Type 23 frigate

The frigate was initally designed as a light anti-submarine warfare platform, with a Lynx or EH-101 Merlin active dipping sonar helicopter, to replace the frigates of the Leander class. Constraints on the navy and the experiences of the Falklands War led to a redesign of the frigates with the addition of a main gun and a reduced radar signature. The frigate's role was further expanded to cover all forms of naval operations with the addition of Harpoon and Sea Wolf missile systems.

HMS Norfolk was the first of the class to enter service, commissioned on June 1, 1990 at a cost of £135.449 million. Later vessels cost £60-96 million. The annual costs of running a Type 23 is around £16 million.

Characteristics

• Length: 133 metres/436.2 feet
• Beam: 16.1 metres/52.8 feet
• Displacement (full load): 4,900 tonnes
• Crew: 185
• Power: CODLAG (Combined Diesel, Electric and Gas). Two Rolls Royce Spey 34,000 hp gas turbines; two Alstom 1.5 MW electric motors.
• Speed: 28 knots maximum. 12,500 km at 15 knots
• Weapons:
  • 2 x quad Harpoon missile launchers
  • VLS GWS 26 Mod 1 Sea Wolf SAM system
  • 4.5-inch (114mm) Vickers Mk 8 gun (some ships being upgraded with the Mod 1)
  • 2 x Oerlikon 20mm guns
  • 4 Cray Marine 324mm (2 Twin) tubes. Marconi Stingray.
  • NATO Seagnat, Type 182 and DLF3 decoy launchers
• Aircraft: Lynx Mk 8 helicopter
  • Armament:
    • Sea Skua missiles
    • Stingray torpedoes
    • depth charges
• Sensors:
  • Air/surface Search: Plessey Type 996, 3D
  • Navigation: Kelvin Hughes Type 1007 or Racal Decca Type 1008
  • Fire control: 2 Marconi Type 911
  • Ferranti/Thompson-Sintra Type 2050 Sonar
  • Dowty Type 2031Z to be replaced by Type 2087 2003

Ships

• Norfolk (F230)
• Argyll (F231)
• Lancaster (F229)
• Marlborough (F233)
• Iron Duke (F234)
• Monmouth (F235)
• Montrose (F236)
• Westminster (F237)
• Northumberland (F238)
• Richmond (F239)
• Somerset (F82)
• Grafton (F80)
• Sutherland (F81)
• Kent (F78)
• Portland (F79)
• St Albans (F83)

Referenced By