Before the current Type 26 / MHPC mix, we have seen C1/C2/C3, FSC with baselines up to at least 7, motherships and who knows what else. Where it all started was the Future Escort (FE) programme, which was very much designed as a Type 23 replacement, with the same role - a GP ship with the primary emphasis on ASW.
This was also where the RN interest in the trimaran started, as it seemed to have a potential application in an ASW escort. One of the earliest designs to combine the two is the 1995 trimaran Future Escort shown in the attached image. Another interesting note is that this was, after a fashion, a joint UK-US study, by AB Summers of Naval Sea Systems Command, DoD and JFP Eddison of Future Projects (Naval), MoD. The US participant being on exchange in the UK at the time.
Principal Particulars
• Deep displacement: 5830te
• Length OA: 167m main / 63m side
• Length WL: 160m main / 59.2m side
• Beam OA: 25.3m
• Beam WL: 11.1m main / 2.4m side
• Draught: 5.9m main / 2.7m side
• Hull depth: 11.9m
Propulsion
Propulsion consisted of a single shaft in the main hull with a fixed-pitch propeller driven by 2 geared WR-21 with an on-shaft DC motor. Each side hull contained a 1MW DC motor and propeller with 5 Turbomeca 1.2MW gensets providing the hotel load and electical propulsion. Quiet speed was 15 knots for 8000nmi with 30 knots maximum speed.
General
Accommodation was for 260 in total, with the ship being designed to UK standards
Weapons
Weapons were a projected 2010 version of the Type 23:
• ASW with sonar 2050, 2057 and a LF VDS, with MTLS and EH-101 with Stingray.
• AAW with a Multi-Function Radar controlling a point Defence Missile System. Interestingly a Very Short Range Air Defence system is separately listed - at this point in time something like Seastreak was being touted for CNGF.
•ASVW with Harpoon & a medium calibre gun.
•And the usual SSTDS, Segnat, EW and small calibre guns.
Reference
Summers, AB, Eddison, JFP, (1995), "Future ASW Frigate Concept Study of a Trimaran Variant", DFP(N), MoD. *Not* protectively marked, don't have a document number.
This was also where the RN interest in the trimaran started, as it seemed to have a potential application in an ASW escort. One of the earliest designs to combine the two is the 1995 trimaran Future Escort shown in the attached image. Another interesting note is that this was, after a fashion, a joint UK-US study, by AB Summers of Naval Sea Systems Command, DoD and JFP Eddison of Future Projects (Naval), MoD. The US participant being on exchange in the UK at the time.
Principal Particulars
• Deep displacement: 5830te
• Length OA: 167m main / 63m side
• Length WL: 160m main / 59.2m side
• Beam OA: 25.3m
• Beam WL: 11.1m main / 2.4m side
• Draught: 5.9m main / 2.7m side
• Hull depth: 11.9m
Propulsion
Propulsion consisted of a single shaft in the main hull with a fixed-pitch propeller driven by 2 geared WR-21 with an on-shaft DC motor. Each side hull contained a 1MW DC motor and propeller with 5 Turbomeca 1.2MW gensets providing the hotel load and electical propulsion. Quiet speed was 15 knots for 8000nmi with 30 knots maximum speed.
General
Accommodation was for 260 in total, with the ship being designed to UK standards
Weapons
Weapons were a projected 2010 version of the Type 23:
• ASW with sonar 2050, 2057 and a LF VDS, with MTLS and EH-101 with Stingray.
• AAW with a Multi-Function Radar controlling a point Defence Missile System. Interestingly a Very Short Range Air Defence system is separately listed - at this point in time something like Seastreak was being touted for CNGF.
•ASVW with Harpoon & a medium calibre gun.
•And the usual SSTDS, Segnat, EW and small calibre guns.
Reference
Summers, AB, Eddison, JFP, (1995), "Future ASW Frigate Concept Study of a Trimaran Variant", DFP(N), MoD. *Not* protectively marked, don't have a document number.
