'D' Class Type 45 Destroyers
The Type 45 Destroyers will replace the Royal Navy’s remaining eleven Type 42 Destroyers from 2007. It is the third project undertaken by the Royal Navy to replace the Type 42 Destroyers, the first two- NFR 90 and Project Horizon- ended in failure.
Background- Two Failed Attempts
In the mid-1980s the Royal Navy worked with eleven other NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) countries in a project to produce a common design of area air defence frigate. It was the Navy’s intention to use this design- named NFR 90 - to replace the twelve aging Type 42 Destroyers in the mid 1990s. The United Sates were committed to building eighteen units while other interested countries included Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands. However the number of interested parties involved, all with different requirements and spending limitations, posed a serious problem, as did divisions over the choice between American and European Equipment. Britain withdrew from the project in 1989.
The second attempt to produce a replacement to the Type 42 was also a collaborative venture- this time with the navies of France and Italy. A joint replacement was seen to be cost effective compared with the expense of producing a national programme. The first step came in March 1991 when the First Sea Lord (Admiral Sir Julian Oswald) and the French Chief of Naval Staff (Admiral Alain Coatanea) signed a "Joint Statement of Need" in London. France was seeking to procure Anti-Air Warfare (AAW) frigates to escort its planned nuclear aircraft carriers of which only one, Charles De Gaulle, was eventually constructed. At the time it was hailed as an achievement for Anglo-French Naval co-operation, making it even more embarrassing when the project finally failed. A tri-national memorandum of understanding regarding the CNGF (Common New Generation Frigate) was signed between Italy, France and the United Kingdom in 1993. France wished to construct four vessels and Italy six and the first unit had an in service date of 2002. This date later slipped to 2004 and then to 2007. Furthermore, whilst the Royal Navy was committed to building by far the largest number of warships, the French and Italians were demanding a disproportionate say in the choice of equipment and a large share of the work. Conflicting requirements began to emerge: Britain was requiring an air defence system to protect a task force, while France was more specifically looking to protect her carriers and Italy was campaigning for what was essentially a very small destroyer. Slippages in the in schedule were matched by escalation in the cost of the project but in September 1998 the ‘outline design’ was agreed upon. However the partners disagreed on a number of issues including the ships propulsion and weapon systems and the project suffered many more delays. Ironically, a venture designed to save money and reduce costs gradually become more and more expensive, with no orders in sight. Although it was widely expected that Britain would have no choice but to pull out, the New Labour government continued the project and remained committed to it in their Strategic Defence Review (SDR). Even though this stated the twelve Type 42 Destroyers on a one-for-one basis, spectators feared the increasing costs would mean the navy would receive as few as six, or eight 'Eurofrigates'. To the relief of many, Britain eventually withdrew on 25th April 1999.
Type 45
The replacement of the Type 42 had become a major problem for the Royal Navy- they were becoming increasingly costly to operate and maintain but more importantly they were approaching obsolescence. Almost immediately after the cancellation of Project Horizon the Navy launched its own replacement programme, which would build on the research and development that was undertaken for the CNGF. In keeping with the numbering sequence used for Royal Navy escorts this took on the designation Type 45 (Type 43 and 44 had been cancelled destroyer programmes of the 1970s and 1980s). Meanwhile the first Type 42 to decommission- Birmingham- paid off at Portsmouth on 10th December 1999- her spare parts used to maintain her sister ships.
On 23rd November 1999 the Minister if State for Defence Procurement, Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean, announced that Macroni Electric Systems had been named as the prime contractor for the Type 45 Destroyer programme, and they would therefore be responsible for designing and delivering the vessels.. Vosper Thornycroft were also hoping to be involved in the construction of some of the ships. They had constructed four of the Type 42 destroyers. and in more recent years had gained considerable success in winning contracts for escorts from overseas navies.
In the months before the contract was placed there were numerous rumours regarding the Type 45. It was speculated by many that the government was planning to introduce a "lego style" of construction by which different parts of the ship would be completed at different sites around the country then assembled. This would both reduce cost (as many firms would be able to bid, not just shipbuilders) and help struggling yards. Another speculation was that the basic design of the Type 45 could be configured to an anti-submarine variant to serve as the Future Surface Combatant (FSC) should the trimaran design turn out unsuccessful.
Announcement of Orders
The Secretary of State for Defence, Geoffrey Hoon, announced the forthcoming order for the first three vessels in a statement to Parliament on 11th July 2000, which included major details regarding the project. The £1 billion contract will be placed with BAe Systems for the construction of the first three vessels, and large items (such as propulsion units) of a further three units, later this year. The lead ship, Daring, and the second unit, ‘to be named in due course, will be constructed on the Clyde at either the Govan yard (formerly owned by Kvaerner) or the Scotsoun yard (formerly Yarrow). The second unit, Dauntless, will be constructed by Southampton based shipbuilders Vosper Thornycroft.
The Type 45 will be ordered and constructed in a unique manner. Firstly, they will built by a "modular process" by which parts of the ship will be constructed at shipyards and industrial plants around the country before being assembled at the builders prior to launching. BAe and Vosper Thornycroft will decide both the work to subcontract and the subcontractor, although it had been suggested that Vosper may choose to build one of the destroyers in a dry dock at Portsmouth Dockyard rather than on the stocks at their Woolston yard. This would mark the first Royal Navy vessel built by Portsmouth Dockyard since Leander Class Frigate H.M.S Andromeda was launched in 1967. Secondly the vessels are being ordered on an incremental basis. Usually the first ship is ordered and laid down ahead of the rest of the class, but in the case of the Type 45 the first three vessels will be ordered at the same time, thus speeding up the construction programme- it is essential the Type 45 enters service as soon as possible owing to the increasing age and technical problems of the Type 42, fast approaching obsolescence.
In his statement Mr Hoon also announced that the destroyers would be some 7,200 tonnes- almost twice as big as the vessels they replace. They will be the largest destroyers built since the Second World War and will be the amongst the largest surface combatants (excluding carriers and amphibious vessels) built for the navy, second only to the Tiger Class Cruisers. The large size will give the Type 45 significant advantages. For a start it will provide better living conditions for the ships complement, extra space for Royal Marine Commandos and Special Forces and much of the space is deigned to be used at a later stage for additional weapons and equipment. It is hoped in particular that later batches will have improved weapon systems while the first batches may be retrofitted once in service- the design is capable of ‘evolutionary improvement over the life of the class’.
The Type 45 will be the first Royal Navy warships to be powered by integrated electric propulsion, which requires less maintenance and lower fuel consumption costs than alternative sources of power. They will be fitted with the Principle Anti Air Missile system (PAAMS) developed in conjunction with the French and Italians. The PAAMs systems consists of the following equipment:
Many would have preferred to see the US made Mk41 vertical launcher used instead of Sylver as this could fire a range of missiles not just Aster- most importantly it could fire tomahawk. But PAAMs was developed by Britain, France and Italy for the CNGF and was agreed upon by the three defence ministers 26th April 1999, the same day it was decided to pull out of the CNGF. The £1.3 billion contract for PAAMs was placed on 11th August 1999 with EUROPAAMS SAS, a consortium led by Thomson-CSF, Aerospatiale, Matra Bae Dynamics and Alenia.
Mr Hoon’s announcement was hailed as a success for British shipbuilding with many yards facing serious problems, threats of unemployment or even closure. However the revelation that the Type 45 would be known as the ‘D’ Class and the first units Daring and Dauntless came slightly as a surprise as in the run up to the announcement many speculated they would emulate the Type 42 and take the names of British cities.
The first steel for Daring will be cut in 2002, sea trials will begin in 2005 and she will enter service in 2007. Daring will carry the pennant number D23 and Dautless D23.
In early October 2000 Vosper Thornycroft announced that they may have to lay off up to half their work force if they fail to secure new contracts before construction of the Type 45 Destroyer Dauntless begins in 2002. There are fears that if workers leave the yard, severe difficulties, such as insufficient expertise and manpower problems, could be encountered when the Type 45 construction programme commences. Chief Executive Martin Jay reassured "'We are still finalising the contracts with the Ministry of Defence for building the Type 45s and their parts but laying off staff would make our life more difficult when it came to building them. It would be a big set back". Vosper Thornycroft are currently in negotiations to move their principle shipbuilding plant from Woolston in Southampton to Portsmouth Dockyard.
On November 1st 2000 Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon announced that the Rolls-Royce WR21 had been selected as the preferred supplier of a Gas Turbine for the main engines of the first Type 45 destroyers. BAE Systems had run a competition to select the pair of gas turbines that will power each warship. The two principle bids came from Rolls Royce, offering the WR21, and from General Electric, offering the LM2500. Factors that influenced the decision included the commonality of support arrangements with existing Rolls Royce engines in the Royal Navy. The decision was good news for employment in the main Rolls Royce facilities in Coventry, Bristol and Derby.
Firm orders for the first three vessels were finally placed with BAe Systems on December 20th 2000. However considerable concern has been raised at Southampton after it emerged that BAe wants to build all three ships on the Clyde, rather than sub-contract the construction of Dauntless to Vosper Thornycroft, as was previously agreed. BAe has both the equipment and the experience to build these vessels and economically it makes sense to concentrate shipbuilding operations in the North.
On March 14th 2001 the prime contractor, BAe Systems, announced the allocation of contracts for major components of the Type 45. The contracts awarded included:
Also in March 2001, it emerged that the third unit would be named Diamond.
Above: An early artist's impression of the Common New Generation Frigate (CNGF).
Above: Another arist's impression of the Common New Generation Frigate (CNGF). The missiles are shown being launched vertically while the ships gun is in operation. Naval Gunfire Support proved useful in the Falklands Conflict and is now a valubale part of the armament of a modern escort.
Above: A computer generated impression of the Type 45, seen here firing a verticle launch missile.
Above: Another computer generated impression of the Type 45.
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© Written and researched by Jeremy Olver. Last updated 29th October 2000. Disclaimer.