Yesterday my wife and I went on a tour around HMS Campbeltown which was docked at the Pier Head over in Liverpool. She was built by Cammell Laird shipyards in 1987. A type 22 frigate, she was kitted out with antisubmarine and antiaircraft weapons systems. She also carries a helicopter.
As part of the Strategic Defence Review the Royal Navy is scrapping four type 22 frigates (including HMS Campbeltown) so this was her last trip to Liverpool. Type 23 frigates will be replaced with more modern war ships from 2020. Pictures from the trip are below.
After the tour we happened to pass Cllr. Moira McLaughlin (Deputy Mayor) in the Albert Dock area. She said she’d been round HMS Campbeltown the evening before. This was probably something similar to the meal that Wirral Met College students did for VIPs a few weeks ago on HMS Liverpool.
On the HMS Campbeltown the crew was friendly, polite and welcoming. Members of the public thought the tour of HMS Campbeltown was much better than the one of HMS Liverpool a few weeks ago. On the way to and from the ship, Leonora found a memorial (at Canada Boulevard) to Canadian servicemen and women.
Clearly the days of tens of thousands of people employed at Cammell Lairds building ships has left (similar to the mining communities when the pits shut) unemployment in Birkenhead which has been made worse by the recession. If Birkenhead is to improve, employment for its citizens is key to ensuring the future quality of life for us all. You can click on the thumbnails of photos below for larger versions.
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“As part of the Strategic Defence Review the Royal Navy is replacing all its type 22 and type 23 frigates with more modern war ships,”
No they aren’t. The successor to the type 23 isn’t even off the drawing board yet, it’ll be 2020 at the earliest and that is being optimistic before any replacement ships are in service. Even then the number of ships built won’t be as many as the navy currently has.
You are right that the type 23 frigates will be replaced with a cheaper version of the type 26 frigate from 2020. I take your point about 2020 being optimistic as often large defence contracts can take longer than anticipated.
The type 22 frigates (including HMS Campbeltown) will be scrapped without being replaced (as part of the previously announced defence cuts). When I wrote the above I wasn’t trying to imply all type 22 or type 23 would be replaced on a like for like basis, but on re-reading I take your point that it could be read that way.
I’ll reword it to make it clearer.
The point I was trying to make was the group of type 22/23 frigates will be replaced with other types of ships.