Type 12 frigate
Encyclopedia
Type 12 frigate can refer to several ship classes. It most commonly describes the common design of three ship class
es of the Royal Navy
designed during the 1950s and constructed during the 1960s.
The Type 12 designation is sometimes used to refer to warship classes based on the Type 12 design, but constructed or operated by other naval forces. Some of these are still in service as of 2009:
Ship class
A ship class is a group of ships of a similar design. This is distinct from a ship-type, which might reflect a similarity of tonnage or intended use. For example, the is a nuclear aircraft carrier of the Nimitz class....
es of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
designed during the 1950s and constructed during the 1960s.
- The first Type 12 frigateFrigateA frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
s, designed as convoy escorts, were later named the . Six operated in the Royal Navy, with one loaned to the Royal New Zealand NavyRoyal New Zealand NavyThe Royal New Zealand Navy is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force...
, and two built for the Indian NavyIndian NavyThe Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. The President of India serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff , usually a four-star officer in the rank of Admiral, commands the Navy...
. - The design of the Type 12 Modified (Type 12M) or was optimised towards anti-submarine warfare and fleet escort duties, and fitted with the Sea Cat missileSea Cat missileSea Cat was a British short-range surface to air missile system intended to replace the ubiquitous Bofors 40 mm gun aboard warships of all sizes. It was the world's first operational shipboard point-defence missile system and was designed so that the Bofors guns could be replaced with minimum...
system. Nine were built for the Royal Navy, two for the Royal New Zealand Navy, and three (as the 'President class') for the South African NavySouth African NavyThe South African Navy is the navy of the Republic of South Africa.-Formation:The South African Navy can trace its official origins back to the SA Naval Service, which was established on 1 April 1922....
. - The third class, designed as an all-purpose warship, was known as the Type 12 Improved (Type 12I) or the . The class was made up of three 'batches'; the main differences between each batch being variations in propulsion machinery and weapons outfit. 26 were built for the Royal Navy, some of which later saw service in the navies of Chile, Ecuador, New Zealand, and Pakistan.
The Type 12 designation is sometimes used to refer to warship classes based on the Type 12 design, but constructed or operated by other naval forces. Some of these are still in service as of 2009:
- The s of the Chilean NavyChilean Navy-Independence Wars of Chile and Peru :The Chilean Navy dates back to 1817. A year before, following the Battle of Chacabuco, General Bernardo O'Higgins prophetically declared "this victory and another hundred shall be of no significance if we do not gain control of the sea".This led to the...
. Based on the Leander class, this class consisted of four ships, two purpose-built, and two former Royal Navy Leanders. - The s of the Royal Australian NavyRoyal Australian NavyThe Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
. Six were constructed: two to the Rothesay design, two to the same design but modified to carry a variable-depth sonar and an Ikara missile system (which was retrofitted to the first to), and two to an Australian-designed Leander variant. - The s of the Indian NavyIndian NavyThe Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. The President of India serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff , usually a four-star officer in the rank of Admiral, commands the Navy...
. Six were constructed to an updated design based on the Leanders. - The and s of the Indian Navy. An enlarged Nilgiri design was used as the basis for six ships (three of each class), with the weapons outfit the main difference between them.
- The s of the Royal Netherlands NavyRoyal Netherlands NavyThe Koninklijke Marine is the navy of the Netherlands. In the mid-17th century the Dutch Navy was the most powerful navy in the world and it played an active role in the wars of the Dutch Republic and later those of the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
. Based on the Leander design but with Dutch radars, six ships were built. All six were later transferred to the Indonesian NavyIndonesian NavyThe role of the Indonesian Navy is to patrol of Indonesia's immense coastline, to ensure safeguard the territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zone , to protect Indonesia's maritime strategic interests, to protect the islands surrounded Indonesia and to defend against seaborne threats. The TNI...
and become "Ahmad Yani" Class Frigate. All of them are renamed with Indonesian National Heroes.