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Duke Class Type 23 Frigate |
BACKGROUND
Powerful and versatile with the capability to operate anywhere in the world, the Type-23 Frigate is the mainstay of the Royal Navy Surface Fleet, forming 50% of the total Frigate/Destroyer force. Originally designed as cheap replacements for the Leander class frigates for Anti-Submarine warfare, the Frigates weapon systems and adaptability allow it to operate anywhere in the world at short notice fulfilling multiple roles including both Anti-Submarine, and Anti-Air Defence. The Falklands War of the early 1980's taught the Royal Navy many hard lessons which resulted in the inclusion of additional weapons on its Surface Vessels, and enhanced stealth designs to reduce their radar signature. Along with its main propulsion system (CODLAG) permitting it to run nearly silent at times the survivability of the Frigate is enhanced. The Type-23 Frigate is less susceptable to the Anti-Warship Exocet Missiles used so effectively by the Argentine Navy and Air Force against the Royal Navy Fleet.
These include embargo operations using boarding teams inserted from the ship's boats or helicopter, disaster relief work and surveillance operations. HMS Norfolk was the first Type-23 Frigate to enter service in the Royal Navy's Surface Fleet on the 1st June 1990, and since then 15 others have also joined the Surface Fleet, with 4 more planned. To better assist the Type-23 in its missions it carries a single Merlin Helicopter. Formerly carrying a Lynx Helicopter, the Type-23's Lynx's were replaced by the Merlin in 2001. The combination of the Lynx/Merlin with a Type 23 ensures that the Type 23s are one of the most capable units in the world. The Type 23 Frigates are also the first Royal Naval vessels to carry the VL Sea Wolf system. Seawolf is an anti-aircraft and anti-missile system. It is highly potent, with a closing speed in excess of Mach 2. The advantage of the VL Sea Wolf is that there are no blind spots, and it is capable of firing throughout 360 degrees.
RPG STATS
Government: United Kingdom (Royal Navy)
Ship Type: Multi-Role Frigate
Class: Duke Class (Type 23)
Manufacturer: BAE Systems
- Crew: 186 total (174 Ratings & 12 Officers)
- Notable Ships of Class:
- HMS Norfolk F230
- HMS Northumberland F238
- HMS Argyll F231
- HMS Richmond F239
- HMS Marlborough F233
- HMS Somerset F82
- HMS Lancaster F229
- HMS Grafton F80
- HMS Iron Duke F234
- HMS Sutherland F81
- HMS Monmouth F235
- HMS Kent F78
- HMS Montrose F236
- HMS Portland F79
- HMS Westminster F237
- HMS St Albans F83
MDC BY LOCATION:
(1) Main Body 2,600
(2) Command Tower 550
(2) Sensor Array (behind Command Tower) 150
(3) Helicopter Landing Deck 800
(4) Propellors (2) 300 each
MK 8 4.5 Inch Gun 275
Mk141 Harpoon Quad Launchers (2) 170 each
VLS Seawolf Launcher 275 each
30mm Vulcan CIWS (2) 150 each
Torpedo Launcher Tubes (4) 200 each
Outer Hull (per 40ft area) 100
Interior walls (per 20ft) 10
NOTES:
- Depleting the MDC of the main body will put the Frigate out of commission. All internal systems will shut down, the ship itself will be an unsalvageable sinking wreck.
- Destroying the command tower will instantly kill the command staff and deprive the ship of all forms of long range communications, radar and targeting. Destroying the main sensory array behind the command tower will have the same effect, but the command staff will not be killed instantly.
- Destroying the flight deck will greatly impair the Frigates ability to deploy and recover Helicopter.
- Depleting the MDC of the propellors will leave the ship adrift until such time as they are repaired or the ship is towed back to port.
SPEEDS:
- Speed: 28 knots (15 Knots on Electric Motors)
- Maximum Range: 12,555 km
STATISTICAL DATA:
- Length: 133 m
Width: 16.1 m
Weight: 3,500 tons (Standard,) 4,500 tons (Fully Loaded)
- Engines:
- Two Rolls Royce Spey SM1A 34000 HP Gas Turbines
- Two Alstom1.5 MW 4400 HP Electric Motors
- Four GEC-Alsthom Paxman Valenta 12 RP2000CZ, 7000 hp
- Radar Systems:
- BAE SYSTEMS Type 996 (AWS-9) E/F Band 3D Search Radar
- Kelvin Hughes Type 1007 I-Band Navigation Radar
- BAE SYSTEMS Type 911 Fire Control Radars (2)
- Sonar Systems:
- Thales Underwater Systems Type 2050 Medium-Range Bow-Mounted
Active/Passive Search and Attack Sonar
- Thales Type 2031Z Very Low Frequency Passive Search Towed Array Sonar
WEAPON SYSTEMS:
1. 4.5 INCH (114MM) MK8 VICKERS CANNON (1):
The Royal Navy decided to re-introduce cannons to their Surface Fleet Vessels after the hard learned the lessons of the 1981 Falklands War. Instead of a cumbersome 6 inch Gun with a slow rate of fire, the Royal Navy chose a slightly smaller Gun with a higher rate of fire as their main defensive weapon.
- PRIMARY PURPOSE: Anti-Ship/Surface targets
- SECONDARY PURPOSE: Anti-Aircraft
- RANGE: 23 km vs, Surface targets / 8 km vs. airborne targets
- DAMAGE: 3D8X10 M.D.
- RATE OF FIRE: 12 rounds per melee
- PAYLOAD: 16 rounds on a ready rack with more stored below.
- NOTE: Several other types of ammo can be selected: Chaff, illuminating, and practice rounds
2. VERTICAL LAUNCH SYSTEM SEAWOLF LAUNCHERS (32):
The primary anti-aircraft weapon of the Type 23 Frigates. These thirty-two SAM Pods are designed to provide saturation fire against air threats, both aircraft and missiles, after the Royal Navy lost many ships to Exocet Missiles during the Anglo-Argentine War over the Falklands Islands. The Missile batteries are located forward of the bridge right behind the MK8 Gun.
- PRIMARY PURPOSE: Anti-Aircraft
- SECONDARY PURPOSE: Anti-Missile
- RANGE: 8 km
- SPEED: Mach 2.5
- DAMAGE: 4D6X10 MD
- BLAST RADIUS: 15 m
- RATE OF FIRE: Volleys of 2-15 missiles.
- PAYLOAD: Each launcher holds 1 missile. Once the rockets are expended the launcher is empty and must be replenished.
3. MK 141 HARPOON MISSILE LAUNCHERS (8):
These are the principle Anti-Ship Missile Batteries aboard ship and are carried in two launchers, (featuring 4 tubes each,) behind the main VLS battery forward of the bridge. They are designed to protect the Frigate and the rest of the Fleet that it is attached to by taking out enemy ships at long range before they can get to close to pose a higher threat.
- PRIMARY PURPOSE: Anti-Warship
- MISSILES TYPE: Self-guided missiles
- RANGE: 150 km
- SPEED: Mach 0.9
- DAMAGE: 2D4X100 MD
- BLAST RADIUS: 45 m
- RATE OF FIRE: Volleys of 1, 2, 3, 4 or 8
- PAYLOAD: 1 missile per tube. 8 missiles in total
4. BRITISH AEROSPACE/OERLIKON 30 mm CANNON (2):
As part of the close in defence complement this weapon is designed to engage aircraft and missiles. It is manned by a gun crew and is very effective againest low flying aircraft.
- PRIMARY PURPOSE: Anti-Missile
- SECONDARY PURPOSE: Anti-Aircraft
- RANGE: 1.6 km
- DAMAGE: 3D6 M.D. per 10 round burst
- RATE OF FIRE: Equal to the controller's number of hand-to-hand attacks. If set on automatic by the Principal Weapons Officer it can fire up to 4 bursts per round.
- BONUSES: +2 to hit aircraft/mecha
5. 324 mm STINGRAY TORPEDO LAUNCHER TUBES (4):
The primary Anti-Submersible weapon of the Type-23 Frigates. The torpedo launcher tubes fire heavy warhead torpedo's designed to destroy submarines, and/or sea based installations with a single torpedo.
- PRIMARY PURPOSE: Anti-Submarine
- SECONDARY PURPOSE: Assault
- RANGE: 8 km
- DAMAGE: 1D4X100 M.D.
- BLAST RADIUS: 15 m
- RATE OF FIRE: 1 per torpedo per launcher per round. Volleys of 1 to 4 torpedo's per volley.
- PAYLOAD: Each torpedo tube holds 1 torpedo. Once a torpedo has been launched the automated loading system reloads the tube. The reload system holds 5 torpedo's per launcher.
6. THALES DEFENCE'S SCORPION ECM/UAF-1 ESM JAMMER:
Used to defeat hostile radar and Sonar, the ECM/ESM, (Electronic Counter Measures,) jammers will confuse all radar and sonar so that the ships is much harder to be detected or locked onto with radar/sonar guided weapons. This does not give away the position of the ship but it does let the enemy know that they are there. The only way that it can be defeated is with ECCM, (Electronic Counter-Counter Measures.)
- PRIMARY PURPOSE: Block Enemy Radar/Sonar
- RANGE: 50 km
- RULES: Confuses all radar/sonar within 50 km, but can be defeated by ECCM, if the ECCM operator gets a higher Sensory Instruments percentage roll against the ECM operator.
7. HUNTING ENGINEERING SEA GNAT CHAFF/FLARE DECOY DISPENSORS (4):
The frigate's counter-measures dispensors consist of four six-barrelled 130 mm Chaff/Flare launchers. Triggered by the Principal Weapons Officer, (PWO,) they will release either a chaff cloud or single flare depending on what the PWO chooses. They are used to confuse enemy missiles attacking the ship. Smart missiles get a 20% bonus when rolling on the below chart.
01-50 Missile/s detonated by Chaff/Flare
51-75 Missile/s loses track of target and veers away in wrong direction, (may lock onto another target)
76-00 No effect, missile is still on target
- Payload: Three of each type (per launcher) Reloads are automatic with 3 reloads per launcher before a manual reload is required. Stores hold 10 full reloads of the system.
SYSTEMS OF NOTE:
- ELECTRONIC COUNTERMEASURES (ECM) "STEALTH" SYSTEMS: The Type-23 frigates are designed to give a much smaller radar profile due to their design. This design makes it difficult for enemy radar and tracking systems to determine presicely what they are and where they are. The stealth design gives the Frigates a +2 to dodge, +1 to strike and +1 on initiative in combat WITH OTHER NAVAL VESSELS ONLY. Aircraft are not affected by these designs.
- LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS: The Frigates have sufficient food, water, fuel and amenities to support up to 200 people for up to 6 months. In an emergency the Frigate can support up to 400 people at one time, though living conditions onboard will get extremely cramped at that point.
- LONG-RANGE LASER/SATELLITE RELAY COMMUNICATIONS: The impressive communications array of the Frigate can communicate with up to 500 craft simultaneously at ranges of up to 1,440 km. This range can be boosted indefinitely by using satellites or other spacecraft as to relay communications.
- LONG-RANGE RADAR: The radar array of the frigate is equally as impressive as the communication system, and can track and identify up to 500 craft simultaneously. The radar system has a 3,200 km range.
- ENGINES: The Frigate features eight engines, consisting of two Rolls Royce Spey SM1A 34000 HP Gas Turbine engines, two Alstom1.5 MW 4400 HP Electric Motors, and four GEC-Alsthom Paxman Valenta 12 RP2000CZ, 7000 hp.
- DECOYS: Sea Gnat (Outfit DLB) decoys and a Type 182 towed torpedo decoy. The Sea Gnats are mounted on Hunting Engineering 130 mm six-barrel launchers for Anti-Torpedo defence.
Ship-borne Vehicles (STANDARD):
Aircraft:
- Lynx or Merlin Helicopter: 1
REFERENCES
© Aaron Sketchley