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HMS Birmingham
Class overview
Name	Type 42
Builders	Vickers, Cammell-Laird, Swan Hunter, Vosper Thorneycroft, CFNE Argentina
Operators	Royal Navy (1975–2013)  Argentine Navy (1976–2024)
Preceded by	Type 82 (UK) Py class (Argentina)
Succeeded by	Type 45 (UK) Almirante Brown class (Argentina)
Subclasses	Batches 1, 2 and 3
In service	1975–2013
Completed	16
Lost	UK: 2 (Falklands War)
Retired	14
General characteristics
Type	Guided-missile destroyer
Displacement	Batch 1 & 2: 3,500 long tons (3,600 t) standard, 4,100 long tons (4,200 t) or 4,350 tons full load Batch 3: 3,500 long tons (3,600 t) standard, 4,775 long tons (4,852 t) or 5,350 tons full load
Length	Batch 1 & 2: 119.5 m (392 ft) waterline, 125 m (410 ft) or 125.6 m (412 ft) overall Batch 3: 132.3 m (434 ft) waterline, 141.1 m (463 ft) overall
Beam	Batch 1 & 2: 14.3 m (47 ft) Batch 3: 14.9 m (49 ft)
Draught	Batch 1, 2 & 3: 4.2 m (14 ft) keel, 5.8 m (19 ft) propellers
Decks	8
Installed power	50,000 shp (37 MW)
Propulsion	2 shafts COGOG; 2 × Rolls-Royce Olympus TM3B high-speed gas turbines, (50,000 shp (37 MW)) 2 × Rolls-Royce Tyne RM1C cruise gas turbines, (5,340 shp (3.98 MW))
Speed	30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph) (2 × Olympus) 24 kn (44 km/h; 28 mph) (1 × Olympus and 1 × Tyne per shaft) 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph) (1 × Olympus) 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph) (2 × Tyne) 13.8 kn (25.6 km/h; 15.9 mph) (1 × Tyne)
Range	4,200 nmi (7,800 km; 4,800 mi) single Tyne RM1C/other shaft trailing at 13.8 kn (25.6 km/h; 15.9 mph)
Boats & landing craft carried	2
Complement	Batch 1 & 2: 253 (incl. 24 officers) or 274, accommodation for 312 Batch 3: 269 (2013); 301 (incl. 26 officers)(1993) Batch 1, 2 & 3: 24 officers and 229 ratings
Sensors and processing systems	Radar Type 1022/965P air surveillance, Radar Type 996/992Q 3-D surveillance, 2 × radar Type 909 GWS-30 fire-control, Radar Type 1007 & 1008 navigation, IFF 1016/1017, Sonar Type 2050 / 2016 search, Sonar Type 162 bottom profiling,
Electronic warfare & decoys	UAA2/UAF DLH decoy system
Armament	1 × twin launcher for GWS-30 Sea Dart missiles (22 missiles, space was reserved for an additional 15 in Batch 3) 1 × 4.5 inch Mark 8 naval gun 2 × 20 mm Phalanx CIWS (after 1982, not on Argentine ships) 2 × Oerlikon / BMARC 20 mm L/70 KBA guns in GAM-B01 single mounts 4 × MM38 Exocet anti-ship missile launchers (only on Argentine ships) 2 × STWS II triple anti-submarine torpedo tubes (not on Argentine ships)
Aircraft carried	1 × Westland Lynx HAS / HMA armed with 4 × anti-ship missiles 2 × anti-submarine torpedoes
Aviation facilities	Flight deck and enclosed hangar for embarking one helicopter

The Type 42 or Sheffield class, was a class of fourteen guided-missile destroyers that served in the Royal Navy. A further two ships of this class were built for and served with the Argentine Navy.

The first ship of the class was ordered in 1968 and launched in 1971. Two of the class (Sheffield and Coventry) were lost to enemy action during the Falklands War of 1982. The Royal Navy used this class of destroyer for 38 years between 1975 and 2013.

No ships of this class remain active in the Royal Navy and both have also been retired from the Argentine Navy. The Royal Navy has replaced them with Type 45 destroyers.

History

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The class was designed in the late 1960s to provide fleet area air defence. In total fourteen vessels were constructed in three batches. In addition to the Royal Navy ships, two more ships were built to the same specifications as the Batch 1 vessels for the Argentine Navy. Hércules was built in the UK and Santísima Trinidad in the AFNE Rio Santiago shipyard in Buenos Aires.

Sheffield and Coventry were lost in the Falklands War to enemy action. This was the first conflict where surface warships of the same design have been on opposite sides since World War II, when four Flower-class corvettes built for France in 1939 were taken over by the Kriegsmarine in 1940. The final ship of the class (Edinburgh) decommissioned on 6 June 2013. One Argentine Navy ship (Hércules) remains in service, the other vessel (Santísima Trinidad) sank whilst alongside in Puerto Belgrano Naval Base in early 2013.

When the Type 82 air-defence destroyers were cancelled along with the proposed CVA-01 carrier by the Labour Government of 1966, the Type 42 was proposed as a lighter and cheaper design with similar capabilities to the Type 82. The class is fitted with the GWS30 Sea Dart surface-to-air missile first deployed on the sole Type 82 destroyer, Bristol. The Type 42s were also given a flight deck and hangar to operate an anti-submarine warfare helicopter, greatly increasing their utility compared to the Type 82, which was fitted with a flight deck but no organic aviation facilities.

The design was budgeted with a ceiling of £19 million per hull but soon ran over budget. The original proposed design (£21 million) was similar to the lengthened 'Batch 3' Type 42s. To cut costs, the first two batches had 47 feet removed from the bow sections forward of the bridge, and the beam-to-length ratio was proportionally reduced. These early, batch 1 Type 42s performed poorly during the contractor's sea trials, particularly in heavy seas, and the hull was examined for other problems. Batch 2 vessels (Exeter onwards) embodied better sensor fits and slight layout modifications. The ninth hull, Manchester, was lengthened in build, as part of a design review. This proved a better hull form at sea and later hulls were built to this specification. Strengthening girders were later designed into the weather deck structure in the batch 1 and 2 ships, and the batch 3 ships received an external 'strake' to counter longitudinal cracking.

Design

The first batch had the 965 or 966 surveillance radar, which had a "slow data-rate". The Type 992Q radar used to designate targets for the gun and missiles lacked Moving Target Indiction (MTI). Though "British radar manufacturers offered to retrofit MTI to these radars... nothing was done." Without MTI, the Type 992Q had difficulty in tracking aircraft when land was behind the aircraft or when there was snow or rain showers. The Type 42 also had "insufficient space for an efficient operations room".

The Type 42 was also equipped with a 4.5 inch Mark 8 naval gun and earlier vessels had six Ships Torpedo Weapon System (STWS) torpedo launchers. Two Phalanx Mk 15 close-in weapon systems (CIWS) were fitted to British Type 42s after the loss of Sheffield to an Exocet missile in 1982.

There have been three batches of ships, batch 1 and 2 displacing 4,820 tonnes and batch 3 (sometimes referred to as the Manchester class) displacing 5,200 tonnes. The batch 3 ships were heavily upgraded, though the proposed Sea Wolf systems upgrades were never fitted. Because of their more general warfare role, both Argentine ships were fitted with the MM38 Exocet, and not with a CIWS.

The electronics suite included one Type 1022 D band long-range radar with Outfit LFB track extractor or one Type 965P long-range air surveillance radar, one Type 996 E band/F band 3D radar for target indication with Outfit LFA track extractor or type 992Q surface search, two Type 909 I/J-band fire-control radars and an Outfit LFD radar track combiner.

All ships were propelled by Rolls-Royce TM3B Olympus and Rolls-Royce RM1C Tyne marinised gas turbines, arranged in a COGOG (combined gas or gas) arrangement, driving through synchronous self-shifting clutches into a double-reduction, dual tandem, articulated, locked-train gear system and out through two five-bladed controllable pitch propellers. All have four Paxman Ventura 16YJCAZ diesel generators, each generating 1 megawatt of three-phase electric power (440 V 60 Hz).

The first of class, Sheffield, was initially fitted with exhaust deflectors on her funnel tops to guide the high-temperature exhaust efflux sidewards and minimise damage to overhead aerials. As this provided a prominent target for then-new infrared homing missiles, only Sheffield and both the Argentinian Hércules and Santísima Trinidad had these. All subsequent engine uptakes were fitted with 'cheese graters' that mixed machinery space vent air with the engine exhaust to reduce infrared signatures.

Availability and use of the Type 42

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This class was originally conceived to be a stopper for long-range strategic bombers from the former Soviet Long Range Aviation/A-VMF and as area defence for carrier battle groups. Seven of the class took part in the Falklands War (Operation Corporate) and the immediate aftermath. The Type 42 provided a capable long-range defence against Argentine air force assets, scoring three confirmed kills. However, Sheffield was hit and disabled by a long-range first-generation air-to-surface missile (Exocet) and sank six days later, Coventry was sunk by conventional iron bombs, and Glasgow was disabled by a single bomb that passed straight through her aft engine room without exploding; an extensive rethink was conducted and future iterations were adopted. Later uses included The Gulf War, when Gloucester shot down a land-based surface-to-surface missile. Type 42s were called upon to carry out fleet contingency ship duties such as West Indies counter drugs operations and Falkland Islands patrol, NATO Mediterranean and Atlantic task group operations, and Persian Gulf patrols. The deployment of Type 23s in lieu of Type 42s to high-intensity mission areas became more prevalent as serviceability and reliability issues dogged Type 42s availability, as did obsolescence of their combat and machinery system equipment.

Construction programme

In May 1982, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Jerry Wiggin) stated that the current replacement cost of a Type 42 destroyer of the Sheffield class was "about £120 million." In July 1984, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (John Lee) stated: "the average cost of the three Type 42 destroyers currently under construction is £117 million at 1983–84 price levels."

Running costs

Not including major refits and upgrades

Including refits and upgrades

In May 2000, the Minister of State for the Armed Forces (John Spellar) stated: "The running costs of each of the Royal Navy's Type 42 destroyers for each of the past five years are contained in the following table. This includes repair and maintenance, manpower, fuel, and other costs such as port and harbour dues. Year-on-year variations are largely attributable to refit periods."

Availability

In February 1998, the Minister of State for Defence, Dr Reid said: "Type 42 destroyers achieved approximately 84 to 86 per cent average availability for operational service in each of the last five years. This discounts time spent in planned maintenance."

Fate of ships

The surviving Argentine Type 42, Hércules, was based at Puerto Belgrano Naval Base, Argentina, and converted into an amphibious command ship through the addition of a new aft superstructure and hangar. She was originally fitted with four single Exocet missile launchers, two on either side of the funnel facing forward but these were removed during refit. As of 2020, Hércules was reported to be non-operational. The other Argentine vessel, Santísima Trinidad, capsized and sank alongside her berth at Puerto Belgrano on 22 January 2013, reportedly as a result of poor maintenance and negligence leading to a burst seawater main and catastrophic flooding. She was formally taken out of service in 2024.

Prior to her demise, Santísima Trinidad was extensively cannibalised for spare parts for her more active sister ship. In December 2015, she was refloated and placed in drydock to evaluate the cost of restoration as a museum ship. Finally, due to the very high cost required, it was decided to scrap her in 2016.

Replacement

The UK ships are all now decommissioned. By 2007 none of the batch 1 vessels remained in commission. 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 UK Type 42s are succeeded by six Type 45 destroyers. Daring, Dauntless, Diamond, Dragon, Defender and Duncan are all in commission. The Type 42 class suffered from cramped accommodation, a problem for crew safety and comfort, and also when finding space for upgrades. The Type 45s are considerably larger, displacing 7,500 tonnes, compared to the Type 42 displacement of 3,600 tonnes.

See also

• List of naval ship classes in service

Notes

1. The term used in Navy Estimates and Defence Estimates is "accepted into service". Hansard has used the term acceptance date. Leo Marriott in his various books uses the term "completed", as does Jane's Fighting Ships. These terms all mean the same thing: the date the Navy accepts the vessel from the builder. This date is important because maintenance cycles, etc. are generally calculated from the acceptance date.
2. "Unit cost, i.e. excluding the cost of certain items (e.g. aircraft, First Outfits)." – Text from Defences Estimates
   "They do not include other costs, such as those for Government Furnished Equipment (GFE)—as they are not held centrally for each ship and could be provided only at disproportionate cost." Bob Ainsworth, Minister of State for the Armed Forces, 16 July 2008.
3. These two sources are in agreement about the dates vessels were commissioned, with the following exceptions:
   • Sheffield: Marriott 28 February 1975. Hansard 16 February 1975.
   • Glasgow: Marriott 25 May 1979. Hansard 24 May 1979.
   • Cardiff: Marriott 19 October 1979. Hansard 24 September 1979.
   • Nottingham: Marriott 8 April 1983. Hansard 14 April 1983.
   • Liverpool: Marriott 9 July 1982. Hansard 1 July 1982.
4. Moore, John Jane's Fighting Ships, 1982–83, pub Jane's Publishing Co Ltd, 1982, ISBN 0-7106-0742-3-page 553 said £40.4 million.
   Marriott, Leo Modern Combat Ships 3, Type 42, pub Ian Allan, 1985, ISBN 0-7110-1453-1-page 15 said £40.4 million.
   Aldrich, Richard James Intelligence, Defence, and Diplomacy: British Policy in the Post-War World. Taylor & Francis, pub 1994, ISBN 0-7146-4140-5 page 119 says: "One example of how delay in procurement programmes can raise costs is the construction of the Type-42 destroyer HMS Cardiff. Vickers Shipbuilders had originally intended to deliver the vessel in 1975 for a total cost of £15 million. Owing to difficulties in recruiting labourer to work on construction the ship was only completed in 1978 and cost double the original price (over £30 million)." On page 129 it gives the source of this cost data as: "Fourth Report from the Committee on Public Accounts, 1976–77 (H.C. 304), April 1977, pp xii–xiii and Q. 92."
   The cost quoted in Aldrich is from a source written before the completion of the vessel, and so is less complete than the cost quoted in Jane's and Marriott, which were written after completion of the vessel, and are nearly the same as the Hansard figure.

References

1. ^ Sharpe, Richard, Jane's Fighting Ships 1992–93, pub Janes Information Group, 1992, ISBN 0-7106-0983-3, pp. 696–7
2. ^ Heyman, Charles The Armed Forces of the United Kingdom 1999–2000, pub Pen and Sword, 1998, ISBN 978-0-85052-621-9, pp. 40–41
3. Royal Navy (11 July 2013). A Global Force 2012/13 (PDF). Newsdesk Media. ISBN 978-1-906940-75-1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2018. Complement as of 24 April 2013
4. Marriott, Leo: Royal Navy Destroyers since 1945, ISBN 0-7110-1817-0, Ian Allan Ltd, 1989
5. ^ A Preston. Sea Combat off the Falklands. Willow Collins. (1982)London, pp. 112–113
6. ^ Marriott, Leo Modern Combat Ships 3, Type 42, pub Ian Allan, 1985, ISBN 0-7110-1453-1-page 28.
7. ^ Hansard: HC Deb 23 October 1989 vol 158 cc357-8W 357W Archived 4 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine Question to the Secretary of State for Defence regarding warship costs, 23 October 1989. This section is the first part of the table that is continued on Hansard: HC Deb 23 October 1989 vol 158 c360W Archived 4 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
8. ^ 16 July 2008 : Column 452W Archived 28 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine Questions to Secretary of the State for Defence, 16 July 2008.
   Marriott, Leo Modern Combat Ships 3, Type 42, pub Ian Allan, 1985, ISBN 0-7110-1453-1-page 28.
9. Hansard: HC Deb 23 October 1989 vol 158 cc357-8W 357W Archived 4 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine Question to the Secretary of State for Defence regarding warship costs, 23 October 1989.
   Marriott, Leo Modern Combat Ships 3, Type 42, pub Ian Allan, 1985, ISBN 0-7110-1453-1-page 15.
   Moore, John Jane's Fighting Ships, 1982–83, pub Jane's Publishing Co Ltd, 1982, ISBN 0-7106-0742-3-page 553.
10. Hansard: HC Deb 23 October 1989 vol 158 cc357-8W 357W Archived 4 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine Question to the Secretary of State for Defence regarding warship costs, 23 October 1989 says 26 November 1976.
    Marriott, Leo Modern Combat Ships 3, Type 42, pub Ian Allan, 1985, ISBN 0-7110-1453-1-page 28 says October 1976.
11. Hansard: HC Deb 23 October 1989 vol 158 cc357-8W 357W Archived 4 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine Question to the Secretary of State for Defence regarding warship costs, 23 October 1989 says £31.0 million.
    Moore, John Jane's Fighting Ships, 1982–83, pub Jane's Publishing Co Ltd, 1982, ISBN 0-7106-0742-3-page 553 says £30.9 million.
12. ^ Moore, John Jane's Fighting Ships, 1982–83, pub Jane's Publishing Co Ltd, 1982, ISBN 0-7106-0742-3-page 553.
13. Hansard: HC Deb 23 October 1989 vol 158 cc357-8W 357W Archived 4 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine Question to the Secretary of State for Defence regarding warship costs, 23 October 1989 says £40.5 million.
14. ^ Hansard HC Deb 23 October 1989 vol 158 cc358-61W Archived 4 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine Questions to the Secretary of State for Defence, 23 October 1989.
15. Hansard HC Deb 27 May 1982 vol 24 c397W Archived 18 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine Question to the Secretary of State for Defence about the current replacement cost of a Type 42 destroyer of the Sheffield class., 27 May 1982
16. Hansard HC Deb 23 July 1984 vol 64 c534W Archived 8 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine Question to the Secretary of State for Defence about the latest cost estimate of aTtype 42 destroyer, 23 July 1984.
17. Hansard HC Deb 16 July 1982 vol 27 cc485-6W Archived 9 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine Question to the Secretary of State for Defence about operating costs of naval vessels, 16 July 1982.
18. Hansard HC Deb 22 January 1987 vol 108 c730W Archived 14 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine Question to the Secretary of State for Defence about operating costs of naval vessels, 22 January 1987.
19. Hansard HC Deb 10 March 1989 vol 148 c44W Archived 16 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine Question to the Secretary of State for Defence about operating costs of naval vessels, 10 March 1989.
20. Hansard HC Deb 09 September 2003 vol 410 cc346-7W Archived 16 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine Question to the Secretary of State for Defence 9 September 2003.
21. "Hansard 9 Sep 2009, Column 2001W". Archived from the original on 19 April 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
22. 24 November 2010 Written Answers
23. ^ John Spellar (22 May 2000), "Naval Vessels", Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), vol. 350, cc318-9W, archived from the original on 11 July 2009
24. Hansard 5 Feb 1998 : Column: 762 Archived 5 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Answer by Secretary of State for Defence, Dr Reid, 5 February 1998.
25. "Daily Echo HMS Southampton bows out after 28 years". Archived from the original on 26 June 2009. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
26. ""BBC: Royal Navy's HMS York makes final Portsmouth return"". BBC News. 20 September 2012. Archived from the original on 6 January 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
27. "Especificaciones Técnicas". 8 December 2006. Archived from the original on 8 December 2006. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
28. ^ "El retroceso operacional de la Armada Argentina en la últimas décadas". 3 August 2021.
29. Videla Solá, Mariano Germán (22 March 2024). "After years without sailing, the Argentine Navy confirms the definitive decommissioning of the Multipurpose Fast Transport ARA "Hércules"". Zona Militar. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
30. ^ "Falklands warship sinks in Argentina". The Daily Telegraph. 23 January 2013. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
31. "La Armada incorpora dos navíos comprados a Rusia y reflota el 'Trinidad', que participó en Malvinas". 18 December 2015. Archived from the original on 31 December 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
32. ^ "El Santísima Trinidad no será museo y finalmente será raleado - El Rosalenio Digital - Punta Alta". elrosalenio (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 6 December 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
33. Videla Solá, Mariano Germán (22 March 2024). "After years without sailing, the Argentine Navy confirms the definitive decommissioning of the Multipurpose Fast Transport ARA "Hércules"". Zona Militar. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
34. ^ "Providing Anti Air Warfare Capability: the Type 45 destroyer". National Audit Office. 13 March 2009. ISBN 978-0-10-295468-5. Archived from the original on 5 August 2011.

External links

• Royal Navy Type 42 destroyers website

v t e Type 42 destroyers
Royal Navy	Sheffield Birmingham Cardiff Coventry Newcastle Glasgow Exeter Southampton Nottingham Liverpool Manchester York Gloucester Edinburgh
Argentine Navy Hércules class	Hércules Santísima Trinidad
Preceded by: HMS Bristol Followed by: Type 45 destroyers
List of destroyers of the Royal Navy List of destroyers of the Argentine Navy

• Destroyer classes
• Ship classes of the Royal Navy
• Type 42 destroyers