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A quick look at the RN....

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  • A quick look at the RN....

    it is a navy that has a very convoluted force structure history. It has seen many war built ships go into reserve, come back out of reserve, be modernised or upgraded and designations changed. Sources often conflict so getting an accurate snapshot at a specific time can be difficult. But here goes for the surface combatants ie Cruisers/Destroyers/frigates:

    1956

    Cruisers

    12 6" gunned

    Destroyers

    8 Daring class
    8 Battle class( seven more recommissioned 1957-1958 to replace three decommissioned and replace the four Weapon class being converted to radar picket ships)
    4 Weapon class
    12 C class( 8 more being modernized eventually replacing a like # of the existing ships)

    Frigates

    2 Whitby new-build(Destroyer sized, slower and optomised for ASW)
    5 Blackwood new-build(Small, austere ASW escorts)
    32 War-built destoyer-conversions to ASW escorts-22 expensive but very capable escorts plus 10 limited capability escorts
    33 approximate War-built escorts mostly of the Black Swan, Loch and Bay classes

    Total 116

    The 1960's saw great changes plus great reductions in the force structure.

    1972

    Cruisers

    2 Tiger class 6" gunned and converted to carry four helos

    Destroyers

    8 County class DDG

    Frigates

    25 Leanders(These ships later saw some being modified to carry the Ikara ASW system, Seawolf missle system, Exocet AShm missles, larger helo plus newer radars and sonars. It is an exhausting list of modifcations or none at all to various ships .)
    9 Rothesay class
    1 Whitby class

    The above ship classes share the same basic hull. The main difference was the Leanders added a helo and Seacat point defense AAW missles. These changes were back-fiited into the Rothesay class.

    7 Tribal class
    3 Leopard class
    3 Salisbury class

    Total 58

    During the next 30 years down-sizing continued:

    2002

    Destroyers

    11 Type 42 class DDG

    Frigates

    16 Type 23 class
    4 Type 22 class

    Total 31

    And yet still more reductions:

    2006

    Destroyers

    8 Type 42 class DDG

    Frigates

    13 Type 23 class
    4 Type 22 class

    Total 25

    Ill fill in some of the blanks with a little analysis later.

    Questions, corrections or comments always welcome.
    Last edited by rickusn; 19 Jun 05,, 04:25.

  • #2
    From 1957 to 1963 all the existing 6" gunned cruisers were decommissioned and one class completed:

    3 Tiger(which were paid off one each in 1963, 1964 & 1965)

    Two of the above were converted to carry helos one recommissioning in 1969 and the other 1972.

    Most of the destroyers were paid off during the 1960s the last Cavalier being the last in 1972 with one new class built:

    8 County class DDG(two for each Carrier in-service)

    The UK had a committent to NATO to maintain aforce of 70 frigates in 1956 as you can see this was the case. The 1960's saw a slow draw-down of this committment.

    All the war-built escorts and 1950's destroyer conversions were slowly paid off as the new classes were built:

    12 Blackwood(also gone by 1970)
    6 Whitby(suffered the same fate in the early 1970's)
    4 Leopard
    4 Salisbury
    9 Rothesay
    7 Tribal
    26 Leanders

    In the 1970s new replacement programs were put in place:

    8 Amazon class to replace the 8 ships pf the Leopard/Salisbury classes

    14 Type 42 DDG to replace the County DDG and Tribal class frigates

    14 Type 22 frigates to replace the Rothesay class plus four to replace two of the Amazon class and two of the Sheffield class lost in the Falklands War.

    More later!!!!
    Last edited by rickusn; 19 Jun 05,, 15:52.

    Comment


    • #3
      The Leanders and eventually the Amazon class were to be replaced by a combination of Type 22 & Type 23 frigates.

      The RN had hoped to maintain a nominal force of:

      14 DDGs Type 42 then replaced by Type 45

      26 Type 22 frigates

      24 Type 23 frigates

      Which was the # of surface combatants extant 1970. As we see this was not to be. Its interesting to note that first 9 Loch class war-built frigates then the 7 Tribal frigates were dual-hatted to be included in the NATO committment plus fill the requirement for duty in the Persian Gulf.

      With the reduction in the comittment to 50 frigates for NATO the UK folded the latter requirement nominally into the Type 42 buy. As both Type 22 and 23 frigates have operated in the Persian Gulf operating area.

      Carriers

      In the early 50's and the Korean War the six small carriers of the Collossus class were the work horses including as troop transports and trials ships.

      Illustrious, Implacable, and Indefatigable served in various training and trials role.

      Indomitable served as a Home Fleet carrier.

      As first the Eagle large carrier(1952) then the three Centaur class intermediate carriers(1953-1954) and finally the large carrier Ark Royal (1955) came into service the four "I" carriers paid off by 1954. Bulwark was the "flying training" ship in 1956.

      So the UK seemed by all appearance to have four Carriers operational requiring two cruiser type ships each. Thus building the 8 County AAW ships.

      Of the six Collossus:

      Warrior continued as trials ship until used as a HQ ship for the nuclear test program in 1957 then sold to Argentina in 1958.

      Ocean and Theseus converted to helo-assault ships during 1954 retiring in 1958.

      Vengeance lent to Austrailia in 1952.

      Triumph served as a training ship from 1953 until undergoing conversion that lasted for seven years into a repair ship then laid-up.

      Glory into reserve 1956.

      With the recommissioning of the re-built Victorious in 1958 and the much modified Hermes originally of the Centaur class two of the Centaur class Bulwark(1959) and Albion(1961) were converted to helo-assault ships.

      Centaur lasted until 1966 when Eagle returned from her 1959-1964 rebuilding.

      This was also the year the UK decided not to build replacement carriers.

      Ark Royal underwent a major refit from 1967 to 1970.

      Victorious paid-off 1968.

      In 1971 Hermes paid-off for conversion into a Helo-assault carrier replacing Albion.

      Eagle paid-off in 1972.

      More later!!!!!!!!
      Last edited by rickusn; 19 Jun 05,, 21:44.

      Comment


      • #4
        Bulwark went into reserve 1976.

        Hermes became an ASW carrier 1977.

        Ark Royal paid off 1978.

        Hermes converted to V/STOL carrier by 1980.

        Bulwark recommissioned to relieve Hermes from the Helo-assault role.

        First Invincible class light carrier commissioned 1980.

        Bulwark decommissioned.

        Illustrious light carrier commissioned 1982.

        Hermes paid off 1984.

        The new Ark Royal light carrier commissioned 1985.

        The three light carriers remain in-service with one always in reserve.

        With the draw-down to only 25 surface combatants the NATO frigate committment has fallen to 10!!!!!!

        Amphibious ships

        In addition to the carrier conversions:

        Five war-built LST's were in commission 1956 that were paid- off in the early 1960s.

        2 Fearless class LPD built 1965 & 1967

        6 Sir Lancelot LST 1964-1968(Sir Galahad lost in Falklands War was replaced by a new build in 1987)

        1 Ocean LPH built 1999

        2 new Albion class LPD built as replacements for the Fearless class 2003 & 2004

        The LST's are being replace by new RFA manned ships taht are essentially austere LPD/LSD type ships.

        Submarines

        40 War-built in-commission 1956 all gone by 1970

        8 Porpoise class SSK built 1958-1961 late 70s began decommissioning

        13 Oberon class SSK built 1961-1967

        1 Dreadnought class SSN 1963

        5 Valiant class SSN 1966-1971

        4 Resolution class SSBN 1967-1969

        6 Swiftsure SSN 1973-1980

        32 Total 1980

        7 Trafalger SSN 1983-1991

        32 Total 1990

        4 Upholder SSK 1989-1993
        4 Vanguard SSBN 1993-1999 replacements for the resolution class

        16 Total 2000

        14 Total 2006

        To reduce to 12 total by 2015

        Comment


        • #5
          Great information Rick, thanks
          “He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”

          Comment


          • #6
            Leander class Mods

            8 ships- Ikara Conversion 1972-1976

            Removed:

            Twin 4.5" gun mount
            Early warning radar

            Added:

            Ikara launcher
            Outfitted with two Secat launchers vice one or none

            Retained :

            VDS sonar
            Limbo ASW Mortar
            Wasp helo

            8 Exocet Conversions 1975-1982 (one canceled to become a training ship)

            Removed:

            Twin 4.5" gun mount
            Limbo ASW Mortar
            VDS sonar

            Added:

            4 Exocet missles
            3 Seacat launchers vice one or none
            6 ASW torpedo tubes
            Lynx helo
            STWS-1 torpedo defense system

            Retained:

            Early warning radar

            5 Seawolf Conversion 1981-1984

            Removed

            Twin 4.5" gun mount
            Limbo Mortar
            VDS sonar
            Seacat missle launcher
            Early warning radar

            Added:

            6 rd Seawolf missle launcher
            4 Exocet missles
            6 ASW torpedo tubes
            Lynx helo
            New sonar
            New radar

            Five Leanders were not modified and all were eventually transferred to other nations:

            1 New Zealand
            2 Pakistan
            2 Chile

            Comment


            • #7
              I have come across some better info I think:


              1972

              add:

              6 Blackwood
              2 Whitby

              Comment


              • #8
                1976 From my notes taken from Janes about fifteen years ago that I just came across. LOL

                Destroyers

                2 Sheffield Type 42 class DDG
                1 Bristol class DDG
                7 County class DDG

                Frigates

                4 Amazon class
                26 Leander class
                9 Rothesay class
                2 Whitby class
                1 Mermaid class
                7 Tribal class
                2 Leopard class
                4 Salisbury class (Salisbury again active for Fisheries Protection duties)
                5 Blackwood class

                70 total

                Comment


                • #9
                  You may ask as I what replaced the Blackwoods.

                  Well nominally they were replaced by the seven Isle class and two Castle class OPV's.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by rickusn
                    You may ask as I what replaced the Blackwoods.

                    Well nominally they were replaced by the seven Isle class and two Castle class OPV's.
                    You're still waaaay ahead of me on this subject bro

                    How about your opinion on the current RN Harrier carriers? Their capabilities, past performance etc? (We've already discused my beloved HMS Ocean, so I won't include her )
                    “He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      To tell you the truth I never thought about them much.

                      Better than nothing,

                      And in the finest British tradition far more capable than a ship of that size has a right to be.

                      Now without Sea Dart and soon w/o the SHARs very vulnerable to airborne threats.

                      They can carry nearly a thousand troops but only for a limited time with organic air support.

                      Great for ASW.

                      What do you think?

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        A THOUSAND troops?? Good lord, I had no idea they were large enough for that kind of troop accomadations.

                        You're right about their performance. The seamanship and courage of their crews has been in the finest traditions of Her Majesty's Royal Navy. :)
                        “He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”

                        Comment

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