UK: Royal Navy's frigate HMS Iron Duke set to be operational.

According to a tweet published by the Royal Navy on April 28, 2022, finally undocked and back in her natural habitat is HMS Iron Duke – the latest Royal Navy frigate to near the end of its refit and rejoin the Fleet.
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Type 23 frigate HMS Iron Duke (Picture source: Royal Navy)

The Type 23 frigate or Duke class is a class of frigates built for the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. They were designed for anti-submarine warfare, but have been used for a range of uses.

A combined Diesel Electric and Gas Turbine (CODLAG) propulsion plant operating in direct drive electric propulsion mode ensures a low noise signature at low speeds while higher speeds are achieved via the gas turbines running through reduction gearboxes.

The armament of the Type 23 frigate includes Harpoon anti-ship missile capable of destroying enemy ships far beyond the horizon. Fitted to all Type 23 Frigates the Harpoon is a sophisticated anti-ship missile capable of striking targets more than 80 miles away.

The front deck of Type 23 is fitted with a BAE 4.5 inch Mk 8 naval gun. The gun can fire up to two dozen high explosive shells, per minute, weighing more than 40 kg (80lbs) at targets more than a dozen miles away - and nearly 18 miles if special extended-range shells are used.

The main purpose of the gun is Naval Gunfire Support – artillery bombardment of shore targets. In this role, the gun is capable of firing the equivalent of a six-gun shore battery.

The Type 23 is also armed with 32-cell Sea Wolf GWS.26 VLS (vertical launching system) canisters. Seawolf is the shield of Britain's frigate fleet against air attack. In service for more than 30 years, it has proven itself in battle and remains a potent weapon to this day. Seawolf is intended to defend an individual ship rather than a task group.

For close protection, Type 23 is armed with small-caliber weapons such as SA80, General Purpose Machine Gun and 9mm guns for use against both surface and airborne targets. Unlike the majority of the ship's weapons systems, these guns are not radar and computer-controlled, but aimed and fired by the upper deck gun crews. The weapons range in caliber and complexity.