The Type 22 "Broadsword" class of frigate was established by the British Royal Navy (RN) as a fourteen-strong group to be completed across three individual construction batches. The types served a critical role in the RN during the Cold War years and eventually saw combat service during the Falklands War (1982) against Argentina. Once their usefulness to the RN had run out, two hulls were used as targets, five were sold for scrapping, and seven were sold off to the navies of Brazil, Chile, and Romania. The last ship of the class - HMS Cornwall - was removed from service in June of 2011.
HMS Brilliant (F90) made up the third ship of the first construction batch following HMS Broadsword (F88) and HMS Battleaxe (F89). All of the first batch were constructed at Yarrow in Glasgow with Brilliant being ordered on September 7th, 1976, and seeing her keel being laid down on March 25th, 1977. She was launched on December 15th, 1978 and formally commissioned on May 15th, 1981.
Performance for the vessel came by way of 2 x Rolls-Royce Olympus TM3B boost gas turbines (54,600 shaft horsepower) coupled with 2 x Rolls-Royce Tyne RM1C cruise gas turbines (9,700 shaft horsepower) in a COGOG arrangement driving 2 x shafts. COGOG (COmbined Gas and Gas) supplied the vessel with two modes of gas-fueled turbine operation depending on whether cruising speeds or a short boost of speed was in order. This allowed speeds of 30 knots to be reached while cruising was closer to the 18-knot range.
Despite her merchant-like appearance, HMS Brilliant was a fighting frigate and outfitted for the dangers of Cold War sea warfare. This included 2 x 6 GWS25 series "Seawolf" Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) launchers, 4 x French "Exocet" Surface-to-Surface Anti-Ship (AS) launchers, and 2 x 40mm Bofors Anti-Aircraft (AA) cannons. Additional support came in the form of the 2 x Westland Lynx Mk.8 series naval helicopters carried and these birds were utilized primarily in submarine hunting and anti-ship operations.
A year after her introduction, HMS Brilliant was ordered to the South Atlantic as part of the large British Task Force responding to the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands. Once on station, she became the first Royal Navy vessel to fire the BAC/BAe "Sea Wolf" surface-to-air missile and successfully downed three marauding Argentine Douglas A-4 Skyhawk multi-role fighters. She also used her two-strong fleet of Lynx naval helicopters in a failed attempt to engage ARA Santa Fe (S-21), an attack submarine of the Argentine Navy (Santa Fe vessel was eventually overtaken in shallow waters during April 1982 and scuttled by the British). On May 25th, she helped save members of the British merchant navy ship Atlantic Conveyor after it fell victim to Argentine Exocet anti-ship missiles. The war ended on June 14th, 1982 with a British victory and continued control of the Falklands. Her only scars of the war were in a May 23 attack by Argentine aircraft who strafed her with guns resulting in only minor damage.
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Specifications
Brazil (as Dodsworth F47); United Kingdom Operators
HMS Broadsword (F88); HMS Battleaxe (F89); HMS Brilliant (F90); HMS Brazen (F91); HMS Boxer (F92); HMS Beaver (F93); HMS Brave (F94); HMS London (F95); HMS Sheffield (F96); HMS Coventry (F98); HMS Cornwall (F99); HMS Cumberland (F85); HMS Campbelltown (F86); HMS Chatham (F87) Ships-in-Class
Offshore Bombardment
Offshore bombardment / attack of surface targets / areas primarily through onboard ballistic weaponry.
Land-Attack
Offshore strike of surface targets primarily through onboard missile / rocket weaponry.
Maritime Patrol
Active patroling of vital waterways and maritime areas; can also serve as local deterrence against airborne and seaborne threats.
Airspace Denial / Deterrence
Neutralization or deterrence of airborne elements through onboard ballistic of missile weaponry.
Fleet Support
Serving in support (either firepower or material) of the main surface fleet in Blue Water environments.
430.0 feet (131.06 meters) Length
48.0 feet (14.63 meters) Beam
20.0 feet (6.10 meters) Draught
4,400 tons Displacement
2 x Rolls-Royce Olympus TM3B gas turbines developing 54,600 shaft horsepower with 2 x Rolls-Royce Tyne RM1C gas turbines developing 9,700 shaft horsepower in COGOG arrangement driving 2 x shafts. Propulsion
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