The Royal Navy Is Down Another Type 23 Frigate

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The UK spent more than £100 million to fix up the HMS Iron Duke from 2019 to 2023, only to scrap the warship three years later.

The UK’s Royal Navy is down yet another warship, as the Type 23 Duke-class frigate HMS Iron Duke (F234) was withdrawn from service. It was an ignominious end for the warship named for one of Britain’s greatest military heroes, and a reminder that the UK military’s senior service is in a very sorry state.

To make matters worse, the warship had recently been upgraded with the expectation that it would remain in service.

The decision to scrap the vessel “follows an almost five-year refit that cost the taxpayer £103 million [$139.5 million] and was completed in 2023 to give it another five years of service,” The Times wrote—adding that with the retirement of HMS Iron Duke, the Royal Navy has just five frigates ready to deploy, but not for long.

“The decommissioning of HMS Richmond, another Type 23 frigate, is confirmed for this year,” the British paper of record noted. “HMS Iron Duke’s withdrawal means the navy is unable to assign more than a single frigate to the carrier strike group.”

Already, the Royal Navy had to look to its allies and partners to provide escorts for both of its carrier deployments to the Indo-Pacific.

The Type 23 Duke-Class Frigate’s Specifications

Year Introduced: 1989, when HMS Norfolk was commissioned

Number Built: 16 (6 in Royal Navy service)

Displacement: 4,900 tonnes (5,400 tons)

Length: 133 m (436 ft)

Beam: 16.1 m (52.8 ft)

Engines: Combined diesel-electric and gas (CODLAG), which includes two Rolls-Royce Spey gas turbines, two electric motors, and four diesel generators

Speed: 28 knots (32.2 mph, 51.8 km/h)

Range: 7,800 nautical miles (8,976 mi, 14,445 km) at 15 knots

Armament: Guns: 4.5-inch Mk 8 Naval Gun, 30mm guns........

© The National Interest