Home

Other
Frigates

Other
Military
Ships

How to
Order

Refund
Policy

Contact
Us

-

Model comes on wood base with solid brass pedestals
-
Image of model not yet available
Image above courtesy Wikipedia
-

-

The Leander class (informally known as the Type 12M) comprised 26 frigates and was arguably the most successful class of frigates in the Royal Navy's modern history. The class was built in three batches between 1960 and 1968.

Batch One comprising eight ships, commissioning between 1963 and 1966, were general purpose alternatives to the far more expensive single-role frigates such as the Rothesay and Whitby classes. Designed from the start to operate one Wasp helicopter, they had a Y100 engine design, which would be replaced with improved engine designs in the subsequent two batches. Originally armed with a twin 4.5" gun mount, some Batch One ships were upgraded by adding the Australian designed Ikara anti-submarine warfare rocket launcher in response to the perceived threat of Soviet submarines, effectively turning the vessels into ASW frigates. The Sea Cat missile was also installed, replacing the smaller 40 mm guns.

Batch Two, comprising six ships (1966 to 1967), were designed for the ASW role and were only slightly revised to the batch ones, in that they had a different engine design, known as the Y136. One twin mount 4.5-in gun was later replaced with the Exocet anti-ship missile quadruple launcher giving them a potent anti-ship capability. The ASW limbo mortar was also removed in order to extend the helicopter deck for operating the larger and more capable Lynx helo. The hanger was slightly enlarged to accommodate the Lynx, which was faster than the Wasp and carried  the Sea Skua air-to-surface-missile. Two Bofors guns were added to the superstructure while six torpedo tubes were added (3 either side of the hanger) to replace the Limbo mortar. Finally, air defense was provided by two quadruple Sea Cat launchers - one mounted on the hanger and one on  the forecastle.

Batch Three, comprising ten ships (1968 to 1973), had the beam increased by two feet to improve stability and provide more internal space - a fact that favored their modernization. Equipped with Y160 engines, they were faster. On five ships of the batch both 4.5-inch twin gun mounts, Sea Cat missile launcher, 40 mm guns, and Limbo mortar were all removed in favor of adding three Oerlikon 20mm guns and launchers for the Sea Wolf and Exocet missiles. 1-20mm Oerlikon gun was added to all Batch Three ships.

As with the previous conversions, most took place at Devonport where the new Frigate Refit Complex (the largest covered dock in Europe) enabled all weather work. However, during the Falklands Conflict it meant work on Scylla came to a halt as all attention and effort was switched to converting requisitioned merchant vessels. Originally all ten Batch 3 vessels were to undergo this upgrade but the 1981 Defence review cancelled the last five conversions. Although this gave the unconverted vessels the advantage of being able to provide naval gunfire support (which had proven especially useful in the Falklands) they lacked the modern sophisticated equipment and capabilities of either the converted vessels or the Broadsword Class Type 22 frigates. As a result they were largely assigned to training duties and early disposal.

Leander Cass frigates were exported to Australia, India, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. Ex-RN ships were sold to Chile, Ecuador, New Zealand, India and Pakistan.

The ships performed excellently in RN service, with relatively low noise levels giving the 2030(I) towed sonar mounted during the 1970s a range of more than 100 miles, better than that of the more advanced 2030(Z) sonar when fitted in the Type 22 class. However, all Leanders in RN service were decommissioned by the early 1990s due to ships' aging design and high crew size. Some Leanders remain in service with foreign navies.