British Naval projects from late 70's

[Antonio]

Brooke Marine Offshore Patrol Ships

Source: Aviation et Marine International November 1979

 

[Antonio]

Yarrows 2400-tonne frigate on order from Greece

Source: same as previous drawing

 

[Antonio]

Aviation & marine International September 1979

Vickers Macship
Helicopter/Aircraft carrier cruiser
Displacement: 12,500 t

Vosper Harrier Carrier
Lightweight aircraft carrier
Dispalcement: 7,200 t full load

 

[Antonio]

Vickers LF Type 1536
Frigate
Displacement: 1,530 t

Vickers GPV Type 634
Corvette
Displacement: 1,165 full load

 

[Antonio]

Brooke Marine 67 m corvette
Displacement: 560 t standard

Yarrow light frigate
Displacement: 1,200 t approx.

 

[Antonio]

Vickers Type 100
Pocket submarine
Displacement: 77 t surfaced, 95 t dived

 

[Antonio]

Brooke Marine 52.5 FCP
Missile fast patrol craft
Displacement: 325 t standard

Brooke Marine 45 m FPB
Missile fast patrol craft
Displacement: not known

Vosper Tenacity type
Missile fast attack craft
Displacement: 250 t

 

[Antonio]

British Hovercraft BH.7 Mk 6
Attack hovercraft
Weight: 91 t

Hovermarine Type 533
Air Cushion Attack vehicle
Weight: 110 t

Vosper Type VT-2
Attack hovercraft
Weight: 100 t

 

[Antonio]

Vosper 65 m Surveillance Ship
Offshore PAtrol Vessel
Displacement: 650 t

 

[McColm]

Great pictures.

 

[Eagle2009]

I agree, great images!

The BH.7 Mark 6 is a really interesting concept indeed. We know Iran received two BH.7 (I want to say it was a Mark 5) that were armed with Surface-to-Surface missiles but there seems to be some confusion as the whether they were Standard missiles or Sea Killers. Standard missiles could be used as de facto Anti-shipping missiles but images of these armed BH.7s show the launch tubes and they dont look like Standard Launchers. Regardless, these Mark 5s were something of a half-way design compared to this Mark 6 concept.

Of interesting note, Iran has recently rearmed at least one of the their BH.7 Mk 5 with Noor/C-802 AshMs.

Some images of the Armed BH.7 Mk 5:

 

[thebig C]

Interesting render of a Yarrow 1600t Corvette. Dated 1980....no reference to the Length/draught/armament. Looks like 4.5 Mount on front along with ASW missiles (poss Bofors?) with asm aft along with another gun. Possibly a variant of the Yarrow "Light Frigate" model above?! A few other nice pics on the website...link below, with more renders by the artist who IMO is excellent. I believe in the early 1970s the Canadians were looking seriously at a Yarrow 1100t Corvette....perhaps these are a follow-on design.
http://www.duncanlamontsdesignandpix.com/photo10114282.html

C

 

[thebig C]

God....I tried posting the pic and it didn't happen. I am so inept at that....I should just stick to links

 

[Thiel]

Interesting render of a Yarrow 1600t Corvette. Dated 1980....no reference to the Length/draught/armament. Looks like 4.5 Mount on front along with ASW missiles (poss Bofors?) with asm aft along with another gun. Possibly a variant of the Yarrow "Light Frigate" model above?! A few other nice pics on the website...link below, with more renders by the artist who IMO is excellent. I believe in the early 1970s the Canadians were looking seriously at a Yarrow 1100t Corvette....perhaps these are a follow-on design.
http://www.duncanlamontsdesignandpix.com/photo10114282.html

C

The ASW mortar is definitely the two barrel version of the Bofors 375mm Rocket Launcher

 

[thebig C]

Interesting render of a Yarrow 1600t Corvette. Dated 1980....no reference to the Length/draught/armament. Looks like 4.5 Mount on front along with ASW missiles (poss Bofors?) with asm aft along with another gun. Possibly a variant of the Yarrow "Light Frigate" model above?! A few other nice pics on the website...link below, with more renders by the artist who IMO is excellent. I believe in the early 1970s the Canadians were looking seriously at a Yarrow 1100t Corvette....perhaps these are a follow-on design.
http://www.duncanlamontsdesignandpix.com/photo10114282.html

C

The ASW mortar is definitely the two barrel version of the Bofors 375mm Rocket Launcher

Yep....looked it up this evening....the two barrel version was developed in 1972...so that would be about right for a late 1970s vessel design.

 

[thebig C]

Here is the pic fromn the above link

 

[pathology_doc]

I agree, great images!

The BH.7 Mark 6 is a really interesting concept indeed. We know Iran received two BH.7 (I want to say it was a Mark 5) that were armed with Surface-to-Surface missiles but there seems to be some confusion as the whether they were Standard missiles or Sea Killers. Standard missiles could be used as de facto Anti-shipping missiles but images of these armed BH.7s show the launch tubes and they dont look like Standard Launchers. Regardless, these Mark 5s were something of a half-way design compared to this Mark 6 concept.

Of interesting note, Iran has recently rearmed at least one of the their BH.7 Mk 5 with Noor/C-802 AshMs.

Some images of the Armed BH.7 Mk 5:

I assume that the missile launchers' exhaust efflux has been shown NOT to melt or otherwise endanger the integrity of the rubber skirts?

 

[Eagle2009]

Technically on the BH.7 Mk 5 had a modified deck design that left space for the launchers in the first place so the exhaust from the launched missile should be just far enough away not to damage the rubber skirt. I assume anyway, there is no record of Iran ever using the armed BH.7s.

Also, in the months since I posted that last post I have confirmed 100% that the missile tubes on those BH.7s (as originally fitted during the era of the Shah) were infact Standard missiles. If you compare the launchers with those fitted to Taiwan's modified WWII-era destroyers (now retired), they match perfectly. Now how such a system would work is questionable since the BH.7s have no visible fire control radar to guide the SM-1s. But I am certain that's what missiles those Mk5s were fitted for (but whether they were ever ARMED with them is another story entirely).

 

[RP1]

Were they SARH Standard or ARM Standard? They look like the launchers on the recent Iranian corvettes.


RP1

 

[TomS]

Iran had some Standard Missile box launchers on old (pre-Revolution) DDs. These were apparently RIM-66B (SARH) rather than RGM-66D (ARM) but were intended only for surface use. The Gearings never had a dedicated radar either; it looks like they used CW illumination piggybacked on the gun fire control radar. It's possible that the BH-7 also pushed CW signals through another antenna (maybe a modification of the nav radar?)

 

[Eagle2009]

TomS,

My theory is the Shah fully intended to purchase the RGM-66 at a later date and they simply made due with what they were supplied.

Also, the Standard launchers fitted to the BH.7mk5s were actually different than those fitted to Iran's long retired WWII-era destroyers. The launchers used on those are actually TWIN launhcers, in that there are two RIM-66Bs in each "box", one stacked infront of the other. On the front of said box there is a hinged door that lifts the forward missile up (so its exhaust doesn't hit the missile at the back of the box directly I assume).

 

[thebig C]

Any renders of the Future Light Frigate, ASW Light Frigate and ASW Corvette....which were design studies from the 1970s?
Also, I've read that there was a Yarrow 1100 ton Corvette as a smaller brother to the design above...any info or pics?

 

[Grey Havoc]

I agree, great images!

The BH.7 Mark 6 is a really interesting concept indeed. We know Iran received two BH.7 (I want to say it was a Mark 5) that were armed with Surface-to-Surface missiles but there seems to be some confusion as the whether they were Standard missiles or Sea Killers. Standard missiles could be used as de facto Anti-shipping missiles but images of these armed BH.7s show the launch tubes and they dont look like Standard Launchers. Regardless, these Mark 5s were something of a half-way design compared to this Mark 6 concept.

Of interesting note, Iran has recently rearmed at least one of the their BH.7 Mk 5 with Noor/C-802 AshMs.

Some images of the Armed BH.7 Mk 5:

To go slightly OT for a moment, from earlier in the decade:

(h/t PaulMM)

 

[CJGibson]

Perhaps this is a model of one of the corvettes mentioned above.

http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,22543.msg228128.html#msg228128

Chris

 

[Grey Havoc]

(The Mk 20 is posted for comparison, since it was a 1980's design.)

http://www.shipbucket.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=8035&start=10

 

[Grey Havoc]

By the way, came across this while trying to find more info on the Mk 20: http://www.jameshovercraft.co.uk/hover/hovermus/bhcbh7.php

 

[Odysseus1980]

Very interesting info on these projests. However, does someone has the full photo of the FACs, the Brooke marine 67m corvette and Yarrow Light Frigate mentioned above? Because those cropped images cut the specifications.

 

[Grey Havoc]

https://www.reddit.com/r/WarshipPorn/comments/hjf1hy

 

[TsrJoe]

Yarrow OPV. (100 scale model, Angus Modelmakers, 1984) i recall the ga drawings provided had alternate SH.60 or Lynx shown (i modelled it with a Lynx 3 just to be current having seen the mockup at Farnbrough)

 

[Grey Havoc]

The Irish Naval Service could have quite definitely have used that.

 

[JohnR]

Yarrow OPV. (100 scale model, 1985)

Looks more like a light frigate than an OPV. In fact it looks like a cousin to the Type23

 

[RP1]

Yarrow OPV. (100 scale model, 1985)

Looks more like a light frigate than an OPV. In fact it looks like a cousin to the Type23

It was derived from the Type 23 and appears in Yarrow publications on the Frigate. They refer to it as a "Light Patrol Frigate"

 

[RP1]

The Yarrow OPV design was similar to the PF but lacking SeaWolf. Below is from RNEE 1985, reporting on the (later cancelled) RN OPV3 project. Note the Goalkeeper with SAMs.

 

[Volkodav]

Does anyone have any information on the Mini Type 23 that was proposed for the RAN as a Type 12 replacement? I know it existed but have nothing on it other than the very rough description that it was a cut and bob tied type 23 and the RAN preferred the M Class but ended up with the MEKO. Another design put forward was the Modernised Leander, of which I have only seen an artists impression in a Naval mag years ago but nothing else.

Not sure if either of these crosses into the period being discussed here but they may well do as I believe the RAN Type 12 replacement had been around for years before a decision was made, originally extra FFG 7s were planned ( well after the DDL project was cancelled anyway)

 

[TsrJoe]

Denny Wave Tank Museum, Dumbarton

 

[TsrJoe]

twin hull test tank study

 

[Tzoli]

There were the Type 24 Frigate designs of 1979:
For the RN - 2x4 Exocet, 1x1 4,5", 4x2 Sea Wolf, 2x2 30mm
For the USN - 2x4 Harpoon, 1x1 5", 2x8 Sea Sparrow, 2x2 30mm
For the MN - 2x4 Exocet, 1x1 100mm, 4x8 Crotale, 2x2 40mm
For the RM - 2x4 Otomat, 1x1 127mm, 4x8 Aspide, 2x2 40mm
All with 2 Helis

The Type 25 Frigate again from 1979
2x4 Exocet, 1x1 4,5", 3x6 Sea Wolf, 2 Heli

And the modified Invincible by Vickers for Australia from 1978:

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/australian-invincible.23148/

 

[Hood]

Yarrow's Ocean Patrol ship looks very much like today's Type 31 GPF in many ways (but with 1980s technology).

Does anyone have any dimensional data for the Yarrow OPS1?

 

[RP1]

From the accompanying IDR article (11/1985):

 

[Grey Havoc]

The OPS3 sounds like it would have been a very useful asset to the Royal Navy indeed, though the OPS2 would have been also handy during the money starved 1990s.