Adelaide-class frigate

Basic information

Type:

Frigate

Parent class:

Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate

Operators:

Chilean Navy (Armada de Chile)

Royal Australian Navy

Country of build:

Builder:

Vigor Industrial Tenix Defence

Planned:

Completed:

Retired:

In service:

1980 – present (44 years)

Ship measurements

Displacement:

4,100 t

Length:

139 m

Beam:

14 m

Draft:

6.7 m

Machine

Propulsion system:

COGAG

Propulsion:

2 * General Electric LM2500 gas turbines, each providing 20,500 hp (15,287 kW)
Total 41,000 hp (30,574 kW)

Speed:

29 knots

Range:

4,500 nautical miles (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)

Personnel

Complement:

221

Combat assets

Electronics:

AN/SPS-49 radar
Mk 92 fire control system
AN/SPS-55 radar
AN/SQS-56 sonar

Armament:

Mk 41 VLS (Evolved Sea Sparrow missile)
Mk 13 missile launcher (40-missile magazine, Harpoon and SM-2 (MR) missiles)
1 * OTO Melara 76 mm
1 * 20 mm Mk 15 Vulcan Phalanx
2 * triple 324 mm Mk 32 torpedo tubes

Aircraft:

2 * S-70B Seahawk or 1 * Seahawk and 1 * AS350B Squirrel

The Adelaide class was a ship class of six guided missile frigates constructed in Australia and the United States of America for service in the Royal Australian Navy. The class was based on the United States Navy's Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates, but modified for Australian requirements. The first four vessels were built in the United States, with the final two being constructed in Australia.

The first ship entered service in November 1980. Canberra and Adelaide were paid off in 2005 and 2008 respectively, and later sunk as dive wrecks: their decommissioning was to offset the cost of a A$1 billion weapons and equipment upgrade to the remaining four ships. Sydney was decommissioned in late 2015, after spending most of the year as a moored training ship. Darwin was decommissioned in late 2017, Newcastle in June 2019 and Melbourne the last in October 2019. The Hobart-class air-warfare destroyers progressively replaced the last four frigates from 2016 onwards.