British navy. British Navy: description, list and interesting facts

On June 15, 1953, 200 warships, mostly British, anchored in the outer roadstead of Portsmouth, demonstrating the power and majesty of the Empire On Which the Sun Never Sets.

The decks glowed with a polished shine, rows of elegant sailors lined up along the sides loudly greeted the royal yacht. The gun barrels sparkled solemnly, the water in the Solent shimmered and sparkled joyfully, and everywhere, as far as the eye could reach, the White Ensign of the Royal Navy floated in the wind. And above all this splendor, tearing apart the snow-white cotton wool of the clouds with their wings, 300 naval aviation aircraft rushed.

The grandiose naval parade, timed to coincide with the accession to the throne of Elizabeth II, was the last in the British fleet. Neither the high masts nor the gray sides of the ships could protect Britain from the coming catastrophe - the mechanism of the collapse of the empire was launched, and now the arrogant British could only wait for the last colony to separate, and for the once great power to finally turn into “small Britain.”

And if there are no colonies, then there is no fleet. Great Britain could not afford to maintain hundreds of warships just like that, for the sake of the notorious prestige - tormented by economic problems, it radically reduced military spending. Powerful battleships were scrapped together, and excess aircraft carriers and destroyers were gradually sold to other countries.

By the early 1980s, the anthem “Rule, O Britannia, the Seas!” sounded like a mockery of British sailors. Her Majesty's fleet had degraded to a completely bestial state - the Falklands War showed that British ships could be shot at strafing flight without fear.

Flimsy frigates dying from unexploded missiles, outdated weapons and sub-aircraft carriers that never dared to enter the combat zone to directly cover destroyers and landing ships... Her Majesty’s squadron was saved from complete defeat only by the traditionally high training of British sailors and the fact that 80% The bombs that hit the ships did not explode.

Neither the excellent training of the personnel, nor the meticulously thought-out system of logistics and combat support could make up for the lack of a normal air defense system. The chronicle of the Falklands War describes wild cases when the crews of British ships had to fight off Argentine Air Force jets with friendly salvoes from ... rifles. The conclusion is logical - a third of the 80 British ships and vessels that reached the combat zone received various damage from Argentine aviation. Six of them were sunk.

And this is the result of a collision with some distant Argentina, which has only 5 anti-ship missiles! What can you expect when meeting a more serious opponent?

Gloomy reports of the destruction of ships in the South Atlantic slowed down the collapse of Her Majesty’s fleet - frightened by Argentine bombs, the British rushed “at a gallop across Europe” to acquire robotic anti-aircraft guns for the self-defense of their ships - a month after the end of the war, the first batch of American Phalanxes was ordered. Urgent work began to improve survivability; synthetic finishing of premises was replaced by non-combustible materials. New modifications of the Type 42 destroyers - with installed Phalanxes and increased anti-aircraft ammunition - more or less corresponded to accepted world standards in their class. The serial construction of multi-purpose nuclear submarines of the Trafalgar type continued, the light aircraft carrier Ark Royal, the third ship of the Invincible class, was being completed...

And yet, through all the British stiffness, the weakness and small numbers of Her Majesty’s fleet clearly showed through. The entire surface component was a replica of a real warship - and no matter how hard the British designers tried, it turned out to be impossible to build a full-fledged modern destroyer in the hull of a ship with a displacement of less than 5 thousand tons. The overgrown Type 42 frigate remained an “ugly duckling” compared to its American, Japanese or Soviet peers.

Renaissance

By the mid-1990s, a new era in the history of the British fleet began. “We are few, but we are in vests” - this phrase best describes the modern Royal Navy.
The British, as before, are not able to build ships in large series (in fact, the foreign policy situation does not require this). But, as for the quality of naval equipment, the Britons create something truly unique, often superior to all world analogues in its class.

Super-air defense destroyers of the Daring type, multi-purpose nuclear submarines of Estute, aircraft carriers of the Queen Elizabeth type... all this is accompanied by excellent training of personnel (only professionals serve) and a detailed scheme for the use of the fleet: what, where, when, for what .

The number of surface combat units in the Royal Navy, at first glance, can cause a smile: only 4 universal landing ships, as well as 18 destroyers and frigates as of 2013 (another destroyer HMS Duncan is currently undergoing sea trials, its entry into service is planned for 2014).
The strange symbols in front of the name of every British warship (HMS) are nothing more than an abbreviation for Her Majesty's Ship.

Most of the British surface ships are classified as Type 23 frigates, also known as Duke class. There are 13 units in service, all built between 1987 and 2002.

On the technical side, they are ordinary, unremarkable ships with a displacement of about 5,000 tons, designed to perform escort, patrol and auxiliary missions around the globe.
The combined diesel-electric-gas turbine propulsion system (CODLAG type) allows for speeds of up to 28 knots (the lightweight HMS Sutherland is reported to have reached 34 knots during testing in 2008). Cruising range 7,500 miles (14,000 km) at economic speed 15 knots. - quite enough to cross the Atlantic twice.

Crew – 185...205 people, depending on the assigned tasks.

Armament is standard for NATO countries, taking into account some British traditions:
- 8 anti-ship missiles "Harpoon";
- Sea Wolf naval air defense system (32 UVP in the bow of the frigate);
- British 4.5-inch universal gun (caliber 114 mm);
- a pair of automated artillery installations "Oerlikon" DS-30M;
- small-sized anti-submarine torpedoes;
- aft helipad, hangar.

Frigate HMS Northumberland

A tough multi-purpose ship for low intensity conflicts. The main drawback of the Type 23 frigate is its Sea Wolf air defense system. Despite its formidable appearance and 32 ready-to-launch missiles, the characteristics of this complex correspond more to the portable Stinger air defense system than to a full-fledged naval air defense system. The maximum firing range is 10 km; we can assume that the British Type 23 frigate is completely unprotected from air attacks.

However, in reality, an air attack on the Type 23 would be very problematic. After all, there is always a “big brother” nearby - the inimitable air defense destroyer of the Daring class (aka Type 45 or D type).

"Daring"... In total, since 2003, Her Majesty’s fleet has been replenished with six ships of this type. The most modern destroyers in the world, whose design incorporates the most advanced technologies in the field of existing naval air defense systems.

Two radars with active phased array: centimeter - for detecting low-flying targets against the background of water, and decimeter - control of airspace at a range of up to 400 km.
Fantastic anti-aircraft system PAAMS, capable of knocking down cruise missiles rushing at a height of 5 meters at a speed of Mach 2.5. The complex's ammunition load is 48 missiles of the Aster family with an active homing head (another surprise!). The firing range of the Asters is 120 km.
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The largest ship in the British Navy today is HMS Illustrious- the only surviving light aircraft carrier of the Invincible class.

At the moment, due to the decommissioning of the Sea Harrier VTOL aircraft, the ship is not used for its intended purpose and is classified as an amphibious helicopter carrier. It is expected that the old ship, launched back in 1978, will leave the Royal Navy next year.

Also, the British fleet has several other large surface units - two Albion-class helicopter carriers and an Ocean-class landing helicopter carrier. All three ships were built between 1994 and 2004.

Her Majesty's Ship Ocean is an analogue of the Mistral - a universal landing ship of similar dimensions, with a continuous flight deck, but without an aft docking chamber (landing boats are launched into the water using sloop beams). Air group - up to 18 helicopters: multi-purpose Lynx, Merlin and Sea King; heavy military transport "Chinook"; Apache attack helicopters. The ship's interior is designed to accommodate 830 Marines.

HMS Ocean

Albion-class landing ships, unlike the Ocean, they lack a continuous flight deck and a helicopter hangar, but have a dock chamber filled with water, designed for 8 self-propelled barges (4 tank landings and 4 light ones). Additional landing craft can be launched using sloop beams. The landing ship can transport 400 paratroopers in one flight (up to 700 for a short time), the 64-meter-long aft helipad allows for simultaneous takeoff and landing operations of two Merlin transport helicopters.

When the situation goes beyond the colonial showdown with the Papuans and things begin to take a really serious turn, it is the turn of the nuclear submarine fleet. Slippery black fish do not know how to “show the flag” and spoil the look at any parade (ugh! what monsters!). The only thing these machines can do is cut off sea communications, sinking everyone who gets in their way, or “cover” targets deep in enemy territory with a salvo of cruise missiles. And then, grumbling dissatisfied with the refrigeration machines and pumps of the reactor circuits, cross the ocean in a submerged position as a dark shadow to fall asleep again at the pier in Davenport (British submarine fleet base).

In total, the Britons currently have 7 multi-purpose nuclear submarines - five elderly Trafalgars built in the 1980s and two newest Estute-class submarines.

"Trafalgar" is a modest boat with a surface displacement of 4800 tons (submerged - 5300 tons). Submerged speed – 32 knots. Crew – 130 people. Armament – ​​5 torpedo tubes, ammunition – up to 30 Spearfish (“swordfish”) guided torpedoes with a firing range of up to 30 miles (when firing at shorter distances, the torpedo speed can reach 80 knots ≈ 150 km/h).
Since 1998, Trafalgar-class submarines have been able to carry tactical Tomahawk CRBMs instead of some torpedoes.

The story with nuclear-powered ships of the Astute class is much more interesting - HMS Astute and HMS Ambush are already in service, the next four boats are at various stages of construction (for example, HMS Agamemnon was laid down two weeks ago, in July 2013). The seventh Estute, HMS Ajaks, is scheduled to be laid down in the coming years.

HMS Ambush

"Estute"- the world's most modern multi-purpose nuclear submarine project with considerable combat capabilities. “Estute” obtains fresh water and oxygen directly from sea water, and the only reason to appear on the surface every three months is to change the crew and replenish food supplies. Many innovative solutions have been introduced into the design of the boat; it is invisible and inaudible to the enemy; instead of the usual periscope, there is a multifunctional mast with video cameras, thermal imagers and a laser rangefinder. The British are proud to report that Estute, without even leaving the base, is able to follow the movement of the Queen Elizabeth II liner along the entire route from London to New York.

The main arguments of the super-boat are 6 TA of 533 mm caliber and an ammunition load of 38 torpedoes, mines and Tomahawk cruise missiles (the British fleet has currently adopted the Tomahawk Block IV - the most advanced modification of the Ax with the ability to reprogram in flight and attack moving targets).

The British also have more creepy “toys” - four Vanguard-class nuclear-powered ships, carriers of Trident-2 submarine-launched ballistic missiles - 16 pieces in the belly of each “fish”. Everything is simple here - bam! bam! and the end of life on Earth.

As for less destructive means, in addition to all of the above, British sailors have 15 mine-sweeping ships, the training destroyer Bristol and two dozen patrol ships, including the icebreaker HMS Protecor.

HMS Protector off the coast of Antarctica

Her Majesty also has her own little secret - Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA). A supporting fleet of 19 container ships, tankers, integrated supply ships, amphibious assault ships and the RFA Diligence, displacing 10,850 tons.

RFA is just the beginning. In crisis situations, the Ministry of Defense begins to requisition ships from private owners. Any means are used, for example, during the Falklands War, the luxury liner Queen Elizabeth was requisitioned from the Cunard Line company as a hospital.

The RFA is a vital element of the fleet, allowing Her Majesty's ships to quickly move to any area of ​​the planet and transport expeditionary forces with them. Without these ships, the British would not have been able to fight on foreign shores and would have been sad under the cloudy sky of Foggy Albion.

Epilogue

The British Navy is currently stronger than it has been in 50 years. The Royal Navy is a well-balanced and well-trained force to tackle any pressing mission - from international operations within NATO to domestic warfare.

In the future, Her Majesty's fleet expects some changes - by the end of this decade the epic with the construction of two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers should be completed. The fate of these ships has been rewritten more than once - for example, in 2010 it was assumed that three years after construction the lead aircraft carrier would be mothballed and sold to another country (South Korea and Taiwan were named among the possible buyers). Now plans have changed again - both aircraft-carrying ships will probably remain in the ranks of the Royal Navy, but will be rebuilt for ski-jump takeoff; the installation of catapults was considered unnecessarily wasteful. Time will tell what will happen next; the lead aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth is due to enter service in 2016.

Fleet tanker RFA Wave Ruler

Vanguard-class strategic submarine missile carrier

THROUGHOUT the history of Great Britain, the navy has been an important instrument in the conduct of its foreign policy. The country's leadership constantly took all measures to have a strong fleet, which always played a leading role in achieving foreign policy goals in both peace and war. Now the military-political course of Great Britain is aimed at strengthening the unity and increasing the military power of the North Atlantic Alliance as the main factor of European security, at further developing comprehensive cooperation with the United States and the leading states of Western Europe, and ensuring the protection of British interests in various regions.

An important place in achieving these goals is given to the Navy, which is characterized by constant high combat readiness and the ability to quickly deploy its forces in designated areas of the World Ocean. It is believed that freedom of navigation allows the movement and concentration of fleet forces without violating international maritime law, in fact not Giving reasons for the enemy to organize retaliatory actions. This circumstance is of no small importance in the context of a radical change in the situation in Europe, when more flexible forms of using armed forces are required to achieve foreign policy goals in areas of interest to the British leadership.

The British Navy, traditionally considered the main branch of the armed forces, is one of the largest in Europe in terms of numbers and combat power. They are divided into the Navy, Navy Aviation and Marine Corps. Their general management is carried out by the Chief of the Defense Staff, and their immediate leadership is carried out by the Chief of the Naval Staff with the rank of admiral (in English terminology, the first sea lord, who actually performs the functions of the commander). The chief of staff is responsible for the development and implementation of plans for construction, mobilization deployment, combat use, operational and combat training, improving the organizational structure, training and education of personnel. There are 51,000 people in the British naval forces: in the fleet - 44,000 (including in the naval aviation - 6,000) and the marines - 7,000. Organizationally, they consist of commands (navy, naval in the UK, Naval Aviation, Marine Corps, Logistics, Training) and the Gibraltar Naval Area (BMP).

The naval command (headquarters in Northwood) includes a flotilla of submarines (two squadrons), a flotilla of surface ships (two squadrons of guided missile destroyers and four squadrons of guided missile frigates), a naval task force (light aircraft carriers, landing helicopter dock ships) and a flotilla of mine-sweeping forces (three squadrons of minesweepers, one for the protection of fisheries and the protection of oil and gas complexes).

The naval command in Great Britain is headed by the commander (Portsmouth), who manages the activities of training centers, monitors the condition of naval, air bases, bases and coastal fortifications, and organizes and conducts tests of equipment and weapons. The command is responsible for training personnel, maintaining the mobilization and combat readiness of naval reserve components to an appropriate degree, and maintaining a favorable operational regime in territorial waters and the 200-mile economic zone. The implementation of these tasks is entrusted to the commanders of three naval areas - Portsmouth, Plymouth, Scotland and Northern Ireland. In addition, the auxiliary fleet, the fleet auxiliary service and the naval reserve are subordinate to the command.

The Naval Aviation Command (Yeovilton) includes combat aviation (three squadrons of fighter-attack aircraft, seven anti-submarine helicopters, four airborne transport helicopters) and auxiliary aviation (six squadrons).

The Marine Corps Command (Portsmouth) includes Marine Forces, Marine Training, Reserve and Marine Special Forces. The Logistics Command is responsible for the comprehensive supply of ships and coastal units, ensuring routine maintenance and repair of equipment, as well as the mobilization deployment of the Navy, and the Training Command (Portsmouth) deals with the issues of manning ship crews and training them in combat training tasks before entering the ships into the fleet. The Gibraltar BMP is headed by a commander who is responsible for organizing the defense of the naval base in the area and important sections of the coast, maintaining a favorable operational regime in the area of ​​​​responsibility.

In wartime, the British naval forces have the following mission: delivering nuclear missile strikes on enemy territory, participating as part of NATO naval forces in operations (combat actions) to gain supremacy at sea, protecting ocean (sea) communications, providing support to ground forces troops in coastal areas, conducting amphibious landing operations. In peacetime, warships must operate as part of permanent NATO naval formations in the Atlantic and in the Mediterranean, as well as a permanent connection of the bloc's mine-sweeping forces. During the threatened period, most of the British Navy allocated to NATO's naval forces is expected to be used as part of the alliance's strike fleet in the Atlantic, NATO's naval forces in the Eastern Atlantic and in the North-West European theater of operations. strike and combined naval forces of the allied countries in the South European theater of operations.

The main goal of improving the British Navy is to significantly increase the combat capabilities of the fleet through a high-quality update of all components. The main focus was increasing the combat capabilities of sea-based nuclear missile forces. In particular, the promising Trident-2 sea-based missile system with a longer range and increased firing accuracy began to enter their arsenal. In addition, the automatic combat control system for SSBNs in combat patrol areas was modernized. Increasing the stealth and invulnerability of these boats as a result of the adoption of the Trident-2 ballistic missile will make it possible to expand their patrol area. Higher secrecy will also be ensured by increasing their diving depth, equipping them with modern nuclear power plants and using towed antennas.

SSN "Trenchang" type "Trafalgar"

In the course of improving general-purpose forces, much attention is paid to the construction of multi-purpose ships with enhanced combat capabilities, capable of solving a wide range of tasks, improving control methods and means, and introducing new technical achievements and scientific discoveries. The core of the fleet's forces will be submarines and surface ships equipped with modern missile weapons and electronic equipment. To successfully interact with the navies of other NATO countries, British ships and aircraft are equipped with appropriate communication and information exchange systems.

An important area of ​​development for the British naval forces remains the construction of nuclear attack submarines, as well as the improvement of Trafalgar-class submarines. A larger displacement will make it possible to equip them with new nuclear power plants and promising hydroacoustic systems. All these submarines will be armed with American-made Tomahawk sea-launched cruise missiles in conventional configuration, thanks to which they can be used in operations to destroy enemy ground targets.

Much attention is also paid to improving surface ships, in particular, the requirements for them are being adjusted taking into account the redistribution of the importance of tasks solved in modern conditions. This is manifested primarily in a change in the approach to the construction of aircraft-carrying ships. Attaching great importance to their use for anti-submarine warfare, the command of the British Navy nevertheless considers it possible to use them to combat enemy aircraft, especially when ensuring the transfer of reinforcement troops (forces) to the European theaters of war.

The striking power of the fleet's surface forces continues to be three light aircraft carriers of the Invincible class, which have been modernized to increase the effectiveness of air defense systems and increase them by 20 percent. number of aircraft (helicopter) fleet. In particular, the lifting angle of the ski-jump was increased, which made it possible to increase the take-off weight of the Sea Harrier aircraft, and the hangars were converted to support the deployment of promising EH-101 Merlin helicopters on aircraft carriers.

Light aircraft carrier R05 Illustrious, Invincible class

Considering the possibility of local conflicts arising in modern conditions and the need to use amphibious forces in them, the command retained landing ships in the Navy to conduct landing operations. In this regard, their construction and modernization will continue. Thus, in 1998, the fleet was replenished with a new landing helicopter carrier, Ocean, which is capable of carrying a squadron of Sea King helicopters (up to 12 units).

With the commissioning of the frigate (FR) St. Albans into service in the British Navy in the second half of 2002, a multi-year program for the construction of a large series (16 units) of Norfolk-class frigates is coming to an end. Twelve of them were built at the Yarrow Shipbuilding shipyard (Glasgow), another four at the Swan Hunter shipyard (Wallsland-on-Tyne). Since the entire series is named after dukes famous in the history of the country (see table), these ships are often found in foreign publications as Duke-class frigates, as well as Project 21 frigates

Ships based at Portsmouth naval base are part of the 4th. and those based at Devonport naval base - to the 6th frigate squadron.

As the most modern and numerous warships, the Norfolk-class frigates currently form the basis of the British Navy's surface forces, represented by destroyers and frigates. The history of their creation and development is very indicative. Firstly, shipbuilders, thanks to increased labor productivity and a reduction in construction time, managed to significantly reduce construction costs: if the lead ship cost 135.5 million pounds sterling, then the cost of subsequent frigates in this series decreased from 96 million to 60 million pounds sterling (89 million dollars). At the same time, the ships fully comply with the “cost/effectiveness” criterion. Secondly (and this is the most important thing), in 12 years. elapsed between the completion of the construction of the lead and the last frigate, due to significant changes in the military-political situation in the world and in the strategic priorities and views of the British military leadership, the intended

the roll and role of the British Navy in general and frigates in particular. When the frigate "St. Albans" is introduced into the Bosgot forces, it will have to perform completely different tasks that were assigned to the developers of the ship project.

If during the Cold War the British Navy focused primarily on anti-submarine operations in the Atlantic Ocean, now it is intended to project sea power in expeditionary operations of the combined armed forces in any area of ​​the world. Accordingly, frigates, designed as anti-submarine ships for operations against Soviet submarines at the Iceland-Faroe Islands border, in modern conditions are used to perform an expanded range of tasks and, in fact, become multi-purpose. In 2000 - 2001, they sailed and carried out military service in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas, off the west coast of Africa, in the Persian Gulf, in the Far Eastern seas and in the Caribbean Sea. There are known cases when Norfolk-class frigates operated as part of the American and French carrier strike groups or were part of NATO naval formations.

Another feature of this project is that... that at the stages of development, construction and during the operation of ships, various new technical developments were introduced, not only with the aim of increasing the combat capabilities of the frigates themselves, but also to test and confirm the concepts and technologies that are supposed to be used in projects of promising ships, in particular destroyers of the type "D"erint."

Ship name	Board number	Shipyard	Year of construction start	Year of commissioning	postscripts
"Norfolk"					Devonport
"Argyle"
"Lancaster"					Portsmouth
"Marlborough"		"Swan Hunter"
"Iron Duke"
"Monmouth"					Devonport
"Montrose"
"Westminster"		"Swan Hunter"			Portsmouth
"Northumberland"					Devonport
"Richmond"					Portsmouth
"Somerset"					Devonport
"Grafton"					Portsmouth
"Sutherland"					Devonport
					Portsmouth
"Portland"					Devonport
"St Albans"

The crew size is 180 people. Frigates of earlier construction (Linder type or Project 22) with a displacement of 2,900 tons were manned by a crew of 260 people. The trend of reducing the crews of surface ships will continue in the future.

The presence of electric motors in the main power plant (GPU) of the ship, ensuring low-noise operation. and their successful application is considered by British shipbuilders as a factor confirming the promise of the electric propulsion concept.

The experience of equipping these ships with an automated control system (ASCS) and systematically increasing its capabilities is also planned to be taken into account when building ships of other classes.

The ship's design began to undergo changes already at the stage of its development. The tactical and technical specifications provided for the creation of an inexpensive ship with light weapons, capable of conducting surveillance at the anti-submarine line for 30-40 days, using a sonar with an extended towed antenna. However, taking into account the fact that this line was within the reach of Soviet Navy aviation, it was considered necessary to equip the frigates with an anti-aircraft missile system. A study of the combat experience of British ships in the Falklands conflict led to the decision to include a medium-caliber gun mount, anti-ship missiles and a ship-based helicopter in the frigates' armament. As a result, along with anti-submarine capabilities, frigates are capable of fighting surface ships, providing fire support to forces operating on shore, and carrying out self-defense and defense of nearby ships and vessels from enemy air attacks. The fairly high seaworthiness of these frigates made it possible to significantly (from one to five and a half months, as, for example, when patrolling in the South Atlantic) increase the duration of the voyage, subject to periodic replenishment of supplies from supply transports or when visiting foreign ports.

The reduction in the “threat” from submarines in the 90s led to the decision not to install a 2031Z hydroacoustic station with a towed antenna on the last seven frigates, although it was the presence of the sonar that predetermined at one time the high requirements for reducing the noise level of the ship. To meet these requirements, the power plant is configured according to the CODLAG scheme, which provides for the combined use of gas turbines, diesel generators and electric motors.

Low noise and economical speed (up to 16 knots) is ensured when the propeller shafts are driven by electric motors, and the highest (28 knots) is achieved when using two gas turbines. Additionally (in the interests of reducing the acoustic signature), the main equipment of the installation is placed on shock-absorbing platforms and surrounded by soundproof enclosures. Diesel generators are located 5 m above the waterline. Shortened shaft lines, beveled propeller blades, optimized hull contours, the use of a bubble curtain system, and the presence of a mechanism vibration control system - all this helps to achieve a low noise level in patrol mode.

The project provides for measures to reduce the radar and infrared visibility of the frigate. According to Western experts, the effective scattering surface (ESR) of ships of this series is about 20 percent. The EPR of the Project 42 destroyer, which is similar in size, is due to the inclination of the vertical surfaces by 7°, careful selection of the shape of the superstructures, and the widespread use of radio-absorbing materials. To reduce the IR signature, a cooling system for combustion products is installed in the chimneys before releasing them into the atmosphere.

Due to the insufficient capabilities of the CACS-4 automated combat control system (ACCS) that existed at the time construction of the frigates began, the Navy leadership made a questionable at first glance, but later recognized as a far-sighted decision to wait for the creation of a new SSCS ASCS, which included 12 automated workstations. Therefore, the first seven ships were transferred to the fleet without ASBU. Equipping frigates under construction and completed with this system began in 1994. Over the course of several years, the software was gradually improved. Ultimately, the work made it possible to combine all the means of illuminating the situation with the ship's weapons systems, as well as with the means of internal and external communications.

On the first nine ships, the 2031Z low-frequency sonar with a towed extended antenna is used as the main means of illuminating the underwater environment. The Kinetik company has developed an additional signal processing unit for this station, allowing the operator to optimize the choice of frequency intervals and octave format. The bow-mounted mid-frequency sonar 2050 operates in both active and passive modes and, in addition to detecting and tracking submarines, is capable of detecting enemy attack torpedoes.

The torpedo armament of the frigates is represented by two 324-mm twin-tube torpedo tubes located on the side in the bow of the helicopter hangar.

The main source of data on the air situation is considered to be the 996 radar station with an operating range of 2-4 GHz. This RIS uses a multi-beam phased array antenna, rotating on the top of the foremast at a speed of 30 rpm and coupled with a “friend or foe” recognition station. Three survey methods are provided: normal circular with registration of objects detected at ranges over 115 km; optimized for detecting low-flying objects in conditions of natural or artificial interference; long-range vision, in which the emitted energy is concentrated in the lower beam to increase the range. In addition, the ships have the following radars: navigation 1007 (9 GHz), detection of air and surface targets 1008 (2-4 GHz), two 911 missile defense control stations with antenna posts on the bow and stern superstructures, as well as the UAF electronic warfare system or UAT (operating range 0.5-18 GHz).

To combat airborne enemies, the frigates are equipped with the GWS26 anti-aircraft missile system, which includes a 32-charge Sea Wolf vertical launch missile system with a warhead weighing 14 kg and a firing range of 6 km. According to British experts, the current modernization of the complex will allow it to remain in service until 2020.

The GWS60 anti-ship missile system includes a fire control system and two four-charge Harpoon missile launchers with a warhead weighing 227 kg and a firing range of about 130 km.

The Mk8 medium-caliber gun mount (114mm) is designed to destroy sea and ground targets at a range of up to 22 - 23 km and air targets - up to 6 km. Its rate of fire is 25 rounds/min, the projectile weight is 21 kg. In 2001, the frigate Norfolk became the first ship on which the artillery system was modernized: hydraulic drives were replaced with electric ones, the total weight was reduced by 4 tons, the volume of the below-deck space was reduced, and the reflectivity of the turret was reduced (Fig. 3).

The development of a projectile with a firing range increased to 29 km is nearing completion. The GSA 8B fire control system (FCS) consists of a computer, an operator console and an optoelectronic rangefinder station located on the foremast. This fully stabilized post weighing 227 kg, having a spherical design and including a TV camera, laser rangefinder and thermal imager (8 -12 microns), provides guidance accuracy of no worse than 3 m at a distance of 10 km in sea conditions of 5 points. In addition, the operation of the control system is ensured by two sights installed on the sponsons of the aft superstructure. (Data from the sighting devices can be used for target designation of the Sea Wolf missile defense system.) Artillery weapons! It also includes two single-barrel 30 mm DS ZOV artillery mounts. Their rate of fire is 650 rounds/min, the firing range against air targets is 3 km, and against surface targets - 10 km. ready-to-fire ammunition 160 rounds.

The ship has four six-barreled 130-mm launchers designed to fire chaff and infrared decoys, as well as devices for deploying inflatable chaff.

The ship's combat capabilities are significantly supplemented by the permanent deployment of the Lynx helicopter on it (Fig. 4), which can be used to destroy submarines with Sting-ray torpedoes or Mkl depth charges. When operating against light ships and boats, the helicopter carries Sea Sky missiles.

In mid-2002, a new helicopter, the Merlin, entered service with the frigate Marlborough. Its avionics include: long-range Blue Kestrel radar, drop-down sonar, and radio-acoustic buoys. acoustic information processing system, Link-11 data transmission equipment. The maximum take-off weight of the vehicle is 14,600 kg (for Lynx it is less than 5,000 kg). The Merlin is capable of taking off from the deck of a frigate in sea conditions of force six. This helicopter will significantly expand both the anti-submarine and anti-ship capabilities of the frigate. In addition, it can be used to transport 20 people with personal weapons.

With the completion of the entire series, work on re-equipping the frigates and adapting them to new operational needs will not end. To this end, a number of activities are planned to be carried out over the next few years. In particular, at least five more ships will receive Merlin helicopters. Since 2006, instead of the 2031Z hydroacoustic station, ships during scheduled maintenance will be equipped with the new active-passive sonar 2087. This station, developed to increase the ability to detect low-noise submarines not only in ocean but also in coastal waters, combines low-frequency (500 Hz) variable depth sonar and passive towed extended antenna (operating frequency 100 Hz). The sonar and extended antenna can be towed at different depths that are optimal for transmitting and receiving signals. The contract for the development and production of the first six kits was awarded to Thales.

Another program provides for equipping frigates with the SSTD anti-torpedo protection system being developed. In the second half of the current decade, it is planned to install on frigates the equipment of the American automated system for controlling forces and air defense systems of the Cooperative Engagement Capability unit.

Norfolk-class frigates were designed with an 18-year service life in mind. In this regard, research is already being carried out regarding the feasibility of planning their overhaul to extend their service life or developing a project for a promising frigate.

CVF project aircraft carriers

The British Navy is negotiating with major shipbuilders to produce two new generation aircraft carriers for its fleet. One of them displaces 35,000 tons, the other 40,000 tons. Each ship should presumably be capable of carrying 40 aircraft. The aircraft carriers should enter service between 2012 and 2015. It was decided to use nuclear reactors to obtain energy. Based on the size of the ships and the power of the propulsion system, the estimated autonomous cruising range will be about 8,000 miles. The air group consists of 40 aircraft, including 30 multirole fighters, 6 helicopters and 4 reconnaissance aircraft.

Displacement: 30000-40000 t

Length - n.d.; Width - n.d.; Draft - n.d.

Powerplant type: nuclear reactor

Number of shafts: 4

Power: 280,000 hp

Speed: over 30 knots

Speed: n.a.

Cruising range: 8000 miles

Armament

40 aircraft units (50 can be accommodated)

Team: 700 people

Type 45 destroyers

The Royal Navy has ordered 12 Type 45 destroyers to replace the Type 42 destroyers that had been in service since 1978. These twelve new destroyers are due to enter service by 2014. The Royal Navy's main contractor is BAE SYSTEMS.

The main mission of Type 45 destroyers is air defense. To achieve this, the ships are equipped with long-range radars, high-precision homing missiles and a system for simultaneous control and tracking of missiles.

The destroyer's weapons system includes Aster 15 and Aster 30 cruise missiles. Missiles of this series are equipped with an on-board computer and an active homing device. The missile carries a 15 kg warhead, the damage radius is more than 80 km. The main 127mm cannon is located in the bow of the ship, four 30mm cannons are located on the sides. A landing deck for one EH 101 Merlin helicopter is mounted at the stern.

Performance characteristics

Displacement: 6500 t;

Length - 152, m; Width - 18 m;

Type of power plant - gas turbine

Power: 50 MW

Speed: 30 knots.

Cruising range: over 5000 miles

Armament

• missile launchers
• 1 127mm gun
• 4 30mm machine guns
• 1 helicopter
• radar

Vanguard class nuclear submarines

Vanguard-class submarines are the largest submarines in service with the British Navy. The first boat of the class, Vanguard, retired in 1993, Victorious in 1995, Viligiant in 1996, and Vengeance in 1999.

The Vanguard can carry 16 Trident, Tridet II or D5 missiles, all of which are strategic ballistic missiles. Each missile carries up to 12 independent warheads (MVIR), each of 100 - 120 kilotons. The missiles' flight range is more than 11,000 km at supersonic speed. Weight - 65 tons.

Four 533 mm torpedo tubes are located in the bow of the submarine. The arsenal includes wire-guided torpedoes with a 134 kg warhead and active and passive homing. The destruction range is 13 km with active homing and 29 km with passive homing.

Performance characteristics

Displacement - 16000 t

Length:149.9 m

Width:12.8 m Height:n.d.

Powerplant Type: nuclear reactor

Number of shafts: n.d.

Power: n.a.

Speed: 25 knots.

Cruising range: n.d.

Armament

• rockets
• torpedoes
• sonar

Team: 135 people

Baltic State Academy

fishing fleet

Naval Department

Navigation Faculty

Essay

« Characteristics of the British Navy"

Completed:

Checked:

Kaliningrad 2004

The French Navy has the second largest and most combat-ready aircraft carrier in Europe, the Charles de Gaulle. The ship's total displacement is 42 thousand tons, up to 40 aircraft can be mounted on board, and the ship is equipped with a nuclear power plant. Triumphant-class nuclear submarines have great strike capabilities; the fleet has four such submarines in total.
Triumphants carry M4S ballistic missiles with a firing range of 6,000 km. In the near future, they will be replaced by M51 missiles with a firing range of more than 10,000 km. In addition, there are six Ryubi-class multipurpose nuclear submarines. In total, according to open sources, the French fleet has 98 warships and auxiliary vessels.

5. UK

Great Britain once bore the proud title of “Mistress of the Seas”; the fleet of this country was the largest and most powerful in the world. Now Her Majesty's Navy is just a pale shadow of its former power.

HMS Queen Elizabeth. Photo: i.imgur.com

Today the Royal Navy does not have a single aircraft carrier. Two, the Queen Elizabeth class, are under construction and should enter the fleet in 2016 and 2018. The most interesting thing is that the British did not have enough funds for such important ships as aircraft carriers, so the designers had to abandon side armor and armored bulkheads. Today, according to open source data, the British Navy has 77 ships.
The most formidable units of the fleet are considered to be four Vanguard-class SSBNs armed with Trident-2 D5 ballistic missiles, each of which could be equipped with fourteen warheads of 100 kT each. Wanting to save money, the British military bought only 58 of these missiles, which was enough for only three boats - 16 each. Theoretically, each Vanguard can carry up to 64 missiles, but this is uneconomical.
In addition to them, Daring-class destroyers, Trafalgar-class submarines and the newest Estute-class represent an impressive force.

4. China

The Chinese fleet is one of the largest, with 495 ships of various classes. The largest ship is the aircraft carrier "Liaoning" with a displacement of 59,500 tons (the former Soviet aircraft-carrying cruiser "Varyag", which was sold to China by Ukraine at the price of scrap metal).
The fleet also includes strategic missile carriers - Project 094 Jin nuclear submarines. The submarines are capable of carrying 12 Julan-2 (JL-2) ballistic missiles with a range of 8-12 thousand km.
There are also many “fresh” ships, for example, destroyers of type 051C, type “Lanzhou”, type “Modern” and frigates of “Jiankai” type.

3. Japan

In the Japanese Navy, all capital ships are classified as destroyers, so true destroyers include aircraft carriers (two Hyuga-class ships and two Shirane-class ships), cruisers and frigates. For example, two Atago-class destroyers boast a cruising displacement of 10 thousand tons.
But these are not the largest ships - this year the fleet will include a 27,000-ton Izumo-class helicopter carrier, and another will be produced in 2017. In addition to helicopters, F-35B fighters can be based at Izumo.
The Japanese submarine fleet, despite the absence of nuclear submarines, is considered the strongest in the world. It has five Soryu-class submarines, eleven Oyashio-class submarines and one Harushio-class submarine.
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force currently has approximately 124 ships. Experts note that the Japanese fleet has a balanced composition of ships and is a combat system thought out to the smallest detail.

2. Russia

The Russian fleet has 280 ships. The most formidable are the Project 1144 Orlan heavy cruisers with a displacement of 25,860 tons; there are only three of them, but the firepower of these ships is simply amazing. It is not for nothing that NATO classifies these cruisers as battle cruisers.

Three other cruisers, Project 1164 Atlant, with a displacement of 11,380 tons, are not inferior to them in armament. But the largest is the aircraft-carrying cruiser "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov" with a displacement of 61,390 tons. This ship is not only well protected by air defense systems, but also armored. Rolled steel is used as armor, and the anti-torpedo three-layer protection with a width of 4.5 m can withstand a hit of 400 kg of TNT charge.

However, the fleet itself is being actively modernized: it is planned that by 2020 the Russian Navy will receive about 54 modern surface combat ships, 16 multipurpose submarines and 8 strategic missile submarines of the Borei class.

1. USA

The US Navy has the largest fleet in the world, with 275 ships, including 10 Nimitz-class aircraft carriers; no other country has such an impressive force. It is on the navy that the military power of the United States is mainly based.
Soon, the Nimitz should be complemented by even more advanced ships - aircraft carriers of the Gerald R. Ford type with a displacement of more than 100,000 tons.

The US submarine fleet is no less impressive: 14 Ohio-class nuclear submarines, each carrying 24 Trident 2 ballistic missiles. Three advanced submarines of the Sea Wolf type, the price of which was exorbitant for the United States, so it was decided to abandon the construction of a large series. Instead, cheaper Virginia-class submarines are being built, while there are only 10 of them in the fleet so far.

In addition, 41 Los Angeles-class submarines remain in the Navy. The US Navy has gigantic military power, which today hardly anyone can challenge.

A characteristic feature of the modern development of the British Navy, according to foreign experts, is the construction of mainly offensive weapons, in particular ships carrying missile weapons. Particular importance is attached to the construction of nuclear missile and torpedo submarines. Despite the financial difficulties in the country, the British program for creating a nuclear submarine fleet, adopted several years ago, is being implemented. The command of the British Navy, as evidenced by foreign press reports, also pays a lot of attention to updating the surface ship composition.

The construction of the British Navy as a whole is proceeding along the line of creating forces that are small in number, but balanced and equipped with modern weapons systems and military equipment.

The foreign press noted that in a general nuclear war, the British Navy would solve the tasks assigned to it by the command in cooperation with the fleets of other countries participating in this aggressive bloc, and primarily with the naval forces of the United States. At the same time, it is stipulated that in limited wars, in the fight against the national liberation movement, the British Navy must be ready to conduct combat operations independently and in cooperation with other types of national armed forces.

Navy organization

The Royal Navy consists of the Royal Navy, Air Force and Royal Marines.

The navy is organizationally divided into the fleet, submarine forces and the naval command in the metropolis. The fleet consists of a combination of aircraft carrier and amphibious forces, including an attack aircraft carrier, amphibious helicopter carriers and amphibious helicopter carriers, dock ships, and two flotillas. The 1st Flotilla includes two guided missile destroyers and four squadrons of patrol ships based at Portsmouth and Chatham; to the 2nd flotilla - two or three guided missile destroyers and three squadrons of patrol ships based at Plymouth and Rosyth.

The submarine force includes the 10th Nuclear Missile Submarine Squadron and the 3rd Nuclear Torpedo Submarine Squadron based at Faslane, as well as the 1st Diesel Submarine Squadron based at Gosport and the 2nd Division based at Plymouth.

The naval command in the metropolis unites all coastal institutions and training centers of the Navy and the forces of four naval regions (Portsmouth, Plymouth, Chatham, Scotland), which includes minesweeper divisions, a fisheries protection squadron, small landing ships and auxiliary vessels.

Naval aviation includes squadrons of carrier-based Buccaneer attack aircraft, fighters, Gannet AWACS aircraft, as well as squadrons of anti-submarine helicopters, Wasps and Wessex Mk5 transport helicopters.

Basic aviation (squadrons of aircraft and Shackleton), which solves problems in the interests of the naval forces, is part of the Air Force Strike Command.

The Marine Corps includes the 3rd Brigade and the 45th Separate Battalion Group. The 3rd Marine Brigade, stationed at Plymouth, includes the 40th, 41st and 42nd battalions and the 29th Light Artillery Regiment (four batteries of 105 mm guns).

The 45th Independent Battalion Group is stationed in Arbroath (Scotland). It is intended to strengthen the grouping of NATO joint armed forces in Northern Norway.

Group of regular naval forces

After the withdrawal of a significant part of the forces from the area east of Suez and the liquidation of the Far Eastern Fleet and the Command in the Persian Gulf region at the end of 1971, the main group of regular fleet forces (85% of the ships) was concentrated in the waters of the metropolis. From this group, the permanent formation of the NATO Navy in the Atlantic includes a guided missile destroyer and a patrol ship, as well as a squadron of patrol ships and base minesweepers to protect fishing zones in the North Atlantic.

In the area east of Suez, six patrol ships and destroyers are constantly located, two of which are assigned to the combined ANZUK naval forces (based in Singapore), and four periodically visit the Persian Gulf area for the purpose of demonstrating force, and also conduct reconnaissance in the Indian ocean.

If the situation in certain countries of the Indian Ocean basin and in Southeast Asia worsens, the fleet grouping in the area east of Suez is expected to be strengthened by sending ships located in European waters there.

A guided missile destroyer and two patrol ships (one of them in the Gibraltar area), assigned to the joint NATO armed forces in Europe, are constantly stationed in the Mediterranean Sea. From time to time, ships from the formation of carrier strike and amphibious forces are sent here to participate in national and joint exercises with NATO allies. In certain periods, the group increases to 12-14 ships of various classes.

In the Western Atlantic (in the Caribbean Sea), two patrol ships are constantly in service, one of which has a detachment of marines on board.

There is an almost constant presence of a hydrographic icebreaker vessel in the South Atlantic.

A Marine detachment and hovercraft are stationed in the Falkland Islands.

Status and prospects for the construction of the Navy

Submarines. Nuclear-powered missile submarines form the UK's strategic nuclear force. Currently, the country's Navy has four such ships of the type, armed with American A3 missiles with British nuclear warheads. These submarines take turns conducting combat patrols in the North Atlantic.

The conservative government that came to power in 1970, despite the crisis state of the country's economy, is studying the possibility of building a fifth nuclear-powered missile submarine. It is believed that the presence of five missile boats in the fleet will allow two or three of them to be constantly on combat patrol. In addition, the Ministry of Defense is raising the question of re-equipping these ships with missiles, which will make it possible to significantly increase the number of strategic nuclear warheads on them.

Nuclear torpedo submarines

The first nuclear torpedo submarine, Dreadnought, was laid down in June 1959. In 1964, after its comprehensive testing, construction began on a series of five nuclear submarines of the type, and from November 1967 - of the type. Currently, seven nuclear torpedo submarines are in the regular fleet and three are under construction.

Diesel submarines

The British Navy has 26 submarines of this class. Their number is decreasing annually due to the scrapping of obsolete A-type submarines built in the early post-war years. In the coming years, only 13 types of diesel submarines built in 1961-1967 and 8 Poppoys types built in 1958-1961 will remain in the British Navy.

The foreign press reported that since 1967, Great Britain stopped building diesel submarines for its Navy.

Attack aircraft carriers

The number of ships of this subclass in the British Navy gradually decreased in the post-war period, and by the end of the 60s there were only three left. Currently, the fleet has only one attack aircraft carrier, the Ark Royal. The Hermes attack aircraft carrier, which underwent significant modernization in 1964-1966, was sent for conversion into an amphibious helicopter carrier in March 1971, and the attack aircraft carrier, which underwent modernization in 1959-1964, was scrapped at the beginning of 1972. The reason for this, as noted in the foreign press, was mainly the lack of funds necessary for the new re-equipment of these ships so that Phantom aircraft could be based on them.

The attack aircraft carrier Ark Royal, the overhaul and modernization of which was completed in February 1970, was decided to remain in the fleet until the end of the 70s. It is home to up to 30 aircraft (a squadron of Buccaneer carrier-based attack aircraft, a squadron of Phantom fighters, a squadron of Gannet AWACS aircraft) and a squadron of Sea King anti-submarine helicopters.

Cruisers

The Navy has three Tiger-class cruisers, which were laid down during the Second World War and completed according to modified designs only in 1959-1961. In 1964, the Navy command decided to convert all these ships into helicopter carrier cruisers. The cruiser Blake has already been refitted and work is being completed on the cruiser Tiger, which is due to join the regular fleet forces at the end of 1972. During the re-equipment, the ships' aft artillery turrets were removed and in their place landing pads and hangars for Sea King anti-submarine helicopters were built. Thus, helicopter carrier cruisers became multi-purpose ships, equipped primarily with anti-submarine weapons. Preservation of the main caliber bow artillery turret (two 152-mm guns) allows the helicopter carrier cruisers to be used to provide fire support to amphibious assault forces, and equipped during re-equipment with modern control and communications equipment - as headquarters ships. If necessary, helicopter carrier cruisers can take on board marines and transport and landing helicopters for landing.

However, as reported in the English press, tests of the cruiser-helicopter carrier "Blake" showed that ships of this subclass do not have sufficient combat capabilities to solve the tasks assigned to them, do not have proper anti-aircraft weapons and, therefore, themselves need air cover. In this regard, it is considered inappropriate to refit the third cruiser "Lion"; a decision was made to exclude him from the fleet.

Currently, a cruiser project with a continuous (flight) deck is being developed in the UK (Fig. 1). It is assumed that it will have a displacement of approximately 20 thousand tons and that up to 12 helicopters or a mixed air group consisting of helicopters and vertical take-off and landing aircraft will be able to be based on it. In addition, it is planned to arm such ships with ship-to-ship missile systems and anti-aircraft missile systems.

Rice. 1. Schematic representation of a cruiser with a continuous (flight) deck.

The British Navy command believes that Harrier-type vertical take-off and landing aircraft based on cruisers with a solid deck will mainly be used for air defense of formations of ships located in areas remote from Air Force fighter aviation bases. In addition, such aircraft are planned to be used for striking enemy surface ships and submarines at sea, as well as for conducting reconnaissance.

URO destroyers

The Navy has eight ships of this subclass of the County type, built in 1962-1970. They are equipped with what were considered the best English naval weapon systems in the 60s, including Sea Slug anti-aircraft missile systems and Wessex anti-submarine helicopters.

In terms of their combat capabilities, these ships are multi-purpose. It is believed that they are capable of providing air defense and anti-aircraft defense to formations of ships at sea and solving private problems in remote areas of the World Ocean in the event of limited wars. The construction of ships of this type has been discontinued.

According to foreign press reports, the construction of the Project 82 URO destroyer is currently being completed (Fig. 2). It was originally designed as a patrol ship. However, as the ship became saturated with various anti-submarine weapon systems (bomb throwers, the Wasp anti-submarine helicopter, the Ikara PLURO system) and anti-aircraft (system), its displacement increased to 5,650 tons, and the cost of construction exceeded the cost of building the County-class guided missile destroyer. In this regard, the command of the British Navy decided to limit itself to the construction of only one such ship and begin serial construction of Project 42 Sheffield-class multi-purpose guided missile destroyers (Fig. 3) with a displacement of 3,500 tons. These ships will be equipped with the WG.13 Lynx anti-submarine helicopter. and the Sea Dart anti-aircraft missile system, but they will not have anti-submarine bomb launchers and the Icarus PLURO system. There are currently six ships of this type in various stages of construction, the lead of which is due to enter service in 1973.

Rice. 2. Model of the destroyer URO "Bristol".

Destroyers

The English fleet still has two destroyers (Cavalier and Caprice), built during the Second World War. Both of them are outdated and should be removed from the fleet in the near future. According to the British press, there are no plans for further construction of destroyers for the British Navy.

Rice. 3. Model of the Sheffield-class guided missile destroyer.

Patrol ships

The British Navy has 65 patrol ships, of which 53 are in the regular fleet, and 12 are in reserve, undergoing long-term repairs and modernization.

The main core of patrol ships consists of general purpose ships of the type (26 units) built in 1963-1972. Currently, the construction of ships of this type has been completed and those of them that were put into operation first have already undergone modernization, mainly in order to equip them with the Ikara PLURO system.

General purpose patrol ships also include seven ships of the Tribal class built in 1961-1964. They were intended to solve various problems mainly in areas such as the Persian Gulf and Southeast Asia. In this regard, as noted in the English press, some of the weapons of these ships are not sufficiently advanced; only two of them (Gurka and Zulu) are equipped with Sea Cat short-range anti-aircraft missile systems.

Four patrol ships of the type were built in 1957-1959 to provide air defense for convoys.

Salisbury-class patrol ships (four units), built in 1957-1960, were designed as guidance ships for carrier-based aircraft. At present, as noted in the English press, due to the reduction of carrier strike forces to one strike aircraft carrier and the weak anti-submarine and anti-aircraft weapons of these ships, they are losing their importance.

The anti-submarine patrol ships of the British Navy include 9 Rothesay-class, 6 Whitby-class and 12 Blackwood-class ships of projects 14 and 15. All of them were built in 1955-1961.

The most modern of the anti-submarine patrol ships are considered to be the Rothesay-class ships. Seven of them underwent modernization, during which they were equipped with the Sea Cat anti-aircraft missile system, Wasp anti-submarine helicopters armed with homing torpedoes, and lowered sonar stations. It is believed that after modernization, the combat capabilities of the Rothesay-class ships increased and approached the combat capabilities of the Linder-class general purpose patrol ships.

The Whitby-class ships were built in the 50s, they were intended mainly for searching and destroying enemy submarines in Arctic waters and guiding base aircraft. These ships are now considered obsolete and are used primarily by the Dartmouth Training and Fisheries Squadrons.

Project 14 ships of the Blackwood type (8 units) are obsolete, their ability to search and destroy modern enemy submarines is insignificant, so they are used mainly as part of a fisheries protection squadron in the Iceland area. The British press reported that in the coming years these ships will be gradually excluded from the regular fleet.

Project 15 ships of the Blackwood type (4 units) are former military-built destroyers, then converted in 1952-1954 into high-speed anti-submarine patrol ships. The ships of this project were not modernized, they were not re-equipped with modern anti-submarine weapons systems and means of searching and detecting boats, so they are expected to be scrapped in the coming years.

Foreign press reports indicate that the British Navy command is paying increased attention to the further development of patrol ships. Currently, eight multi-purpose patrol ships of Project 21 of the Amazon type (Fig. 4) with a total displacement of 2500 tons are in various stages of construction. Each of them is supposed to be armed with the Sea Cat missile defense system (and ships of later construction - with the Sea Cat missile defense system Sea Wolf"), a 114-mm Mk8 universal artillery mount, two 20-mm machine guns, two three-tube torpedo tubes and a WG.13 Lynx anti-submarine helicopter. The gas turbine power plant provides the ships with a high degree of readiness for going to sea and a speed of over 30 knots. The lead ship of this project (Amazon) is under construction and should be introduced into the regular fleet at the end of 1972.

Rice. 4. Schematic representation of an Amazon-class patrol ship.

A Project 22 multi-purpose patrol ship is being developed to solve problems that patrol ships might face in the 80s. However, the desire of the Navy command to build a ship that could be equipped with advanced anti-aircraft and anti-submarine weapons systems, without at the same time exceeding 2500 tons in displacement, did not yet allow the task to be clearly defined, which caused a delay in the development of its project. The British press reported that this ship should be armed with the Sea Wolf anti-aircraft missile system, the WG.13 Lynx anti-submarine helicopter, Exocet ship-to-ship missiles and, possibly, the Icarus PLURO system.

Landing helicopter carriers. The British Navy has two amphibious helicopter carriers (Bulwark and Albion), converted in 1960-1962 from Centaur-class attack aircraft carriers. The latter were laid down at the end of the Second World War and put into operation in 1954.

Each of the helicopter carriers is capable of taking on board for a long time up to a battalion of marines or ground forces. For landing personnel and transferring weapons, military equipment and logistics items to the shore, the landing helicopter carriers have 20 Wessex Mk5 transport and landing helicopters and four LCVP-type infantry landing boats.

Currently, the Hermes attack aircraft carrier is being converted into an amphibious helicopter carrier, which will replace the outdated Albion ship of this class.

Landing helicopter dock ships

The British Navy has two such ships, the Fierlis and the Intrepid (Fig. 5). They were built in 1965-1967 and are universal ships of amphibious forces. Their docks contain four tank landing boats, allowing them to land heavy weapons and military equipment on an unequipped coast. Infantry landing boats and Wessex helicopters can be used to disembark personnel. Specially equipped command posts and communications facilities made it possible to use landing helicopter dock ships as headquarters ships of amphibious forces. In addition to the latest conventional means of communication, the Intrepid ship has equipment that allows the use of the English satellite communications system, which provides direct communication between the ship from any area of ​​the World Ocean and the metropolis. It is believed that these ships fully meet the needs of the British Marines. In this regard, further construction of landing helicopter dock ships is not currently planned.

Rice. 5. Landing helicopter dock ship "Intrepid".

Basic minesweepers

In the English fleet there are 60 basic minesweepers of the type built in 1953-1960, of which about 40 are part of the mine sweeping forces, 11 are assigned to training centers for training reservists, and the rest are re-equipped for patrol service in the fisheries protection squadron in the area of ​​Scotland and Iceland, as well as for patrolling in the Hong Kong area. After 1960, Great Britain did not build minesweepers, and only in February 1970 did the Navy command issue a construction order to Vosper Thornycroft. By January 18, 1972, the minesweeper was launched. Its dimensions and displacement remained the same as those of the basic "Ton" type minesweepers.

Tactical and technical data of British Navy ships are given in the table.

Personnel

The British Navy, like other branches of the country's armed forces, is staffed by volunteers. At the same time, despite the unpopularity of military service among English youth, the presence of more than a million officially registered unemployed in the country and uncertainty about the future force even well-trained specialists to serve in the Navy. The minimum contract period is three years. However, due to the system of material incentives, recruitment for longer periods and subsequent re-recruitment, many serve in the navy much longer. As of early 1972, 53% of applicants were renewing their contracts for minimum service, 65% after 9 years of service, 55% after 12 years of service, and 43% after 22 years of service in the Navy.

The distribution of Navy personnel by branch of force on the same date was characterized by the following data: there were 22,000 people on surface ships of the regular fleet, 3,000 on auxiliary ships, 3,000 on nuclear missile submarines and their service forces, 2,000 on nuclear torpedo and diesel submarines , in the Navy aviation 2000, in the Marine Corps 8000, in headquarters, bases, training centers, etc. 38,000 people.

The ruling circles of Great Britain have long used and continue to use naval forces as the most important instrument of imperialist policy, as the advanced echelon of aggression and interference in the affairs of other countries and peoples.

Foreign press reports, official statements by command representatives and practical activities in the construction of the British Navy indicate that their role as the most important policy instrument in the aggressive plans of British imperialism is increasingly increasing.

British Naval Forces (England)

Great Britain, a country that has written its name in history thanks to its Royal Navy. In order to explain their structure, history and general characteristics, it is better to divide this article into paragraphs.

The official date of the formation of the Royal Navy is considered to be 1717, the year of the formation of the parliamentary kingdom (after the British Civil War of 1642-1651), the rule that Great Britain enjoys to this day. However, the first naval forces were created at the end of the ninth century, between 871-899. King Alfred of Wessex was the first to use a fleet to defend the kingdom. Until the thirteenth century, warships were used to protect coastal areas. The first naval battle of the British fleet took place in the naval battle of Sluise in 1340. In the sixteenth century, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the navy became the main branch of Britain's military.

Despite the fact that Great Britain is a maritime country, the English fleet could not achieve the status of the strongest in the world for a long time. Strong flotillas of Portugal and the Ottoman Empire slowed down the development of the Royal Navy. This continued until the eighteenth century. The Civil War created a new system in the country, after which Great Britain began to develop at a rapid pace in all directions. The name "Royal Navy" was first used just after the Civil War, during the reign of King Charles III.

Subsequently, while searching for new trade routes, humanity learned about the existence of America. An active struggle for colonies began among all the powers of that time. Thanks to the timely development of the navy, Great Britain was able to conduct a successful colonial campaign. As a result, Britain's opponents, represented by Spain and France, created a coalition against it. The decisive battle took place on October 21, 1805 at the naval battle "Trafalgar", where the English Fleet led by Admiral Nelsan inflicted a shameful defeat on the coalition forces. The Royal Navy had 21 warships, while the coalition had 39 ships. The peculiarity of this battle is that after it, Great Britain became the strongest naval power in the world and destroyed Napoleon's idea of ​​​​capturing Great Britain. Moreover, the naval battle of Trafalgar is considered one of the three great naval battles in history. After that, nothing could stop Great Britain in its colonial campaign and gaining the status of “The Empire on which the sun never sets.” This state of affairs lasted until the First World War.

History of the English Navy

England's first warships were. Over time, they were replaced by sailing ships, which Great Britain used for a long time. With the advent of steam engine technology, the Admiralty turned their attention to this and began building steam-powered warships in the early nineteenth century. The first steam-powered warship was the Comet. Over time, para-ship frigates switched from a wheeled propulsion system to a screw-driven system. To do this, they conducted a power test, where propeller ships showed their superiority. The first large propeller-driven combat vessel is the frigate Agamemnus, which carried 91 ships. The first battleship "Varior" appeared in 1860. In the 1870s, with the advent of torpedoes and sea mines, the first torpedo boats and destroyers appeared. Thanks to its developed shipbuilding industry, unlike other countries, Great Britain did not have any special problems with the construction of ships and their maintenance. However, following the economic growth of other countries, the Admiralty introduced the Dual Power Standard, as a result of which the Royal Navy was supposed to be stronger than any two navies in the world combined. This led to a slowdown in the development of the power of the British Navy. The 1890s ushered in the era of the battleship, in which Great Britain had a significant advantage over other powers thanks to its battleships with 12-inch naval guns. However, the advent of submarines at the beginning of the twentieth century dispelled any thoughts about the superiority of battleships. The first submarine, Holland I, was built and launched in 1901. The length of this type of submarine "7" was 19.3 meters.

Royal Navy during the First World War

During the First World War, the Royal Navy was still the most powerful in the world. Thanks to successful military operations, he repeatedly won victories in such battles as in the Heligoland Bight, at Coronel, Falklensky, at the Dogger Bank and, of course, in Jutland. In the last of these battles, Great Britain ended all German hopes of success at sea. In 1914, the Royal Navy destroyed the German East Asia Flotilla. Moreover, the navy was the main protector of the merchant ships of its allies.

Another important aspect of the First World War is the use of aircraft and construction. The first seaplane carrier Argus was built in 1918.

Royal Navy during the Second World War

After the First World War, the time came for Wilson to preach about world peace, after which the “Washington” Agreement and the “London” Agreements were signed, limiting countries to the presence of a fleet. In this regard, Great Britain encountered real problems, as a result of which it had to reduce the size of its fleet.

Despite restrictive agreements, Great Britain entered the Second World War as one of the leaders in naval performance. The Royal Navy played a huge role in stopping Nazi Germany, preventing the latter from capturing the British island. Moreover, the British naval forces supplied provisions to Malta, North Africa, Italy (after the death of Mussolini); provided artillery support and blocked strategically important places.

The Royal Navy suffered real losses during the Second World War. The successful actions of the German fleet, in particular the submarines, sank the aircraft carrier Ark Royal, about 10 cruisers, 20 destroyers, 25 frigates and many other minor warships.

Royal Navy of England during the Cold War

After serious losses in World War II, the Royal Navy lost its status as a maritime power. The security of the North Atlantic region has passed to the shoulders of the United States. However, the policies of Churchill, and then his followers, tried to restore the former power of warships. Thus, in the 1950s and 1960s, Great Britain began large-scale construction of warships: 2 Odessa-class aircraft carriers, 4 Centaur-class aircraft carriers, Lindair-class frigates and County-class destroyers. Subsequently, Great Britain overtook the naval military power of the Soviet Union. However, the Reforms of 1964 reduced the importance of the fleet, included the Admiralty in the Ministry of Defense and removed the fleet from the Suez Canal.

During the Cold War, the Royal Navy was involved in many regional crises: the Iran-Iraq War of 1962, the Tanganyika Crisis of 1964, the Indonesia Crisis of 1964-66, the Cod Wars of 1965 and the Foleyland War. The latter showed the power of the British Navy.

Current state of the fleet

After financial cuts, the Royal Navy again lost momentum in its development. Today, Great Britain has 33 warships with a total displacement of 260,000 tons and an average age of 16 years (27% of ships are under 10 years old). Warships:

1. 2 Queen Elizabeth types (Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales)
2. “Ocean” (“Ocean” – personnel 450 people, maximum speed 16 knots, cross-country ability 8000 nautical miles).
3. 2 Universal landing ships of the Albion type (Albion and Bulwark - maximum speed 17.8 knots, length 176 m, cross-country ability 8000 nautical miles)
4. 6 Daring-class destroyers (“Daring”, “Dauntless”, “Diamond”, “Defender”, “Dragon” and “Duncan” - length 152 m, width 21.2, cross-country ability 8000 nautical miles)
5. 13 frigates of type "23" (Ergil, Yaron Duke, Kent, Lancanster, Monmouth, Northlumberland, Montros, Richman, Portland, Somerset, Albans ", "Westminster" and "Southernland")
6. 1 frigate type "26" ("Glasgow")
7. 8 Sandown-class minesweepers
8. 8 Hunt-class minesweepers
9. 4 River-class patrol ships
10. 16 patrol boats of the P2000 type
11. 4 Vanguard-class ballistic submarines
12. 6 Astiut-class submarines
13. 4 Trafalgar-class submarines

The Royal Navy also has many auxiliary ships, aircraft and marines.

Moreover, Great Britain has a plan to build Dreadnaught-class submarines and 26-class frigates.

The British Navy was at one time the most powerful fleet in the world. Now it is the 4th fleet in the world in terms of its power and strength.