Type 23 frigate

HMS Sutherland in December 2012
Class overview
NameType 23 frigate
BuildersYarrow Shipbuilders and Swan Hunter
Operators
Preceded byType 22 frigate
Succeeded by
Cost£130 million per ship
In commission24 November 1987
Planned16
Completed16
Active8 Royal Navy, 3 Chilean Navy
Retired5 (Royal Navy)
General characteristics
TypeAnti-submarine warfare frigate
Displacement4,900 t (4,800 long tons)[1]
Length133.0 m (436 ft 4 in)
Beam16.1 m (52 ft 10 in)
Draught7.3 m (23 ft 11 in)
Propulsion
SpeedIn excess of 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph)
Range7,500 nmi (14,000 km; 9,000 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Boats & landing
craft carried		2 × Pacific 24 RIBs
Complement185 (accommodation for up to 205)
Electronic warfare
& decoys
Armament
Aircraft carried
Aviation facilities

The Type 23 frigate or Duke class is a class of frigates built for the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. The ships are named after British Dukes, thus leading to the class being commonly known as the Duke class. The first Type 23, HMS Norfolk, was commissioned in 1989, and the sixteenth, HMS St Albans was commissioned in June 2002. They form the core of the Royal Navy's destroyer and frigate fleet and serve alongside the Type 45 destroyers. They were designed for anti-submarine warfare, but have been used for a range of uses.[14] Nine Type 23 frigates remain in service with the Royal Navy, with three vessels having been sold to the Chilean Navy and four being retired since 2021.

The Royal Navy's Type 23 frigates will be replaced by the Type 26 Global Combat Ship and the Type 31 frigate.[15] As of 2021 it is anticipated that HMS St Albans will be the last to retire from the Royal Navy, in 2035.[4][16]

  1. ^ "Type 23 Frigate". Royal Navy. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  2. ^ Peruzzi, Luca. "Royal Navy unveiled Sea Ceptor and launched first user group at DSEI 2017". European Defence Review. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  3. ^ Scott, Richard (19 December 2023). "First NSM fit on RN Type 23 frigate". Janes. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Contenders for the Royal Navy's interim anti-ship missile requirement". navylookout.com. 26 August 2021. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  5. ^ Navy Lookout [@NavyLookout] (18 December 2023). "@NavyLookout First view of Royal Navy warship equipped with the Naval Strike Missile" (Tweet). Retrieved 18 December 2023 – via Twitter.
  6. ^ "Royal Navy ships to be fitted with advanced new missile system". gov.uk. 23 November 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  7. ^ Scott, Richard (16 February 2022). "UK confirms cancellation of I-SSGW programme". Janes Information Services. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  8. ^ "In focus: the 50 cal heavy machine gun in Royal Navy service". Navy Lookout. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  9. ^ "The Royal Navy has enhanced its ability to thwart drone attack after helicopter crews downed a pilotless aircraft off the Welsh coast". Royal Navy. 2 November 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  10. ^ "Royal Navy's Sea Venom light anti-ship missile full operating capability delayed until 2026". Navy Lookout. 21 June 2023.
  11. ^ "Peregrine rotary wing UAV to enter service with the Royal Navy". Navy Lookout. 10 February 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  12. ^ "UK Peregrine UAS completes factory acceptance testing". Janes. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  13. ^ @NavyLookout (25 September 2024). "@NavyLookout Recent photos showing two Peregrine RWUAS embarked on @HMSLANCASTER for trials in the Indian Ocean. Both aircraft fitted with the Thales I-Master radar with tactical data link integrated into ship's combat managment [sic] system" (Tweet). Retrieved 25 September 2024 – via Twitter.
  14. ^ "Mission Systems provides the Royal Navy's Type 23 Frigates with combat management systems and radar". BAE Systems. Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  15. ^ "Royal Navy Future Ships: Type 26 Global Combat Ship". Royal Navy. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  16. ^ "Navy unveils latest design of future frigate". Royal Navy. 20 August 2012. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2019.