Type 23 frigate

The frigate was 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
• Beam: 16.1 metres
• Displacement: 3200 tonnes (empty), 4270 tonnes (fully loaded)
• 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: 8 Harpoon missiles; VLS Sea Wolf SAM system; 114 mm Vickers Mark 8 gun; 2 Oerlikon[?] 20mm guns; 2 magazine lauched 324 mm torpedo tubes; Sea Gnat[?], Type 182 and DLF3 decoy launchers; Lynx Mark 8 helicopter with Sea Skua[?] missiles, Stingray torpedoes and depth charges.
• Sensors: BAe[?] Type 996 search radar; Kelvin-Hughes navigation radar; BAe Type 911 fire control radar; Thales Type 2050 active sonar; Thales Type 2031Z towed array sonar.