement, driving through synchronous self-shifting clutches into a double reduction, dual tandem, articulated, locked-train gear system and out through two five-bladed controllable pitch propellers. All have four Paxman Ventura 16YJCAZ diesel generators, each generating 1 Megawatt of three-phase 440V 60 Hz power.
| Pennant | Name | (a) Hull builder | Ordered | Laid down | Launched | Accepted into service[Note 1] | Commissioned | Estimated building cost[Note 2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Navy - batch 1 | ||||||||
| D80 | Sheffield | Vickers Shipbuilders Ltd, Barrow-in-Furness.[3] | 14 November 1968 [3] | 15 January 1970 [3] | 10 June 1971 [3] | 16 February 1975 [3][4] | 16 February 1975 [5][Note 3] | £23,200,000 [6] |
| D86 | Birmingham | Cammell Laird & Co, Birkenhead.[3] | 21 May 1971 [3] | 28 March 1972 [3] | 30 July 1973 [3] | 26 November 1976 [7] | 3 December 1976 [5] | £31,000,000 [8] |
| D87 | Newcastle | Swan Hunter Ltd, Wallsend-on-Tyne.[3] | 11 November 1971 [3] | 21 February 1973 [3] | 24 April 1975 [3] | 25 February 1978 [4] | 23 March 1978 [5] | £34,600,000 [4] |
| D118 | Coventry | Cammell Laird & Co, Birkenhead.[3] | 21 May 1971 [3] | 29 January 1973 [3] | 21 June 1974 [3] | 20 October 1978 [4] | 10 November 1978 [5] | £37,900,000 [4][9] |
| D88 | Glasgow | Swan Hunter Ltd, Wallsend-on-Tyne.[3] | 11 November 1971 [3] | 16 April 1974 [3] | 14 April 1976 [3] | 9 March 1979 [4] | 24 May 1979 [5] | £36,900,000 [4][9] |
| D108 | Cardiff | Vickers Shipbuilders Ltd, Barrow-in-Furness (to launching stage) Swan Hunter Ltd, Hebburn (for completion).[9] |
10 June 1971 [3] | 6 November 1972 [3] | 22 February 1974 [3] | 22 September 1979 [3][4] | 24 September 1979 [5] | £40,500,000 [10][Note 4] |
| Royal Navy - batch 2 | ||||||||
| D89 | Exeter | Swan Hunter Ltd, Wallsend-on-Tyne.[3] | 22 January 1976 [3] | 22 July 1976 [3] | 25 April 1978 [3] | 30 August 1980 [3][4] | 19 September 1980 [5] | £60,100,000 [4][9] |
| D90 | Southampton | Vosper Thornycroft Ltd, Woolston.[3] | 17 March 1976 [3] | 21 October 1976 [3] | 29 January 1979 [3] | 17 August 1981 [3][4] | 31 October 1981 [5] | £67,500,000 [4] |
| D92 | Liverpool | Cammell Laird & Co, Birkenhead.[3] | 27 May 1977 [3] | 5 July 1978 [3] | 25 September 1980 [3] | 12 May 1982 [3][4] | 1 July 1982 [5] | £92,800,000 [4] |
| D91 | Nottingham | Vosper Thornycroft Ltd, Woolston.[3] | 1 March 1977 [3] | 6 February 1978 [3] | 18 February 1980 [3] | 22 December 1982 [3][4] | 14 April 1983 [5] | £82,100,000 [4] |
| Royal Navy - batch 3 | ||||||||
| D95 | Manchester | Vickers Shipbuilders Ltd, Barrow-in-Furness.[3] | 10 November 1978 [3] | 19 May 1978 [3] | 24 November 1980 [3] | 19 November 1982 [3][4] | 16 December 1982 [5] | £110,000,000 [4] |
| D98 | York | Swan Hunter Ltd, Wallsend-on-Tyne.[3] | 25 April 1979 [3] | 18 January 1980 [3] | 21 June 1982 [3] | 25 March 1985 [11] | 9 August 1985 | £118,700,000 [11] |
| D96 | Gloucester | Vosper Thornycroft Ltd, Woolston.[3] | 27 March 1979 [3] | 29 October 1979 [3] | 2 November 1982 [3] | 16 May 1985 [11] | 11 September 1985 | £120,800,000 [11] |
| D97 | Edinburgh | Cammell Laird & Co, Birkenhead.[3] | 25 April 1979 [3] | 8 September 1980 [3] | 13 April 1983 [3] | 25 July 1985 [11] | 17 December 1985 | £130,600,000 [11] |
| Armada Republica Argentina - batch 1 | ||||||||
| D1 | Hércules | Vickers Shipbuilders Ltd, Barrow-in-Furness.[3] | 18 May 1970 [3] | 16 June 1971 [3] | 24 October 1972 [3] | 10 May 1976 [3] | 12 July 1976 [3] | |
| D2 | Santísima Trinidad | AFNE, Rio Santiago, Argentina.[3] | 18 May 1970 [3] | 11 October 1971 [3] | 9 November 1974 [3] | 1 July 1981 | ||
In May 1982, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Jerry Wiggin) stated that the current replacement cost of a type 42 destroyer of the Sheffield class was "about £120 million."[12] In July 1984, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (John Lee) stated: "the average cost of the three type 42 destroyers currently under construction is £117 million at 1983–84 price levels."[13]
| Date | Running cost | What is included | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981-82 | £10.0 million | Average annual running cost of Type 42s at average 1981–82 prices and including associated aircraft costs but excluding the costs of major refits. | [14] |
| 1985-86 | £15 million | The average cost of running and maintaining a type 42 destroyer for one year. | [15] |
| 1987-88 | £7 million | The average annual operating costs, at financial year 1987-88 prices of a type 42 destroyer. These costs include personnel, fuel, spares and so on, and administrative support services, but exclude new construction, capital equipment, and refit-repair costs. | [16] |
| 2001-02 | £13.0 million | Type 42 destroyer, average annual operating costs, based on historic costs over each full financial year. The figures include manpower, maintenance, fuel, stores and other costs (such as harbour dues), but exclude depreciation and cost of capital. | [17] |
| 2002-03 | £13.5 million |
| Date | Running cost | What is included | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-08 | £31.35 million | "The annual operating cost of the Type 42 Class of Destroyers, covering a total of eight vessels in the 07/08 period, is £250.8M." "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." | [18] |
| 2009–10 | £26.7 million | "The average running cost per class... Type 42 is £ 160.1 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.". | [19] |
In May 2000, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (John Spellar) stated: "The running costs of each of the Royal Navy's Type 42 destroyers for each of the past five years are contained in the following table. This includes repair and maintenance, manpower, fuel and other costs such as port and harbour dues. Year-on-year variations are largely attributable to refit periods."[20]
| Ship | 1995–96 | 1996–97 | 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–2000 | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | £32.28 million | £16.92 million | £17.38 million | £13.38 million | £10.39 million | [20] |
| Newcastle | £32.60 million | £31.60 million | £18.57 million | £13.90 million | £13.73 million | [20] |
| Glasgow | £14.70 million | £29.47 million | £26.36 million | £13.61 million | £12.65 million | [20] |
| Cardiff | £19.86 million | £41.2 million | £28.86 million | £13.20 million | £17.87 million | [20] |
| Exeter | £19.46 million | £15.72 million | £40.83 million | £12.76 million | £14.48 million | [20] |
| Southampton | £16.53 million | £20.37 million | £17.91 million | £39.09 million | £18.79 million | [20] |
| Nottingham | £18.70 million | £17.24 million | £19.08 million | £13.08 million | £32.74 million | [20] |
| Liverpool | £16.92 million | £20.75 million | £14.59 million | £14.79 million | £14.63 million | [20] |
| Manchester | £17.99 million | £19.40 million | £14.58 million | £12.22 million | £12.69 million | [20] |
| Gloucester | £19.33 million | £19.40 million | £13.89 million | £21.49 million | £15.77 million | [20] |
| York | £20.48 million | £19.79 million | £17.50 million | £11.78 million | £21.88 million | [20] |
| Edinburgh | £35.27 million | £19.29 million | £22.50 million | £13.00 million | £12.28 million | [20] |
In February 1998, the Minister of State for Defence, Dr Reid said: "Type 42 destroyers achieved approximately 84 to 86 per cent average availability for operational service in each of the last five years. This discounts time spent in planned maintenance."[21]
| Pennant | Name | Commissioned | Home port | Status | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Navy | ||||||
| Batch 1 | ||||||
| D80 | Sheffield | 16 February 1975 | Portsmouth | Sunk in Falklands War 4 May 1982 | ||
| D86 | Birmingham | 3 December 1976 | Portsmouth | Scrapped 1999 | ||
| D88 | Glasgow | 25 May 1977 | Portsmouth | Scrapped December 2008 | ||
| D87 | Newcastle | 23 March 1978 | Portsmouth | Scrapped November 2008 | ||
| D118 | Coventry | 20 October 1978 | Portsmouth | Sunk in Falklands War 25 May 1982 | ||
| D108 | Cardiff | 24 September 1979 | Portsmouth | Scrapped November 2008 | ||
| Batch 2 | ||||||
| D89 | Exeter | 18 September 1980 | Portsmouth | Decommissioned 27 May 2009 | ||
| D90 | Southampton | 31 October 1981 | Portsmouth | Decommissioned 12 February 2009 [22] | ||
| D92 | Liverpool | 9 July 1982 | Portsmouth | Active | ||
| D91 | Nottingham | 8 April 1983 | Portsmouth | Decommissioned 11 February 2010 | ||
| Batch 3 | ||||||
| D95 | Manchester | 16 December 1982 | Portsmouth | Decommissioned 24 February 2011 | ||
| D98 | York | 9 August 1985 | Portsmouth | Active | ||
| D96 | Gloucester | 11 September 1985 | Portsmouth | Decommissioned 30 June 2011 | ||
| D97 | Edinburgh | 17 December 1985 | Portsmouth | Active | ||
| Armada Republica Argentina | ||||||
| B-52 | Hércules | 12 July 1976 | Puerto Belgrano | Active | ||
| D2 | Santísima Trinidad | 1 July 1981 | Puerto Belgrano | Uncrewed and awaiting disposal | ||
The ships are all scheduled to be out of service by 2013. By 2007 none of the batch 1 vessels remained in commission. Initially the UK sought to procure replacements first in collaboration with seven other NATO nations under the NFR-90 project and then with France and Italy through the Horizon CNGF programme. However, both these collaborative ventures failed and the UK decided to go it alone with a national project.[23]
The Type 42s are now to be replaced by six Type 45 destroyers. Daring, Dauntless and Diamond are in commission and the other three Type 45s remain in build or on contractors trials in Scotland. The Type 42 class has always suffered from cramped accommodation, a problem for crew safety and comfort, and also when finding space for upgrades. The Type 45s are considerably larger, displacing 7,500 tonnes, compared to the Type 42 displacement of 3,600 tonnes.[23]
Royal Navy Type 42 destroyers website
Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Type_42_destroyers Type 42 destroyers] at Wikimedia Commons
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