Broadsword Class Type 22 Frigates

A class of anti-submarine frigates conceived as a replacement to the Leander Class. Seven were originally planned but fourteen were completed in three distinct batches. The four batch one vessels - Broadsword, Battleaxe Brilliant and Brazen- were sold to Brazil some years ago while first four batch two vessels- Beaver, Brave, Boxer and London have been decommissioned and are laid up in Fareham Creek and Portsmouth Dockyard. However the two remaining batch two frigates and the entire batch three remain in service.

Although the requirement for a successor to the Leander Class was laid out in the 1967 Defence Review, the initial design work was slow, with much effort and attention being diverted to the Polaris Project and the Type 42 Destroyer programme. However it was agreed that the replacements would be a class of large ocean going frigates suited primarily for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) but with ample ability to undertake general-purpose operations. There was some initial cooperation during the development stage with the Dutch, who sought replacements for their six Leander Class frigates. This collaboration did not last long and its failure led to the Dutch producing their own Kortenaer class, of which fourteen were built. The British continued with the design which was soon designated "Type 22" and the first unit, Broadsword, was ordered in February 1974. A second unit, Battleaxe, was ordered in September the following year, with Brilliant and Brazen ordered in September 1976 and 1977, respectively.

The design of the Type 22 was a follow on from the successful Leander Class, sharing amongst other things the same basic hull design. However the Type 22 also bore similarities to the Type 42 Destroyers- both had the same power plants and auxiliary machinery. Despite these similarities the Type 22 heralded many firsts for the Royal Navy: they were the first warships completed to a metric specification, the first to not to carry a gun and have missiles alone as the principle armament. In terms of weaponry these vessels were more than capable of general-purpose operations: air defence was provided by the Sea Wolf missile, while four exocet launchers provided defence against surface threats. The Ikara missile, which had been fitted on some Leander Class Frigates, was rejected in favour of anti-submarine torpedo tubes.

In the run up to the 1979 General Election, orders were placed for two more units- no doubt the thinking behind this being the hope that a boost to the local economy would be rewarded with votes. However a Conservative government came to power and under John Nott's notorious 1981 Defence Review it was decided the class would cease production with the seventh unit. The order for this ship- Brave- was placed in August 1981 but subsequent negotiations with Yarrow resulted in substantial price cuts being offered for an eighth ship and the order for Bloodhound was duly placed in February 1982.

In 1980 it was announced that from the fifth ship the design would be longer, with more room for sonar equipment, accommodation and a larger operations room. This batch two design included modification's learnt from experience with the first four ships. The length of the first batch had been restricted by the size of the Devonport Frigate Refit Complex. However the batch two design were "stretched"- some 41 feet longer- providing room for command and control facilities and additional sensors including the Type 2021 towed array. They also had a steeper bow and the increased length had the extra bonus of increasing ship stability. Accordingly Devonport Frigate refit Complex was enlarged. When the batch 1 had been on the drawing board planners had toyed with the idea of designing them to be capable of supporting the Sea King and Wessex helicopters, but this idea was rejected and instead they carried two small Lynx. However when designing the second batch, this decision was partly reversed, with Brave, London, Sheffield and Coventry being completed with a larger hanger and strengthened flight deck capable of operating a Sea King.

The high performance of Broadsword and Brilliant in the 1982 Falklands Conflict coupled with the loss of two destroyers and two frigates, led to the announcement that the government intended to order five more Type 22s, some of which would follow a modified design and form a third batch. Public opinion led to the ninth and tenth units being named Sheffield and Coventry in honour of the Type 42's lost in the Falklands, while for the four batch three vessels names beginning with C were chosen. The order for the final two vessels of the class were placed in January 1985 with the last unit, Chatham, commissioning in 1990, approximately eleven years since the first unit had entered service. The third batch, while essentially similar to the second batch, included lessons learnt from the 1982 Falklands Conflict. Most notably instead of exocet they carried Harpoon missiles, and for close range defence they carried the Goalkeeper. This impressive arsenal was further strengthened with the inclusion of a 4.5-inch Gun, which could provide naval Gunfire Support (NGS). Other improvements included a flight deck capable of supporting the Merlin EH101 helicopter and the ability to act as command ships- including intelligence gathering capabilities and facilities for a Flag Officer and his staff. The high level of automation was reflected in the price- a cost of £180 million per ship. All in all, the changes in the design gave them an equivalent size and firepower to a light cruiser from the Second World War. The first and second batch were powered by two Rolls Royce Olympus Gas Turbines and two Rolls Royce Tyne Turbines*, while the third batch was powered by two Rolls Royce Marine Spey and two Rolls Royce Tyne Gas turbines. *Brave was the exception being powered by two Spey and two Tyne Gas Turbines.

The Type 22 have served the Royal Navy well for many years. The success of Broadsword and Brilliant in the Falklands War was emulated by London in the Persian Gulf War, where she led the British task force. Other vessels have served with distinction off the former Yugoslavia and in the West Indies, while Chatham was the last Royal Navy Warship to leave Hong Kong. Broadsword, Battleaxe, Brilliant and Brazen each served as Dartmouth Training Ships and were refitted with the necessary classrooms and accommodation needed for up to 65 young officers.

Although Chile and Pakistan expressed interest in Batch 1 of the Broadsword Class they were eventually sold Brazil as part of a £100 million deal. In 1998 the Labour Government's Strategic Defence Review (SDR) axed several more vessels of this class- Boxer, Beaver and London would pay off in 1999, Brave the following year and Coventry in 2001. It may seem odd that these ships were being decommissioned relatively early in their lives, but compared to their successors (the Type 23) they have a large complement- 270 compared to 160. In general the larger the ship's complement the more costly it is to run. Added to this was the fact that in the late 1990s the navy was suffering a manpower problem. It was suggested that the batch two vessels paid off under the Strategic Defence Review would be sold to Pakistan. or Chile, but this appears to have fallen through after British relations with Chile were severely damaged with the arrest of General Pinochet in London during 1998.

Class Details

Above: The last Type 22, H.M.S Chatham. © Crown Copyright.

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© Written and researched by Jeremy Olver. Last updated 29th October 2000. Disclaimer.