Iron Duke class
HMS Iron Duke 1978
HMS Iron Duke 1991
This is my third attempt at drawing a dream super-cruiser of the 1960s era and arguably the best one I've attempted so far. Yes its impractical in many ways in terms of economic realism or even of real need, but it is an impressive ship.
The AU scenario is that the Admiralty approves the NIGS SAM system and its associated SCANFAR radar for full development in 1962 for a nuclear-powered cruiser to enter service by 1970. Bottom-bounce sonar is added and the ship replaces the Type 82 with SIGS entirely, three ships being planned, one for each carrier group and one for an amphibious assault group. Rolls-Royce develops the reactors from those designed for the nuclear submarine programme. Sea Dart is added for medium-range targets and Confessor is installed to provide close-in protection. The ASW capability is further widened with guided torpedoes and no less than four Sea King helicopters. In the interim HMS Devonshire is rebuilt as a test ship for the NIGS system (see post on p.12).
Cost rise and developments take longer than expected, the third ship is cancelled to save money but Cammell Laird completes the two ships in 1974 and 1975, somewhat later than planned. Both ships are rebuilt during the late 1980s with an all-VLS battery of GW-30 Sea Dart 2 and GW-27 Active Confessor SAMs as well as multiple CIWS systems and a newer combat system with MESAR radar arrays which kept them operational until their retirement in 1994 and 1996, their operating costs just too much to bear by this time.
HMS Iron Duke C06 June 1974
HMS Tiger C07 July 1975
HMS Black Prince cancelled 1971
Displacement: 16,850 tons (standard)
Dimensions: length 792ft 6in (oa) 765ft 6in (wl); beam 73ft 6in; draught 30ft (over sonar dome), 23ft 6in (hull)
Machinery: two Rolls-Royce PWR1(S) PWR reactors supplying steam to 80,000shp turbines, one Rolls-Royce 24,000shp Olympus TM1 gas turbine as emergency powerplant
Speed: 30kts (deep and clean)
Armament:
1x 4.5in Vickers Mk.8 gun
2x1 20mm Orkileon (replaced by 20mm GAM-BOI in the 1980s)
(during 1980s 2x 20mm Phalanx Block 1 CIWS and 3x Seastreak CIWS mounts added)
2x2 Trident SAM launchers (two 38x missile magazines with up to 16x with nuclear warheads) (replaced by 2x 32-cell VLS for GWS-30 Sea Dart 2 in 1980s)
1x2 Sea Dart SAM launcher (38x missile magazine) (replaced by 32-cell VLS for GWS-27 Active Confessor in 1980s)
2x16 Confessor SAM VLS launchers (replaced by GWS-27 Active Confessor in 1980s)
1x Ikara launcher (20x missile magazine for Ikara ASW missiles and Woomba SSMs)
8x Exocet MM.38 container-launchers (replaced by 2x4 RGM-84C Harpoon in the 1980s)
4x 21in torpedo tubes for Ongar heavyweight guided torpedoes (12x torpedo magazine) (removed in 1980s)
4x 12.75in torpedo tubes for Mk 44/Stingray lightweight guided torpedoes (32x torpedo magazine (shared with helicopter provision)
Helicopters:
Hangar for up to 4x Westland Sea King (replaced during the mid-1980s by Westland WG.34 Merlin)
Radars:
4x Type 985 SCANFAR search and tracking radars (replaced by Type 986 MESAR arrays in the 1980s)
1x Type 967/968 3-D search and tracking radar (replaced in 1980s by Type 996)
6x Type 909C fire-control radars (replaced by 4x Type 909M in 1980s)
2x Type 910 fire-control radars (replaced by Type 912 in 1980s)
2x Type 1006 navigation radars
1x Mk 10 IFF array
1x Type 2011 hull sonar with bottom-bounce receivers
1x Type 984M hull sonar