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| Type 42 Sheffield | |
|---|---|
| Type: | Guided Missile Destroyer |
| In Service: | 1975 |
| Complement: | 312 |
| Displacement: | Batch 1 & 2: 4,350 tons full load Batch 3: 5,350 tons |
| Length: | Batch 1 & 2: 125 m (413 feet) Batch 3: 141.1 m (466 feet) |
| Beam: | Batch 1 & 2: 14 m (46 feet) Batch 3: 14.9 (49 feet) |
| Draught: | 5.8 m (19 feet) |
| Machinery: | 2 shafts COGOG | 2 Rolls-Royce Olympus TM3B high-speed gas turbines, 50,000 shp (37.5 MW) 2 Rolls-Royce Tyne RM1A cruise gas turbines, 8,000 shp (6 MW)
| Speed: | 30 knots (Olympus) / 18 knots (Tyne) |
| Armament: | 1 x twin launcher for GWS-30 Sea Dart anti-aircraft missile | 1 x 4.5 inch (114 mm) L/45 Vickers Mark 8 gun
| Aircraft: | 1 x Westland Lynx HAS / HMA |
| Electronics: | initially; | Radar Type 965 'AKE-2' air search
| Electronic Warfare: | 2 x 8-tube Knebworth Corvus countermeasure launchers, later; | 2 x 6-tube Loral-Hycor SRBOC, later;
4 x 6-tube Marconi Sea Gnat launchers
The Type 42 or Sheffield class, are guided missile destroyers of the Royal Navy.
History
The class was designed in the late 1960s to provide fleet area air-defence. In total fourteen vessels were constructed in three batches, eleven of which remain in service. In addition, two ships were also built to the same specifications as the Batch 1 vessels for the Armada Republica Argentina. The ships, along with the Type 23 frigates, today form the backbone of the Royal Navy surface fleet. HMS Sheffield and Coventry were lost in the Falklands War to enemy action, this war has been the only time in history where two surface warships of the same design have fought each other.
Design Details
The Type 42 Destroyer was built to fill the gap left by the cancellation of the large Type 82 destroyer. It was intended to fulfil the same role, with similar systems yet on a smaller and more cost effective hull. The ships are primarily carriers for the GWS-30 Sea Dart surface-to-air missile system. Although claimed to be obsolete, it is still effective against most modern missile threats, as proven in the 1991 Gulf War.
The Type 42 is also equipped with a 4.5 inch (114 mm) gun, six torpedo launchers, and two Vulcan Phalanx Mk 15 Close-In Weapons Systems (CIWS) were fitted after the loss of the Sheffield to an Exocet missile. There have been three batches of ships, Batch 1 & 2 displacing 4,820 tonnes and Batch 3 (sometimes referred to as the Manchester class) displacing 5,200 tonnes. As per the norm, Batch 3 ships were heavily upgraded. Although the Batch 3 ships were lengthened, the planned Sea Wolf missile systems were never fitted. Because of their more general warfare role, the two Argentine ships have been fitted with the MM38 Exocet, and not with a CIWS.
The electronics suite includes one Type 1022 L-band long range radar with Outfit LFB track extractor, one Type 996 S-band 3D target indication radar with Outfit LFA track extractor, two Type 909 X-band fire control radars and an Outfit LFD Radar Track Combiner.
In recent years the importance of the Type 42 destroyers has increased rather than diminished. The UK has adopted an increasingly expeditionary defence policy and the deletion of the Sea Dart missile systems from the Invincible class aircraft carriers has made the role of escort all the more important.
Replacement
The ships are all scheduled to be out of service by 2014. Initially, the UK sought to procure replacements first in collaboration with seven other NATO nations under the NFR-90 project and then with France and Italy through the Horizon CNGF programme. However, both these collaborative ventures failed and the UK decided to go it alone with a national project.
The Type 42s are now to be replaced by eight Type 45 destroyers. The first six Type 45s; HMS Daring, Dauntless, Defender, Dragon, Duncan and Diamond have been ordered, with a further two due to be ordered later in the decade. The Type 42 class has always suffered from cramped accommodation, a problem for both crew safety and comfort and also when finding space for upgrades. The Type 45s are to be considerably larger; displacing almost 7,400 tonnes, compared to the Type 42 displacement of 4,820–5,200 tonnes.
| Name | Pennant | Builder | Launched | Commissioned | Home port | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Navy | ||||||
| Batch 1 | ||||||
| Sheffield | D80 | VSEL | June 10th 1971 | February 16th 1975 | Portsmouth | Sunk in Falklands War |
| Birmingham | D86 | Cammell Laird | July 30th 1973 | December 3rd 1976 | Portsmouth | Sold for Scrap |
| Newcastle | D87 | Swan Hunter | April 24th 1975 | March 23rd 1978 | Portsmouth | Awaiting Disposal |
| Glasgow | D88 | Swan Hunter | April 14th 1976 | May 25th 1977 | Portsmouth | Awaiting Disposal |
| Cardiff | D108 | VSEL | February 22nd 1974 | September 24th 1979 | Portsmouth | Awaiting Disposal |
| Coventry | D118 | Cammell Laird | June 21st 1974 | October 20th 1978 | Portsmouth | Sunk in Falklands War |
| Batch 2 | ||||||
| Exeter | D89 | Swan Hunter | April 25th 1978 | September 18th 1980 | Portsmouth | Active |
| Southampton | D90 | Vosper Thornycroft | January 29th 1979 | October 31st 1981 | Portsmouth | Active |
| Nottingham | D91 | Vosper Thornycroft | February 18th 1980 | April 8th 1983 | Portsmouth | Active |
| Liverpool | D92 | Cammell Laird | September 25th 1980 | July 9th 1982 | Portsmouth | Active |
| Batch 3 | ||||||
| Manchester | D95 | VSEL | November 24th 1980 | December 16th 1982 | Portsmouth | Active |
| Gloucester | D96 | Vosper Thornycroft | November 2nd 1982 | September 11th 1985 | Portsmouth | Active |
| Edinburgh | D97 | Cammel Laird | April 14th 1983 | December 17th 1985 | Portsmouth | Active |
| York | D98 | Swan Hunter | June 21st 1982 | August 9th 1985 | Portsmouth | Active |
| Armada Republica Argentina | ||||||
| Hercules | BV52 | VSEL | October 24th 1972 | July 12th 1976 | Puerto Belgrano | Active |
| Santisima Trinidad | D2 | AFNE, Rio Santiago | November 9th 1974 | July 1st 1981 | Puerto Belgrano | Awaiting disposal |
See also
"Type 42 destroyer"