Type 23 Duke Class Frigates

First announced in 1980, the Type 23 was conceived in the midst of the Cold War as a replacement for the long serving and highly successful Leander Class and a follow on from the Broadsword Class. At the time it was envisaged that their primary task would be to undertake anti-submarine patrols in the North Atlantic and Norwegian Sea, hunting Soviet submarines leaving the Barents Sea and protecting shipping routes between North America and Europe. With at least four frigates on station at any one time, they would be supported by a new generation of ‘one stop’ Royal Fleet Auxiliaries (the Fort Class). These would not only provide the usual fuel, fresh water and naval stores but also hanger, repair and maintenance facilities for the frigate’s helicopter and defence for the taskgroup in the form of vertically launched Seawolf missiles. Hence the original requirement was for a simple, cost effective frigate and early plans indicated a vessel around 3000 tonnes in displacement, operating a towed array sonar. It would have had a flight deck, but no hanger and the modest armament would have consisted of a single OTO Melera 76mm gun, two torpedo tubes and the Exocet Surface-to-Surface Missile (SSM) system.

The 1981 Defence Review called for the acceleration of the Type 23 programme. Over the following years the design eventually became more sophisticated and consequently more expensive. The ship was redesigned to operate the Sea King helicopter and its successor-the Merlin EH101 helicopter - and so the total length was increased and a hanger was added. Further revisions led to the inclusion of a Seawolf VLS (Vertical Launch System), Harpoon missiles (instead of exocet) and two additional torpedo tubes. Lessons learnt from the Falklands campaign were also incorporated: Naval Gunfire Support (NGFS) had been used to great effect during the conflict so the OTO Melera 76mm gun was replaced with a more powerful with a Vickers 4.5 inch gun. The risk posed by fire, as highlighted by the loss of Type 42 Destroyer Sheffield, led to the evaluation of the design in terms of firefighting and damage control. As a result of these changes the Duke Class frigates were completed with a maximum displacement of around 4,200 tonnes and measure 133m in length 16.1 metres in beam and 7.3 metres in draught. Increase in size and sophistication inevitably led to an increase in cost from an estimated £67 million to £170 million each. The high level of automation onboard means that, compared to previous and contemporary vessels of similar size the Type 23 frigates have very small complement. Originally the class would have been fitted with the Computer Assisted Command System (CACS) starting with the lead ship, Norfolk. But the failure of an earlier version fitted to the Batch Two Type 22 frigates led to the cancellation of the programme and the development of a different command system. As a result the first eight Type 23's entered service without any major command system and have since been retrofitted. Following the cancellation of a second batch of 22 Merlin helicopters it now appears that some of the class will carry an updated Lynx helicopter instead.

For these anti-submarine operations it was necessary for the Type 23 to operate as quietly as possible. This led to the development of Combined Diesel, Electric and Gas Turbine Engines (CODLAG). The Gas Turbines could be used for cruising whilst the electric motors would allow for silent running. Other innovations were introduced to reduce the acoustic signatures- the engines were fitted above the waterline, thereby making them harder for submarines to hear, while the hull itself was built with rounded edges to reduce radar reflection and all vertical surfaces have a slope of 7º- it is claimed they can appear as little more than a fishing vessel on enemy radar! To reduce heat emissions the frigates had cooling devices fitted to the top of their funnels. Even the propellers were designed to be as quiet as possible, with small holes around the edges. Consequently the Type 23 Frigates have developed a reputation as ultra-quite 'stealth' ships

The contract for the leadership, Norfolk, was awarded to the prime contractor, Yarrow Shipbuilders, on October 24th 1984. She was laid down the following year and launched in 1987. Argyll and Lancaster were ordered from Yarrow on August 19th 1986 and on the same day Marlborough was ordered from Swan Hunter. In August 1988 an order was placed with Yarrow for Iron Duke, Monmouth and Montrose and on December 19th the following year Northumberland, Westminster and Richmond were ordered from Swan Hunter. As a further step in the decline of British Shipbuilding Richmond was the last ship built for the Navy by Swan Hunter. The next three- Somerset, Grafton and Sutherland - were ordered from Yarrow in 1991 and the final three- Kent, Portland and St Albans - were ordered from Yarrow in 1996

Originally a total of twenty three Duke Class Frigates were planned, some of which would have been completed to a modified design. They would have been supported by six heavily armed Fort Victoria Class replenishment ships. However the end of the Cold War and collapse of the Soviet Union meant the threat these ships were intended to counter no longer existed. Hence only sixteen frigates and two support ships- Fort Victoria and Fort George - were constructed. However they have proved themselves more than capable of fulfilling roles in the post-Cold War era, undertaking guardship duties in the Falkland Islands, West Africa and West Indies.The have also played a frontline role in recent conflicts and operations. During the Kosovo campaign in 1999 Grafton and Somerset escorted ther French aircarft carrier Foch, while in 2000 Argyll joined the Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) off troubled Sierra Leone.

Early on in the construction programme Argyll was offered to Pakistan, in the hope that two more would be ordered, the first of which would be built in Britain, the second in Karachi. Later in the programme it was hoped the design could have been sold again, this time to the Chilean Navy. Marconi Marine hoped that two vessels would be built at Scotstoun (formerly Yarrow) and two in Chile. This would have been particularly beneficial to the yard, as after the launch of St Albans it would be some time before the next major construction programme- the Type 45 Destroyer- would begin. However, the arrest and detention of General Pinochet and the inevitable deterioration of Anglo-Chilean relations put an end to this along with hopes to sell four batch two Type 22 Frigates to the South American country.

It was originally thought that the entire class would be based at Devonport but this is not the case. Iron duke, Marlborough, Richmond, Lancaster, Westminster and Grafton form the 4th Frigate Squadron (F4) at Portsmouth, while Argyll, Monmouth, Norfolk, Somerset, Northumberland, Sutherland and Grafton form the 6th Frigate Squadron (F6) at Devonport.

Since the 1960s and 1970s Royal Navy Frigates have been named in an alphabetical sequence- the six Type 21 Frigates all began with the letter ‘A’, the first eight Type 22 frigates began with the letter ‘B’ and the batch three Type 22’s with the letter ‘C’. It was assumed that the Type 23 would follow suit and begin with the letter ‘D’ and consequently they were unofficially dubbed the ‘Daring Class’. However it was decided to name the class after Dukes instead. These names came under criticism from anonymous service personnel writing to ‘Navy News’ who claimed the names were 'soft' and therefore bad for moral. Whilst they approved of "Iron Duke" they criticised some of the other names sounding like they have been chosen "from a Road Atlas" and the name St Albans was singled out and likened to a shopping centre! However supporters have argued that these names are far from soft in terms of historical importance and the letter in Navy News prompted a defensive reply from Captain James Burnell-Nugent, who commanded Invincible during Gulf stand-off , who said "if people find the names soft and fluffy they should look in the history books". Meanwhile the name Sutherland was question by in parliament by Glasgow MP Maria Fyfe "I was surprised to here the proposed names for the frigates. As the memory of the clearances linger in Scotland, I suggest that the Duke of Sutherland is perhaps not the most popular name that could have been chosen"

Ship Details

Above: H.M.S Argyll at sea (© Crown Copyright).

Ship History

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