Type 22 frigate
Encyclopedia
The Type 22 Broadsword class is a class
of frigate
built for the British Royal Navy
. Fourteen of the class were built in total, with production divided into three batches. With the decommissioning of HMS Cornwall
on 30 June 2011, the final Type 22 of the Royal Navy was retired from service. Seven ships of the earlier batches have been sold for further service with Brazil
, Romania
and Chile
, two have been sunk as targets and the other sold for scrapping.
vessel as part of the Royal Navy's contribution to NATO. Since then they have evolved into a general purpose frigate with weapons for use against other surface ships, aircraft and submarines. They were built in three batches giving rise to three sub-classes, the first Broadsword of four ships, the second Boxer of six ships and the third and final, Cornwall of four ships.
The four Broadswords (which included two Falklands War
veterans) were sold to Brazil
in the mid 1990s. Romania
has acquired and modernized two of the Batch 2 ships, while a third was purchased by Chile
.
The ships have enhanced command, control and co-ordination facilities that results in their often being used as deployment flagships.
("Rothesay" and "Whitby") and the Type 12M
("Leander") classes at a time when the Royal Navy drew a clear distinction between anti-submarine escorts (known as frigates) and air defence ships (destroyers). Type 22s thus began as ASW vessels, but were later to evolve into GPFs (general-purpose frigates) as the ASW/AD distinction blurred.
The role of the Type 22 within overall force architecture can be gauged from a naval staff requirement drawn up in 1967. Following the demise of the future carrier programme (CVA-01
), the RN undertook a complete reappraisal of the future surface fleet, and concluded that the following five new ship types were required:
Of these, the air defence destroyer appears to have been given highest priority, the imperative being to get Sea Dart
to sea in numbers to replace the air defence capability which would be lost with the premature demise of the carrier fleet.
Visually, the Type 12 lineage in the Type 22 design is less than obvious, though there are said to be similarities in the underwater hull form. Due to the workload of the Admiralty design department in the 1960s, a private design (Type 21) was purchased as an interim stop-gap whilst the Type 22 was under development. The design process, already hampered by the priority given to the Type 21 and the urgently-needed Type 42, was further protracted by attempts to produce a common Anglo-Dutch design. The first Type 22 order was placed in 1972 with Yarrow Shipbuilders
; Yarrow undertook much of the detailed design work whilst overall responsibility remained with the Ship Department at Bath.
The length of the first four Type 22s was dictated by the dimensions of the undercover Frigate Refit Complex at Devonport Dockyard. The ships would be powered by a combination of Olympus and Tyne gas turbines in a COGOG (COmbined Gas turbine Or Gas turbine) arrangement. Machinery spaces were sited as far aft as possible to minimise shaft lengths. The after configuration was dictated by the requirement for a large hangar and a full-width flight deck..
Weapons fit was determined by the primary ASW role combined with a perceived need for a general purpose capability. The principal ASW weapons systems were the ship's Lynx helicopter and triple torpedo tubes (STWS), with 2087 towed array sonar a key part of the sensors fit. Air defence was provided in the form of two 'six-pack' launchers for the Seawolf
(GWS 25) point-defence
missile system. Surface warfare requirements were met by the provision of four Exocet
SSM launchers, the standard RN fit at that time.
The Broadsword design was unique to the Royal Navy in lacking a main gun armament. Although some of the Leander class frigates had lost their main gun during upgrades, Broadsword
was the first to be designed from the beginning without a main cannon. This changed with the introduction of the Batch III ships.
Ordering of Type 22s proceeded slowly, in part because of the comparatively high unit cost of the ships. The unit cost of the last Type 12Ms had been about £10m; Type 21s cost around £20m each; when the first Type 22s were ordered, unit costs were estimated at £30m though, by the time that the first ship (HMS Broadsword
) commissioned in 1979, inflation had driven this figure up to £68m, which was far higher than the cost of the contemporary Type 42s (HMS Glasgow
, also commissioned in 1979, cost £40m).
After the first four ("Batch I") ships, the design was "stretched", with the Frigate Refit Complex suitably enlarged. Visually, and in addition to the increase in length, the biggest difference was the sharply raked stem, usually indicative of bow sonar (though none of the Batch II ships was thus fitted). An important addition to the Batch II group was a new Computer Assisted Command System (CACS-1), replacing the CAAIS fitted to the Batch I ships. A revised machinery installation was adopted from HMS Brave
onwards, with Spey turbines replacing the previous Olympus
. The future machinery arrangement would be COGAG (Combined Gas turbine And Gas turbine). By 1982, the quoted unit cost of a Type 22 had risen to £127m.
This might have been the end of the Type 22 programme had it not been for the Falklands War (1982), in which the two ships of the class present (Broadsword and Brilliant) acquitted themselves well. Replacements for ships lost in the South Atlantic were all of this class.
with eight GWS 60 missile launchers fitted laterally abaft the bridge, and each ship would carry a Goalkeeper CIWS
(Close-In Weapon System).
In their final form, the Type 22s were the largest frigates ever built for the Royal Navy – the follow-on Type 23
class would be appreciably smaller ships. Reflecting this, Type 22s were often deployed as flagships for NATO Task Groups.
Type 23 class
, named after Dukedoms (Norfolk, Lancaster, etc). The Royal Navy's latest escort class (the Type 45 or Daring class) have re-introduced the alphabetical progression
, using destroyer names from the 1930s and 1950s.
The names selected for the four Batch 3 ships were an interesting mixture: two, Cornwall and Cumberland, revived County-class names previously carried both by First World War-era armoured cruisers
, and by Second World War-era heavy cruisers
. The other Batch 3s, Chatham and Campbeltown, were Town names, the former reviving a 1911 light cruiser
name, and the latter commemorating the most famous of the US destroyers
transferred to the Royal Navy in 1940; the name for HMS Chatham was selected as a salute to the Medway
town, where the naval dockyard
, established in 1570, had closed in 1984.
On 11 January 1985, Mr. Dalyell asked the Secretary of State for Defence: "what is the latest cost estimate of a type 22 frigate, with stores, spare parts and ammunition." The Secretary of State for Defence, Mr. Lee, replied: "The average cost of a batch III type 22 frigate is currently estimated at about £140 million at 1984–85 prices. The cost of embarked helicopters, the first outfit of stores, spare parts and ammunition are estimated at about £18 million at the same price level."
In May 2000, the Secretary of State for Defence was asked: "what was the planned service life of (a) HMS London, (b) HMS Beaver, (c) HMS Boxer and (d) HMS Brave; and what was the forecast date for withdrawal from Royal Navy service, prior to the decision in the Strategic Defence Review to dispose of them." The Minister of State for the Armed Forces
, John Spellar
, replied: "The planned service for each ship was 18 years. The additional information is given in the table." Note that the 18 years was dated from the date of acceptance, not the date first commissioned.
In July 2000, the Secretary of State for Defence was asked: when he planned to withdraw the remaining Type 22 Batch II frigates from service. The Minister of State for the Armed Forces
, John Spellar, replied: "Plans for the withdrawal from service of the Type 22 Batch 2 frigates currently in service are as follows:"
Ship class
A ship class is a group of ships of a similar design. This is distinct from a ship-type, which might reflect a similarity of tonnage or intended use. For example, the is a nuclear aircraft carrier of the Nimitz class....
of frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
built for the British Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. Fourteen of the class were built in total, with production divided into three batches. With the decommissioning of HMS Cornwall
HMS Cornwall (F99)
The sixth HMS Cornwall was a Batch 3 Type 22 frigate of the British Royal Navy. She was the first Batch 3 to be built, and the last to decommission...
on 30 June 2011, the final Type 22 of the Royal Navy was retired from service. Seven ships of the earlier batches have been sold for further service with Brazil
Brazilian Navy
The Brazilian Navy is a branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces responsible for conducting naval operations. It is the largest navy in Latin America...
, Romania
Romanian Naval Forces
The Romanian Navy is the navy branch of the Romanian Armed Forces; it operates in the Black Sea and on the Danube.-History:-Development of the Romanian Navy:The Romanian Navy has been founded in 1860 as a river flotilla on the Danube...
and Chile
Chilean Navy
-Independence Wars of Chile and Peru :The Chilean Navy dates back to 1817. A year before, following the Battle of Chacabuco, General Bernardo O'Higgins prophetically declared "this victory and another hundred shall be of no significance if we do not gain control of the sea".This led to the...
, two have been sunk as targets and the other sold for scrapping.
Design
The Type 22 was designed to be a specialist anti-submarine warfareAnti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
vessel as part of the Royal Navy's contribution to NATO. Since then they have evolved into a general purpose frigate with weapons for use against other surface ships, aircraft and submarines. They were built in three batches giving rise to three sub-classes, the first Broadsword of four ships, the second Boxer of six ships and the third and final, Cornwall of four ships.
The four Broadswords (which included two Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
veterans) were sold to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
in the mid 1990s. Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
has acquired and modernized two of the Batch 2 ships, while a third was purchased by Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
.
The ships have enhanced command, control and co-ordination facilities that results in their often being used as deployment flagships.
Evolution
The Type 22 was intended as a follow-on class to frigates of the successful Type 12Type 12 frigate
Type 12 frigate can refer to several ship classes. It most commonly describes the common design of three ship classes of the Royal Navy designed during the 1950s and constructed during the 1960s....
("Rothesay" and "Whitby") and the Type 12M
Leander class frigate
The Leander class, or Type 12I frigates, comprising twenty-six vessels, was among the most numerous and long-lived classes of frigate in the Royal Navy's modern history. The class was built in three batches between 1959 and 1973...
("Leander") classes at a time when the Royal Navy drew a clear distinction between anti-submarine escorts (known as frigates) and air defence ships (destroyers). Type 22s thus began as ASW vessels, but were later to evolve into GPFs (general-purpose frigates) as the ASW/AD distinction blurred.
CVA-01
The CVA-01 aircraft carrier was to be a class of at least two fleet carriers that would have replaced the Royal Navy's existing aircraft carriers, most of which had been designed prior to or during World War II....
), the RN undertook a complete reappraisal of the future surface fleet, and concluded that the following five new ship types were required:
- A cruiser-type ship to operate large ASW helicopters (this requirement eventually led to the Invincible class carriersInvincible class aircraft carrierThe Invincible class is a class of light aircraft carrier operated by the British Royal Navy. Three ships were constructed, , and . The vessels were built as aviation-capable anti-submarine warfare platforms to counter the Cold War North Atlantic Soviet submarine threat, and initially embarked...
);
- An air defence destroyer smaller and cheaper than the 'County' classCounty class destroyerThe County class was a class of guided missile destroyers, the first such vessels built by the Royal Navy. Designed specifically around the Sea Slug anti-aircraft missile system, the primary role of these ships was area air-defence around the aircraft carrier task force in the nuclear-war...
(this resulted in the Type 42 programme);
- A missile-armed frigate as an eventual successor to the Leander class (this requirement led to the Type 22);
- A cheap patrol frigate (this requirement led to the Type 21Type 21 frigateThe Type 21 frigate or Amazon-class frigate was a Royal Navy general-purpose escort designed in the late 1960s, built in the 1970s and that served throughout the 1980s into the 1990s.-History:...
); and
- A dual-role MCMV successor to the 'Ton' class (this resulted in the 'Hunt' class)
Of these, the air defence destroyer appears to have been given highest priority, the imperative being to get Sea Dart
Sea Dart missile
Sea Dart or Guided Weapon System 30 is a British surface-to-air missile system designed by Hawker Siddeley Dynamics and built by British Aerospace from 1977...
to sea in numbers to replace the air defence capability which would be lost with the premature demise of the carrier fleet.
Visually, the Type 12 lineage in the Type 22 design is less than obvious, though there are said to be similarities in the underwater hull form. Due to the workload of the Admiralty design department in the 1960s, a private design (Type 21) was purchased as an interim stop-gap whilst the Type 22 was under development. The design process, already hampered by the priority given to the Type 21 and the urgently-needed Type 42, was further protracted by attempts to produce a common Anglo-Dutch design. The first Type 22 order was placed in 1972 with Yarrow Shipbuilders
Yarrow Shipbuilders
Yarrow Limited , often styled as simply Yarrows, was a major shipbuilding firm based in the Scotstoun district of Glasgow on the River Clyde...
; Yarrow undertook much of the detailed design work whilst overall responsibility remained with the Ship Department at Bath.
Weapons fit was determined by the primary ASW role combined with a perceived need for a general purpose capability. The principal ASW weapons systems were the ship's Lynx helicopter and triple torpedo tubes (STWS), with 2087 towed array sonar a key part of the sensors fit. Air defence was provided in the form of two 'six-pack' launchers for the Seawolf
Sea Wolf missile
Sea Wolf is a naval guided missile system designed and built by BAC, later to become British Aerospace Dynamics . It is an automated point-defence weapon system designed as a final line of defence against both sea-skimming and high angle anti-ship missiles and aircraft...
(GWS 25) point-defence
Point-defence
Point-defence is the defence of a single object or a limited area, e.g. a ship, building or an airfield, now usually against air attacks and guided missiles...
missile system. Surface warfare requirements were met by the provision of four Exocet
Exocet
The Exocet is a French-built anti-ship missile whose various versions can be launched from surface vessels, submarines, helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. Hundreds were fired in combat during the 1980s.-Etymology:...
SSM launchers, the standard RN fit at that time.
The Broadsword design was unique to the Royal Navy in lacking a main gun armament. Although some of the Leander class frigates had lost their main gun during upgrades, Broadsword
HMS Broadsword (F88)
HMS Broadsword was the lead ship and first Batch 1 unit of the Type 22 frigates of the Royal Navy.-Service:While on sea trials, Broadsword was called into service as the command ship during the large rescue operation required after storms struck the 1979 Fastnet race.Broadsword took part in the...
was the first to be designed from the beginning without a main cannon. This changed with the introduction of the Batch III ships.
Ordering of Type 22s proceeded slowly, in part because of the comparatively high unit cost of the ships. The unit cost of the last Type 12Ms had been about £10m; Type 21s cost around £20m each; when the first Type 22s were ordered, unit costs were estimated at £30m though, by the time that the first ship (HMS Broadsword
HMS Broadsword (F88)
HMS Broadsword was the lead ship and first Batch 1 unit of the Type 22 frigates of the Royal Navy.-Service:While on sea trials, Broadsword was called into service as the command ship during the large rescue operation required after storms struck the 1979 Fastnet race.Broadsword took part in the...
) commissioned in 1979, inflation had driven this figure up to £68m, which was far higher than the cost of the contemporary Type 42s (HMS Glasgow
HMS Glasgow (D88)
HMS Glasgow was a Type 42 destroyer of the Royal Navy. The last of the Batch 1 Type 42 destoyers, Glasgow was commissioned in 1977. The destroyer fought during the Falklands War, and on 12 May 1982 was damaged by bombs from Argentine A-4 Skyhawks. Glasgow operated with the INTERFET peacekeeping...
, also commissioned in 1979, cost £40m).
After the first four ("Batch I") ships, the design was "stretched", with the Frigate Refit Complex suitably enlarged. Visually, and in addition to the increase in length, the biggest difference was the sharply raked stem, usually indicative of bow sonar (though none of the Batch II ships was thus fitted). An important addition to the Batch II group was a new Computer Assisted Command System (CACS-1), replacing the CAAIS fitted to the Batch I ships. A revised machinery installation was adopted from HMS Brave
HMS Brave (F94)
HMS Brave was a Type 22 frigate of the Royal Navy. She was built by Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd, Glasgow, Scotland. HMS Brave was decommissioned on 23 March 1999 and was expended as a target in August 2004 by HMS Sceptre and HMS Argyll....
onwards, with Spey turbines replacing the previous Olympus
Rolls-Royce Olympus
The Rolls-Royce Olympus was one of the world's first two-spool axial-flow turbojet aircraft engines, originally developed and produced by Bristol Aero Engines. First running in 1950, its initial use was as the powerplant of the Avro Vulcan V Bomber...
. The future machinery arrangement would be COGAG (Combined Gas turbine And Gas turbine). By 1982, the quoted unit cost of a Type 22 had risen to £127m.
This might have been the end of the Type 22 programme had it not been for the Falklands War (1982), in which the two ships of the class present (Broadsword and Brilliant) acquitted themselves well. Replacements for ships lost in the South Atlantic were all of this class.
Batch 3
The last four ships of the class (the Batch III ships Cornwall, Cumberland, Campbeltown and Chatham) were of a greatly improved design. Reflecting lessons learned in the Falklands, the weapons fit was changed, becoming more optimised to a general warfare role. The ships were fitted with the 4.5" (114m) gun, primarily for NGS (Naval Gunfire Support for land forces). Exocet was replaced by the superior HarpoonBoeing Harpoon
The Harpoon is an all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile system, developed and manufactured by McDonnell Douglas . In 2004, Boeing delivered the 7,000th Harpoon unit since the weapon's introduction in 1977...
with eight GWS 60 missile launchers fitted laterally abaft the bridge, and each ship would carry a Goalkeeper CIWS
Goalkeeper CIWS
Goalkeeper is a Dutch close-in weapon system introduced in 1979 and in use , which primarily defends ships against incoming missiles and ballistic shells. This system consists of an autocannon and an advanced radar which in typically six seconds detects incoming fire, determines its trajectory,...
(Close-In Weapon System).
In their final form, the Type 22s were the largest frigates ever built for the Royal Navy – the follow-on Type 23
Type 23 frigate
The Type 23 frigate is a class of frigate built for the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. All the ships were first named after British Dukes, thus the class is also known as the Duke class. The first Type 23 was commissioned in 1989, and the sixteenth, was launched in May 2000 and commissioned in...
class would be appreciably smaller ships. Reflecting this, Type 22s were often deployed as flagships for NATO Task Groups.
Flagship role
Unlike the Type 23, the Batch 3 "Type 22 frigate could embark a Task Group Commander's staff, able to command small scale joint and maritime operations."Nomenclature
It was originally envisaged that all Type 22s would have names beginning with 'B' (Broadsword, etc), following the 'A' names used for Type 21s (Amazon, etc). This changed when two under-construction ships (Sheffield and Coventry) were re-named to commemorate ships lost in the South Atlantic, with London being similarly honoured. The alphabetical progression was re-established with the Batch 3 ships (Cornwall, etc) before being temporarily abandoned with theType 23 class
Type 23 frigate
The Type 23 frigate is a class of frigate built for the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. All the ships were first named after British Dukes, thus the class is also known as the Duke class. The first Type 23 was commissioned in 1989, and the sixteenth, was launched in May 2000 and commissioned in...
, named after Dukedoms (Norfolk, Lancaster, etc). The Royal Navy's latest escort class (the Type 45 or Daring class) have re-introduced the alphabetical progression
Naming conventions for destroyers of the Royal Navy
The first Torpedo Boat Destroyer in the Royal Navy was HMS Havock of 1893. From 1906, the term "Torpedo Boat Destroyer" began to appear in the shortened form "Destroyer" when referring to Destroyer Flotillas...
, using destroyer names from the 1930s and 1950s.
The names selected for the four Batch 3 ships were an interesting mixture: two, Cornwall and Cumberland, revived County-class names previously carried both by First World War-era armoured cruisers
Monmouth class cruiser
The Monmouth-class was a ten-ship class of 10,000 ton armoured cruisers built around 1901 to 1903 for the Royal Navy and designed specifically for commerce protection...
, and by Second World War-era heavy cruisers
County class cruiser
The County class was a class of heavy cruisers built for the British Royal Navy in the years between the First and Second World Wars. They were the first post-war cruiser construction for the Royal Navy and were designed within the limits of the Washington Naval Conference of 1922...
. The other Batch 3s, Chatham and Campbeltown, were Town names, the former reviving a 1911 light cruiser
Town class cruiser (1910)
The Town class was a group of twenty-one light cruisers built for the Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy . These vessels were long-range cruisers, suitable for patrolling the vast expanse covered by the British Empire...
name, and the latter commemorating the most famous of the US destroyers
HMS Campbeltown (I42)
HMS Campbeltown was a "Town"-class destroyer of the Royal Navy during the Second World War. She was originally an American destroyer , and, like many other obsolescent U.S. Navy destroyers, she was transferred to the Royal Navy in 1940 as part of the Destroyers for Bases Agreement. Campbeltown...
transferred to the Royal Navy in 1940; the name for HMS Chatham was selected as a salute to the Medway
Medway
Medway is a conurbation and unitary authority in South East England. The Unitary Authority was formed in 1998 when the City of Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with Gillingham Borough Council and part of Kent County Council to form Medway Council, a unitary authority independent of Kent County...
town, where the naval dockyard
Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional...
, established in 1570, had closed in 1984.
Construction programme
| Pennant Pennant number In the modern Royal Navy, and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth, ships are identified by pennant numbers... |
Name | (a) Hull builder | Ordered | Laid down | Launched | Accepted into service | Commissioned | Est. building cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batch 1 | ||||||||
| F88 | Broadsword HMS Broadsword (F88) HMS Broadsword was the lead ship and first Batch 1 unit of the Type 22 frigates of the Royal Navy.-Service:While on sea trials, Broadsword was called into service as the command ship during the large rescue operation required after storms struck the 1979 Fastnet race.Broadsword took part in the... |
Yarrow Yarrow Shipbuilders Yarrow Limited , often styled as simply Yarrows, was a major shipbuilding firm based in the Scotstoun district of Glasgow on the River Clyde... , Glasgow Scotstoun Scotstoun is a historic district of Glasgow, Scotland, west of Glasgow City Centre. It is bounded by Yoker and Knightswood to the west, Victoria Park, Broomhill and Whiteinch to the east, Jordanhill to the north and the River Clyde to the south... |
8 February 1974 | 7 February 1975 | 12 May 1976 | 21 February 1979 | 4 May 1979 | £68.6M |
| F89 | Battleaxe HMS Battleaxe (F89) HMS Battleaxe was a Type 22 frigate of the Royal Navy. She was sold to the Brazilian Navy on 30 April 1997 and renamed Rademaker.HMS Battleaxe was featured in Tom Clancy's novel Red Storm Rising.... |
Yarrow, Glasgow | 5 September 1975 | 4 February 1976 | 18 May 1977 | 20 December 1979 | 28 March 1980 | £69.2M |
| F90 | Brilliant HMS Brilliant (F90) HMS Brilliant was a Type 22 frigate of the Royal Navy.She was part of the Task Force that took part in the Falklands War, with Captain John Coward in command... |
Yarrow, Glasgow | 7 September 1976 | 25 March 1977 | 15 December 1978 | 10 April 1981 | 15 May 1981 | £102.2M |
| F91 | Brazen HMS Brazen (F91) HMS Brazen was a Type 22 frigate of the Royal Navy. She was completed three months ahead of schedule due to the Falklands War. It was purchased from the United Kingdom by the Brazilian Navy on 18 November 1994, and renamed Bosísio... |
Yarrow, Glasgow | 21 October 1977 | 18 August 1978 | 4 March 1980 | 11 June 1982 | 2 July 1982 | £112M |
| Batch 2 | ||||||||
| F92 | Boxer HMS Boxer (F92) HMS Boxer was the first of the Batch 2 Type 22 frigates of the Royal Navy. She was decommissioned on 4 August 1999 and expended as a target in August 2004.Her nickname was The Billy B or Pinocchio, due to her extended bows... |
Yarrow, Glasgow | 25 April 1979 | 1 November 1979 | 17 June 1981 | 23 September 1983 | 22 December 1983 | £147M |
| F93 | Beaver HMS Beaver (F93) HMS Beaver was a Type 22 frigate of the Royal Navy.HMS Beaver was the adopted ship of the town of Bolton. Despite being many miles inland the town has a proud naval tradition based on the fact that during one week in the Second World War it raised one million pounds for the Royal Navy... |
Yarrow, Glasgow | 25 April 1979 | 20 June 1980 | 8 May 1982 | 18 July 1984 | 13 December 1984 | £148M |
| F94 | Brave HMS Brave (F94) HMS Brave was a Type 22 frigate of the Royal Navy. She was built by Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd, Glasgow, Scotland. HMS Brave was decommissioned on 23 March 1999 and was expended as a target in August 2004 by HMS Sceptre and HMS Argyll.... |
Yarrow, Glasgow | 27 August 1981 | 24 May 1982 | 19 November 1983 | 21 February 1986 | 4 July 1986 | £166M |
| F95 | London HMS London (F95) HMS London was a Type 22 frigate of the Royal Navy, originally named Bloodhound but renamed London at the request of the Lord Mayor of London.She was flagship of the Royal Navy task force during the First Gulf War in 1991.... (ex-Bloodhound) |
Yarrow, Glasgow | 23 February 1982 | 7 February 1983 | 27 October 1984 | 6 February 1987 | 5 June 1987 | £159M |
| F96 | Sheffield HMS Sheffield (F96) HMS Sheffield was a Type 22 frigate of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. She was originally intended to be named Bruiser but was named Sheffield in honour of the previous , a Type 42 destroyer sunk in the Falklands War.-History:... (ex-Bruiser) |
Swan Hunter Swan Hunter Swan Hunter, formerly known as "Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson", was one of the best known shipbuilding companies in the world. Based in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, the company was responsible for some of the greatest ships of the early 20th century — most famously, the RMS Mauretania which... , Wallsend Wallsend Wallsend is an area in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. Wallsend derives its name as the location of the end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 42,842.-Romans:... . |
2 July 1982 | 29 March 1984 | 26 March 1986 | 25 March 1988 | 26 July 1988 | £151M |
| F98 | Coventry HMS Coventry (F98) HMS Coventry was a Type 22 frigate of the Royal Navy. She was originally intended to be named Boadicea but was named Coventry in honour of the previous Coventry , a Type 42 destroyer sunk in the Falklands War.... (ex-Boadicea) |
Swan Hunter, Wallsend. | 14 December 1982 | 29 March 1984 | 8 April 1986 | 1 July 1988 | 14 October 1988 | £147M |
| Batch 3 | ||||||||
| F99 | Cornwall HMS Cornwall (F99) The sixth HMS Cornwall was a Batch 3 Type 22 frigate of the British Royal Navy. She was the first Batch 3 to be built, and the last to decommission... |
Yarrow, Glasgow | 14 December 1982 | 19 September 1983 | 14 October 1985 | 19 February 1988 | 23 April 1988 | £131.05M |
| F85 | Cumberland HMS Cumberland (F85) HMS Cumberland was a Batch 3 Type 22 frigate of the British Royal Navy. She was launched in 1986 and commissioned on 10 June 1989. The frigate was on station during the First Gulf War and was part of the Devonport Flotilla based at Devonport Dockyard. Cumberland was decommissioned on 23 June... |
Yarrow, Glasgow | 27 October 1984 | 12 October 1984 | 21 June 1986 | 18 November 1988 | 10 June 1989 | £141.17M |
| F86 | Campbeltown HMS Campbeltown (F86) HMS Campbeltown was a Batch 3 Type 22 frigate of the British Royal Navy. Built by Cammell Laird Shipbuilders Ltd. in Birkenhead, she was part of the third batch of Type 22s, which were considerably larger than their predecessors and incorporated more advanced weaponry after lessons learnt from the... |
Cammell Laird Cammell Laird Cammell Laird, one of the most famous names in British shipbuilding during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, came about following the merger of Laird, Son & Co. of Birkenhead and Johnson Cammell & Co. of Sheffield at the turn of the twentieth century.- Founding of the business :The Company... , Birkenhead Birkenhead Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool... |
January 1985 | 4 December 1985 | 7 October 1987 | 24 February 1989 | 27 May 1989 | £161.97M |
| F87 | Chatham HMS Chatham (F87) HMS Chatham was a Batch 3 Type 22 frigate of the British Royal Navy. She has the rare honour of a motto in English; Up and at 'em, being the rallying cry of the Medway town football and rugby teams. The motto has subsequently been translated back into Latin as Surge et vince... |
Swan Hunter, Wallsend. | 28 January 1985 | 12 May 1986 | 20 January 1988 | 4 May 1990 | £175.28M | |
On 11 January 1985, Mr. Dalyell asked the Secretary of State for Defence: "what is the latest cost estimate of a type 22 frigate, with stores, spare parts and ammunition." The Secretary of State for Defence, Mr. Lee, replied: "The average cost of a batch III type 22 frigate is currently estimated at about £140 million at 1984–85 prices. The cost of embarked helicopters, the first outfit of stores, spare parts and ammunition are estimated at about £18 million at the same price level."
Crew
| Department | Officers | Senior Rates | Junior Rates | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operations | 10 | 18 | 63 | 91 |
| Weapons Engineering | 2 | 14 | 27 | 43 |
| Marine Engineering | 2 | 21 | 32 | 55 |
| Supply & Secretariat | 2 | 6 | 27 | 35 |
| Royal Marines | 1 | 9 | 10 | |
| Ships Flight | 2 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| Total | 18 | 64 | 162 | 244 |
| Source: Marriott, Leo Modern Combat Ships 4, Type 22, pub Ian Allan, 1986, ISBN 0-7110-1593-7 page 49. | ||||
Running costs
| Date | Running cost | What is included | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981–82 | £11.0 million | Average annual running cost of Type 22s at average 1981–82 prices and including associated aircraft costs but excluding the costs of major refits. | |
| 1985–86 | £12 million | The average cost of running and maintaining a type 22 frigate for one year. | |
| 1987–88 | £4.8 million | The average annual operating costs, at financial year 1987–88 prices of a type 22 frigate. These costs include personnel, fuel, spares and so on, and administrative support services, but exclude new construction, capital equipment, and refit-repair costs. | |
| 2001–02 | £11.9 million | Type 22 Batch 3 frigate, average annual operating costs, based on historic costs over each full financial year. The figures include manpower, maintenance, fuel, stores and other costs (such as harbour dues), but exclude depreciation and cost of capital. | |
| 2002–03 | £13.1 million | ||
| 2007-08 | £32.45 million | "The annual operating cost for the Type 22 Class of Frigates, which comprises four ships, is £129.8M. This is based on information primarily from Financial Year 07/08 the last year for which this information is available, and includes typical day-to-day costs such as fuel and manpower and general support costs covering maintenance, repair and equipment spares. Costs for equipment spares are also included, although these are based on Financial Year 08/09 information as this is the most recent information available. Costs for weapon system support are not included as they could only be provided at disproportionate cost." | |
| 2009–10 | £32.725 million | "The average running cost per class... Type 22 is £130.9 million... These figures, based on the expenditure incurred by the Ministry of Defence in 2009-10, include maintenance, safety certification, military upgrades, manpower, inventory, satellite communication, fuel costs and depreciation.". | |
| 2010–11 | £16 million | "The projected operating cost for HMS Cumberland in financial year 2010-11, based on actual costs to February 2011 and those estimated for the remainder of the financial year". |
Availability
In February 1998, the Secretary of State for Defence, Dr Reid said: "Type 22 frigates achieved approximately 82 to 86 per cent. average availability for operational service in each of the last five years. This discounts time spent in planned maintenance."Ships – disposal and current state
| Pennant | Name | Commissioned by RN |
Disposal by RN |
Sale contract signed | Re-commissioned new owner |
Home port | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batch 1 | |||||||
| F88 | Broadsword HMS Broadsword (F88) HMS Broadsword was the lead ship and first Batch 1 unit of the Type 22 frigates of the Royal Navy.-Service:While on sea trials, Broadsword was called into service as the command ship during the large rescue operation required after storms struck the 1979 Fastnet race.Broadsword took part in the... |
3 May 1979 | 30 June 1995 to Brazil. | 18 November 1994 | 30 June 1995 | Active in Brazil as F Greenhalgh (F46) | |
| F89 | Battleaxe HMS Battleaxe (F89) HMS Battleaxe was a Type 22 frigate of the Royal Navy. She was sold to the Brazilian Navy on 30 April 1997 and renamed Rademaker.HMS Battleaxe was featured in Tom Clancy's novel Red Storm Rising.... |
28 March 1980 | 30 April 1997 to Brazil. | 18 November 1994 | 30 April 1997 | Active in Brazil as F Rademaker (F49) | |
| F90 | Brilliant HMS Brilliant (F90) HMS Brilliant was a Type 22 frigate of the Royal Navy.She was part of the Task Force that took part in the Falklands War, with Captain John Coward in command... |
15 May 1981 | 30 August 1996 to Brazil. | 18 November 1994 | 31 August 1996 | Laid up in Brazil as F Dodsworth (F47) | |
| F91 | Brazen HMS Brazen (F91) HMS Brazen was a Type 22 frigate of the Royal Navy. She was completed three months ahead of schedule due to the Falklands War. It was purchased from the United Kingdom by the Brazilian Navy on 18 November 1994, and renamed Bosísio... |
2 July 1982 | 30 August 1996 to Brazil. | 18 November 1994 | 31 August 1996 | Active in Brazil as F Bosísio (F48) | |
| Batch 2 | |||||||
| F92 | Boxer HMS Boxer (F92) HMS Boxer was the first of the Batch 2 Type 22 frigates of the Royal Navy. She was decommissioned on 4 August 1999 and expended as a target in August 2004.Her nickname was The Billy B or Pinocchio, due to her extended bows... |
22 December 1983 | 4 August 1999 decommissioned. 1999 deleted. |
Sunk as target in August 2004. | |||
| F93 | Beaver HMS Beaver (F93) HMS Beaver was a Type 22 frigate of the Royal Navy.HMS Beaver was the adopted ship of the town of Bolton. Despite being many miles inland the town has a proud naval tradition based on the fact that during one week in the Second World War it raised one million pounds for the Royal Navy... |
13 December 1984 | 1 May 1999 decommissioned. 1999 deleted. |
21 February 2001 for scrap. | Sold for Scrap | ||
| F94 | Brave HMS Brave (F94) HMS Brave was a Type 22 frigate of the Royal Navy. She was built by Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd, Glasgow, Scotland. HMS Brave was decommissioned on 23 March 1999 and was expended as a target in August 2004 by HMS Sceptre and HMS Argyll.... |
4 July 1986 | 23 March 1999 decommissioned. 1999 deleted. |
Sunk as target in August 2004 by the submarine, and the frigate, . | |||
| F95 | London HMS London (F95) HMS London was a Type 22 frigate of the Royal Navy, originally named Bloodhound but renamed London at the request of the Lord Mayor of London.She was flagship of the Royal Navy task force during the First Gulf War in 1991.... |
5 June 1987 | 14 January 1999 decommissioned. 1999 deleted. |
14 January 2003 to Romania. | 21 April 2005 | Active in Romania as Regina Maria (F222) | |
| F96 | Sheffield HMS Sheffield (F96) HMS Sheffield was a Type 22 frigate of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. She was originally intended to be named Bruiser but was named Sheffield in honour of the previous , a Type 42 destroyer sunk in the Falklands War.-History:... |
26 July 1988 | 15 November 2002 decommissioned. | April 2003 to Chile. | 5 September 2003 | Valparaiso Valparaíso Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region... |
Active in Chile as CNS Almirante Williams (FF-19) |
| F98 | Coventry HMS Coventry (F98) HMS Coventry was a Type 22 frigate of the Royal Navy. She was originally intended to be named Boadicea but was named Coventry in honour of the previous Coventry , a Type 42 destroyer sunk in the Falklands War.... |
14 October 1988 | December 2001 decommissioned. 2001 deleted. |
14 January 2003 to Romania. | 9 September 2004 | Active in Romania as Regele Ferdinand (F221) | |
| Batch 3 | |||||||
| F99 | Cornwall HMS Cornwall (F99) The sixth HMS Cornwall was a Batch 3 Type 22 frigate of the British Royal Navy. She was the first Batch 3 to be built, and the last to decommission... |
23 April 1988 | Decommissioned 30 June 2011 | Awaiting disposal | |||
| F85 | Cumberland HMS Cumberland (F85) HMS Cumberland was a Batch 3 Type 22 frigate of the British Royal Navy. She was launched in 1986 and commissioned on 10 June 1989. The frigate was on station during the First Gulf War and was part of the Devonport Flotilla based at Devonport Dockyard. Cumberland was decommissioned on 23 June... |
10 June 1989 | Decommissioned 23 June 2011 | Awaiting disposal | |||
| F86 | Campbeltown HMS Campbeltown (F86) HMS Campbeltown was a Batch 3 Type 22 frigate of the British Royal Navy. Built by Cammell Laird Shipbuilders Ltd. in Birkenhead, she was part of the third batch of Type 22s, which were considerably larger than their predecessors and incorporated more advanced weaponry after lessons learnt from the... |
27 May 1989 | Decommissioned April 2011 | Awaiting disposal | |||
| F87 | Chatham HMS Chatham (F87) HMS Chatham was a Batch 3 Type 22 frigate of the British Royal Navy. She has the rare honour of a motto in English; Up and at 'em, being the rallying cry of the Medway town football and rugby teams. The motto has subsequently been translated back into Latin as Surge et vince... |
4 May 1990 | Decommissioned 9 February 2011 | Awaiting disposal | |||
In May 2000, the Secretary of State for Defence was asked: "what was the planned service life of (a) HMS London, (b) HMS Beaver, (c) HMS Boxer and (d) HMS Brave; and what was the forecast date for withdrawal from Royal Navy service, prior to the decision in the Strategic Defence Review to dispose of them." The Minister of State for the Armed Forces
Minister of State for the Armed Forces
The Minister of State for the Armed Forces is a middle-ranking ministerial position, subordinate only to the Secretary of State for Defence, at the Ministry of Defence in Her Majesty's Government....
, John Spellar
John Spellar
John Francis Spellar is a British Labour Party politician, and the Member of Parliament for Warley. He served as a Minister of State at the Northern Ireland Office, before returning to the backbenches in 2005...
, replied: "The planned service for each ship was 18 years. The additional information is given in the table." Note that the 18 years was dated from the date of acceptance, not the date first commissioned.
| Ship | Pre-SDR date for withdrawal | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| HMS Boxer | 31 January 2002 | |
| HMS Beaver | 31 December 2002 | |
| HMS Brave | 29 February 2004 | |
| HMS London | 28 February 2005 |
In July 2000, the Secretary of State for Defence was asked: when he planned to withdraw the remaining Type 22 Batch II frigates from service. The Minister of State for the Armed Forces
Minister of State for the Armed Forces
The Minister of State for the Armed Forces is a middle-ranking ministerial position, subordinate only to the Secretary of State for Defence, at the Ministry of Defence in Her Majesty's Government....
, John Spellar, replied: "Plans for the withdrawal from service of the Type 22 Batch 2 frigates currently in service are as follows:"
- "HMS Sheffield 2012 – to be superseded by a T45 Destroyer"
- "HMS Coventry 2001 – to be superseded by HMS St. Albans, a T23 Frigate."