Type 15 frigate

The Type 15 frigate was a class of British anti-submarine frigates of the Royal Navy. They were conversions based on the hulls of World War II-era destroyers built to the standard War Emergency Programme "utility" design.

History

By 1945 the wartime "utility" vessels were obsolescent as destroyers due to their relatively small size and makeshift armament. Future construction would be based on ever larger vessels, such as the and . Rapid advances in German U-boat technology with the Type XXI and Type XXVI rendered even some of the most modern Royal Navy escorts obsolete. This technology was being put into production by the Soviet Navy in the form of the . The Royal Navy began designing and constructing new fast anti-submarine frigates of the Type 12 and Type 14 design to counter this threat. However, it would be some time before these vessels could be brought into service and budget constraints limited the number of new hulls that could be constructed.

The solution to the problem lay in the 47 War Emergency Programme destroyers that remained in Royal Navy service, most of which were only a few years old and had seen little active service. Accordingly, plans were drawn up to convert these vessels into fast anti-submarine frigates incorporating as many lessons learned during wartime experience as possible. Ultimately, 23 of the utility destroyers were fully converted into Type 15 first-rate anti-submarine frigates, and a further ten were given limited conversions, and designated Type 16 frigates.

The US Navy followed suit in 1960–65, with the "FRAM" program, by which , and s were progressively upgraded, pending the arrival of new s and s in 1969.

Conversion

The superstructure had a low profile to limit the effects of blast from nuclear explosions. The forward superstructure extended across the ship, with the front curved and reinforced to resist the impact of waves at 25 knots in rough weather. The forecastle was extended aft to provide additional internal volume. The bridge was at forecastle deck level. The operations room was behind and slightly below the bridge to provide sight from the bridge's rear windows. The ship's wheel and radio room were underneath as their was no room at forecastle deck level.

The ship was designed to be fought while sealed against CBRN effects; a periscope for the captain and plastic bubbles for lookouts were included. Command and control was supposed to be from the operations rooms instead of from the bridge. In practice, an experienced officer had to be on the bridge for safety, particularly when manoeuvring at high-speed with nearby ships. The last ships raised the bridge one level to improve ship handling; the Bofor guns were moved to the front of the superstructure to accommodate the new bridge location.

All of the minor transverse bulkheads were new additions.

Diesel power generation capacity was increased from 100 kW to 350 kW; capacity was limited by volume in the machinery spaces for survivability. Fuel capacity was reduced by the new 4 inch magazine, but estimated range exceeded requirements. Agouti propeller silencing was added, which increased ship life by up to 25 years.

The radars were the target indicating Type 293Q and surface search Type 277Q. The Type 170 and 172 sonars were fitted.

A twin 4-inch gun was mounted aft; on the forecastle it would be too wet and block the bridge's view. The heavy steam plant prevented the use of the twin 4.5 inch gun. The twin Bofors was initially placed on top of the bridge. Fire control was "austere"; there was a Close Range Blind-Fire director for the 4-inch guns and a Simple Tachymetric Director for the Bofors. The Bofors' optical and radar directors were amalgamated to provide space and weight for the Type 277Q.

The ships were initially fitted with Squid ASW mortars; not all may have had Squid replaced by the intended two Limbos. The original concept was for three fixed torpedo tubes on each side with twelve torpedoes; by 1949, larger ASW torpedoes reduced this to two tubes on each side with eight reloads, and then to eight tubes without reloads between the 4-inch gun and the funnel. The intended torpedoes did not materialize and the torpedoes were deleted in 1953. Only was fitted with the tubes for trials.

performed trials with an aft flight deck and a Fairey Ultra-light Helicopter after completing a refit in December 1956. performed the first direction of a helicopter - a Saunders Roe P531 - using sensor data in late-1959.

Ships

In 1949-1950, there were 27 conversions planned between 1949 to 1957. When the Korean War started, this changed to 24, to be completed by 1954. By mid-1951, 22 conversions were planned. Another ship was later added; it was originally to be converted into a Type 16 frigate. The navy's 1954 internal strategy review resulted in a recommendation to cancel six conversions due to obsolescence. The programme encountered delays and the conversion of the 23 ships was completed in 1956.

Type 15s in film and models

HMS ''Wakeful'' and HMS ''Troubridge'' were both used in the filming of the 1965 cold-war drama'' The Bedford Incident'', to depict the fictional "USS ''Bedford''". The main exterior shots used a large model of a US , but ''Wakeful''s Type 15 outline and F159 pennant number are clearly visible in the opening sequence, when Sidney Poitier arrives in a Whirlwind helicopter. Many of the interior shots were filmed in ''Troubridge'', and British military equipment, including a rack of Lee–Enfield rifles and ''Troubridge''s novel forward-sloping bridge windows, can be seen.

In 1959 Triang Minic Ships produced a series of 1:1200 (one inch to 100 feet) metal models of Type 15 frigates, carrying the names ''Vigilant'', ''Venus'', ''Virago'' and ''Volage''; the first two have open bridges, while the others' are closed. These toys were mass-produced in large numbers between 1959 and 1965, and did much to raise awareness of the post-war navy for the younger generation. At the same time the Frog (models) company produced an accurate plastic model kit of HMS ''Undine'' to a scale of 1:500. The moulds for this were sold to Russia in 1976, and it has been re-issued under the "Novo" trademark on several occasions. More recently, Uk company MT Miniatures has produced a 1:700th scale model of HMS ''Relentless'' in resin, white metal, and photo-etched brass.

See also

* War Emergency Programme destroyers: The destroyer building programme that the Type 15 frigates were converted from.
*Type 16 frigate: A more limited conversion of destroyer hulls than the Type 15.
* , and were converted into similar ships for the Royal Canadian Navy.
*The Royal Australian Navy converted four out of five of their Q-class destroyers to Type 15 frigates from 1953–57. The other ship, , was scrapped in 1958.

References

Sources

*

Further reading

*
* "Royal Navy Frigates 1945-1983" Leo Marriott, Ian Allan, 1983,
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{{Type 15 frigate

Frigate classes
Ship classes of the Royal Navy