HMS Cornwall (F99)

Guided-Missile Frigate Warship [ 1988 ]

HMS Cornwall F99 led a relatively short service in the Royal Navy, commissioned in 1988 and decommissioned in 2011.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 02/28/2020 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

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The Type 22 class of fighting frigate represented fourteen total vessels for the British Royal Navy (RN). The commitment proved one of the service's largest since the close of World War 2 (1939-1945) and provided the branch with capable surface combatants throughout their decades of service. The class went on to see extended service lives under the banners of Brazil, Chile, and Romania while the RN have all but given up on the series. Five of the original warships remain in service.

The class (designed to succeed the aging "Leander-class" ships) was produced across three distinct "batches" known simply as "Batch 1", "Batch 2", and "Batch 3" and intended for the fleet escort role. Batch 1 "Broadsword" covered four of the first ships-in-class and all were eventually sold off to the Brazilian Navy after their usefulness was expended in RN service. These were followed by six of the lengthened Batch 2 "Boxer" warships with Type 2031Z towed sonar array. Batch 3 "Cornwall" was the final group and constituted four warships of its own, relying largely on the finalized forms of the Boxer group though with internal improvements throughout to make them more refined fighting machines. Type 3 ships were ordered to replace losses incurred by the Royal Navy during its Falklands War campaign against Argentina in 1982.

Among their number was HMS Cornwall (F99) who appeared as the first "Batch 3" ship and was, rather fittingly, the last of the line to be decommissioned. Her sisters included HMS Cumberland, HMS Cambeltown, and HMS Chatham commissioned between 1988 and 1990.

HMS Cornwall was constructed by the specialists of Yarrow Shipbuilders and saw her keel laid down on December 14th, 1983. She was launched on October 14th, 1985 (Diana, Prince of Wales sponsoring) and was formally commissioned into service on April 23rd, 1988. For her time at sea, the warship homeported from HMNB Devonport in Plymouth, fighting under the motto of "Unus et Omnes" ("One and All"). She was known by her crews under the various nicknames of "Ice Cream Frigate" and "The Fighting 99".

As built, the vessel displaced 5,300 tons and held a running length of 485.10 feet with a beam measuring 48.6 feet, and a draught down to 21 feet.

Power was from 2 x Rolls-Royce "Spey" gas turbines coupled with 2 x Rolls-Royce "Tyne" gas turbines arranged in a COmbined Gas-And-Gas (COGAG) configuration in which the Spey turbines were used for high-speed dashing actions, the Tyne installations reserved for general cruising. All told, the warship could make headway (in ideal conditions) at up to 30 knots under stress. General cruising reached around 18 knots.

Aboard was a crew complement of 250 personnel though, in wartime, this could be increased to over 300. Sensors and systems included the Type 1007 navigational radar with the Type 967 and Type 968 surveillance radar suite. Twin Type 911 "Sea Wolf" radars operated in the tracking role while the active sonar array was the Type 2050 unit. The CACS-5 Combat Data System (CDS) was new to the Type 22 and found in the Cornwall's makeup from the start (succeeding the original Batch 1 and Batch 2 CACS-1 suite).

Armament was a mix of conventional- and missile-minded weaponry led by a single-barreled 4.5" (114mm) Mk.8 turreted deck gun at the forecastle (this weapon lacking in Batch 1 and Batch 2 ships). The heart of the armament suite were the twin "Sea Wolf" Anti-Aircraft (AA) missile launchers with 72 reloads and the twin 4-cell "Harpoon" Anti-Ship Missile (ASM) launchers with eight total shots available. Beyond this were 2 x Triple torpedo tubes to counter both surface and undersea threats and 2 x 20mm GAM-B01 guns were used for extreme close-in defense work. A single "Goalkeeper" Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) (new for the Type 22 group at the time) offered additional accurized fire against aerial targets.

Beyond basic armament, the Cornwall also actively operated a pair of Westland "Lynx" Mk.8 navy helicopters equipped for the Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and anti-ship roles. This included support of "Sting Ray" torpedoes and "Sea Skua" missiles as well as Mk.11 series depth charges and 2 x Machine Guns (for boarding actions/short-ranged suppression).

As an escort, the primary role of Cornwall was in airspace deterrence and in hunting enemy warships and submarines. As such, its armament fit was extremely broad, intended to counter as many threats as possible at variable ranges and altitudes/depths, be they in the air, on the water, or under it.

Upon entering service, HMS Cornwall was flagship of the 2nd Frigate Squadron based out of Devonport. After the disbandment of the squadron in 1993, the ship was sent on patrols and friendly port visits across the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Caribbean, Baltic, Persian Gulf, and Far East theaters. In the mid-1990s, the vessel was named flagship of the NATO Standing Naval Force Atlantic. In 2001, she participated in the coalition invasion of Afghanistan following the events of 9/11. In 2011, the warship was part of a rescue operation of five Yemenis taken hostage by seventeen Somali pirates.

On June 30th, 2011, with her sailing days now over, HMS Cornwall was decommissioned and taken under tow to HMNB Portsmouth. In July of 2013, she and her three sisters were sold off for scrapping, brining about an end to this capable fighting ship of the British Royal Navy.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1988

Origin

United Kingdom

Status

DECOMMISSIONED
Destroyed, Scrapped.

Complement

250
PERSONNEL

Class

Type 22

Number-in-Class

14
VESSELS

Ships-in-Class

BATCH 1: HMS Broadsword (F88); HMS Battleaxe (F89); HMS Brilliant (F90); HMS Brazen (F91); BATCH 2: HMS Boxer (F92); HMS Beaver (F93); HMS Brave (F94); HMS London (F95); HMS Sheffield (F96); HMS Coventry (F98); BATCH 3: HMS Cornwall (F99); HMS Cumberland (F85); HMS Campbelltown (F86); HMS Chatham (F87)

United Kingdom

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ 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.

Length

486.8 ft
148.38 m

Beam

48.5 ft
14.78 m

Draught

21.0 ft
6.40 m

Displacement

5,300
tons

Installed Power: 2 x Rolls-Royce "Spey" gas turbines with 2 x Rolls-Royce "Tyne" gas turbines in COCAG (COmbined Gas-And-Gas) arrangement driving 2 x shafts astern.

Surface Speed

30.0 kts
(34.5 mph)

1 x 4.5" (114mm) Mk 8 deck gun

2 x "Sea Wolf" Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) launchers (with 72 reloads afforded).

2 x "Harpoon" Anti-Ship Missile (ASM) 4-cell launchers (8 total missiles afforded).

2 x 20mm GAM-BO1 close-in defense automatic cannons.

1 x 30mm "Goalkeeper" Close-In Weapon System (CIWS)

2 x Triple-torpedo tube launchers (36 torpedo reloads).

Supported Types

Graphical image of a modern warship turreted deck gun armament

Graphical image of an aircraft automatic cannon

Graphical image of an aircraft Gatling-style rotating gun

Graphical image of an air-to-air missile weapon

Graphical image of an aircraft aerial torpedo

Graphical image of an aircraft anti-ship missile

(Not all weapon types may be represented in the showcase above)

Up to two medium-lift navy helicopters; typically 2 x Westland Lynx Mk.8 models equipped for Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and anti-ship roles.

Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War period

Military lapel ribbon for early warship designs

Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War

Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War

Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Attack on Pearl Harbor

Military lapel ribbon for the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective naval campaigns / operations / periods.

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