The Royal Navy is thinking about the proposed Type 31 frigate, but apparently is still trying to figure out the hows and whys and whats of the ship. The Type 45 destroyers play the role of large, air defence escort, Type 23, and soon Type 26, ships perform the anti-submarine warfare role, and constabulary duties are undertaken by the River-class offshore patrol vessels. So what’s missing? In an article in UK Defence Journal, Alex Matthews talks about corvettes, as he says, “[t]he only common type of smaller surface vessel not operated by the RN is the corvette, a term nobody wants to talk about.” In the 3 April 2018 article entitled “Who’s afraid of the ‘C word’? – A corvette based solution to the Royal Navy’s frigate problem,” Matthews discusses the possibilities for the planned Type 31 frigate. (Interestingly, in an article in CNR in Volume Vol. 13, No. 1 (Spring 2017), David Longdale argues that Canada should consider what he calls Ocean Patrol Corvettes as an alternative to the future Canadian Surface Combatants.)
See Alex Matthews’ article at https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/whos-afraid-of-the-c-word-a-corvette-based-solution-to-the-royal-navys-frigate-problem/
