HMS Mohawk (F125)
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.jpg) HMS Mohawk | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS Mohawk |
| Builder | Vickers |
| Laid down | 23 December 1960 |
| Launched | 5 April 1962 |
| Commissioned | 29 November 1963 |
| Decommissioned | 1980 |
| Identification | Pennant number F125 |
| Fate | Sold for scrap |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Tribal-class frigate |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | |
| Beam | 42 ft 3 in (12.88 m) |
| Draught |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph) (COSAG) |
| Range | 4,500 nautical miles (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Complement | 253 |
| Sensors & processing systems | |
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 1 × Westland Wasp helicopter |
| Service record | |
| Part of | Naval On-call Force of the Mediterranean (1977) |
| Operations | Beira Patrol (1973) |
HMS Mohawk was a Tribal-class frigate of the Royal Navy in service from 1963. She was named after a tribe of Native Americans located in southeast Canada and New York State. Mohawk was scrapped in 1983.
The Tribal-, or Type 81-class, frigates were developed in the mid-1950s as a General Purpose frigate, capable of use in both anti-submarine and anti-aircraft duties in a full-scale war, while serving for Cold War policing duties in peace-time,[2][3] in particular to replace the old Loch-class frigates serving in the Persian Gulf.[4]
The Tribals were 360 ft 0 in (109.73 m) long overall and 350 ft 0 in (106.68 m) between perpendiculars, with a beam of 42 ft 3 in (12.88 m).[4][5][1] The ship's hull had a draught of 13 ft 5+1⁄2 in (4.10 m),[6] with the propeller increasing overall draught to 17 ft 6 in (5.33 m).[1] Displacement was 2,300 long tons (2,300 t) standard and 2,500 long tons (2,500 t) full load.[4][1] Propulsion was by a single-shaft Combined steam and gas (COSAG) arrangement, effectively half of the powerplant of the County-class destroyers. A single Babcock & Wilcox boiler fed steam at 550 psi (3,800 kPa) and 850 °F (454 °C; 728 K) to a geared steam turbine rated at 12,500 shp (9,300 kW), which could be supplemented by a Metrovick G-6 gas turbine rated at 7,500 shp (5,600 kW) to reach top speed, with the gas turbine also allowing the ship to get underway quickly in an emergency, without having to wait to raise steam.[4][2] Speed was about 27–28 kn (31–32 mph; 50–52 km/h) using both steam and gas turbine power,[4][1] and 21 kn (24 mph; 39 km/h) on steam power alone.[3]
The ships were fitted with two QF 4.5-in (113 mm) Mark 5 guns, salvaged from scrapped Second World War destroyers, mounted fore and aft. It was intended to fit two Seacat anti-aircraft missile launchers, but these were not ready in time, and Gurkha completed with two 40 mm Bofors guns instead, with Seacat replacing the Bofors guns on refit. For anti-submarine and anti-ship duties, a hangar and flight deck for a single Westland Wasp helicopter was fitted, while a Limbo anti-submarine mortar provided close-in anti-submarine armament.[4][7] Mohawk was fitted with a large Type 965 long range air search radar on a lattice foremast, with a Type 993 short range air/surface target indicating radar and Type 978 navigation radar also fitted. An MRS3 fire control system was carried to direct the 4.5-inch guns.[8] The ship had a sonar suite of Type 177 medium range search sonar, Type 162 bottom search and Type 170 attack sonar.[5] The ship had a crew of 253 officers and other ranks.[4][1]
Mohawk was built by Vickers, of Barrow-in-Furness,[4] at a cost of £4,705,000.[9] She was laid down on 23 December 1960, was launched on 5 April 1962 and commissioned on 29 November 1963.[4] Her construction had been disrupted by a labour dispute.[10]
