Rebirth of England.

Chapter 706 Frigate

This time, when Colo and the Colo Corps purchased ships from the British Navy, they actually did not have many choices, such as destroyers, amphibious assault ships, and even aircraft carriers. In addition to being expensive, the daily maintenance and number of naval soldiers required far exceeded Colo's needs.

Therefore, they are currently focusing their attention on frigates.

According to the information Barron obtained from Errol Brute, commander of the Kolo Corps, there are currently two main frigates to choose from: Type 22 and Type 23.

Among them, the Type 22 frigate is a first-class large-scale ocean-going multi-purpose frigate that was successively put into service by the British Navy from the 14s to the s. The construction period spanned three batches over eleven years, with a total of ships in service.

So far, a total of 7 Type 22 frigates of this model have been resold to other countries after retirement.

These include Brazil, Romania, Chile and other countries. The last Type 22 frigate traded so far was the Sheffield, the fifth ship of the second batch, which was sold to Chile in April 2003 and renamed Almirante Williams F-4.

As for the Type 23 frigate, it is a large multi-purpose frigate mainly used for anti-submarine warfare that began to be put into service in large quantities by the British Navy in the s. It is still the main ship among the British Navy's surface ships today.

The Type 23 frigates were built in five batches. It was originally planned that 5 ships would be put into service, but in the end a total of 23 ships were put into service.

In 2004, due to financial constraints, the British Navy continued to reduce the size of its surface ship fleet, and the size of Type 23 frigates was reduced to 13 ships.

So the Chilean Navy, the "little prince of second-hand ships", seized the plan and acquired the Norfolk, Krafton and Mabolo frigates from the British Navy at a low price in 2005. Among them, the Krafton was not commissioned until 1997, and had been in service for only 8 years when it was sold.

The Norfolk was transferred to Chile in 2006 and renamed Almirante Cochrane FF-05, and was commissioned on November 11 of the same year.

卡夫顿号于2007年移交，智利将其命名为林其号（Almirante Lynch FF-07），2007年3月28日成军。

而马波罗号则在2008年移交给智利，并重新命名为康迪尔号（Almirante Condell FF-06），2008年5月28日成军。

"Although the price of Type 22 frigates is lower, considering their age, if we choose to buy them, we will not only need to spend extra money for overall upgrades, but also the usual maintenance costs will be higher."

All maritime vessels, including this type of warship, need to go to the shipyard for regular inspection and maintenance, which can be compared to the annual inspection of a car. The older the warship, the shorter the interval will be, and the average annual maintenance cost will be much higher.

With this in mind, Kolo is more inclined towards the Type 23 frigate.

After all, this type of frigate is still the main force of the British Navy, and the current Type 23 frigates have been in service in the British Navy for no more than 10 years, and their overall condition is very good.

If equipped with these two frigates, Colo's naval force would be considered a strong force in the whole of West Africa... After all, not to mention that many countries' navies here do not have decent warships, even the few warships in the region can be traced back to World War II and the Cold War.

“就以智利海军于2006年到2008年间从英伦购入3艘23型护卫舰来说，这3艘护卫舰在皇家海军仅服役了10年左右，舰况较好，为智利海军出动率最高的水面作战舰艇……”

Barron saw the following in the relevant documents:
"In 2004, the British Royal Navy had to cut naval spending in order to build the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier and retired three Type 3 frigates ahead of schedule. The Chilean Navy took advantage of the situation and bought three relatively new Type 23 frigates for a total price of less than $2 million."

23型护卫舰标准排水量3500吨，满载排水量4200吨。长133米，宽16.1米，吃水5.5米。

动力系统为2台SM-1A燃气轮机，2台SM-1C燃气轮机，最大航速28节。

武器为1座Mk8 114毫米舰炮，2座双联装30毫米舰炮，32单元海狼舰空导弹垂发装置，2座四联装鱼叉反舰导弹发射装置，2座三联装324毫米鱼雷发射管，2架大山猫Mk.8反潜直升机。

According to the results of the negotiations between Colo and the Royal Navy, if they purchase two Type 23 frigates, they will be able to undergo corresponding modifications at the British shipyard. In addition to certain system upgrades, they will also be equipped with sufficient weapons and ammunition, as well as personnel training. The total amount of this arms sales order is approximately US$1.25 million.

This price is relatively favorable because in the ancillary agreement of this order, the Kolo Corps will receive a group of retired soldiers and officers from the navy - these people have experience in operating Type 23 warships, and a part of the Kolo Corps' local personnel will also be sent to England to receive relevant training to ensure that they can complete the acceptance of the two warships and form combat effectiveness.

After the completion of this transaction, it is expected that the two warships will be able to form combat effectiveness in half a year, that is, in March or April next year, and enter the combat sequence of the Kolo Corps.

As for the local personnel sent to the UK by the Colo Corps for training, some of them will learn along with the entire process of the transformation of the two warships, while the other part will be able to receive training on other Type 23 frigates in service in the UK.

Although it is difficult for the relevant sailors to complete sufficient training within the past six months, these people will not directly enter the key positions of operating the two frigates - these positions are still mainly retired personnel of the Royal Navy, and they can continue to be trained in subsequent actual navigation exercises.

In the process of reducing the size of the British Navy, some redundant naval personnel will retire, and the placement of these personnel is also a headache for the government. This transaction with Colo will not only reduce naval spending and the number of warships, but also solve the placement of a considerable number of personnel, which makes the British side very satisfied.

And the most important thing is that a considerable number of personnel in the Colo Corps itself, especially those in higher positions, came from the British Army.

Although Colo bought the ownership of the two warships, due to the close relationship between the two sides, in an emergency, the two warships can "cooperate" with the British Royal Navy, and there are not many obstacles to communication and coordination.

Well, at least this can be done until Kolo's local naval personnel are qualified to enter key positions on the two frigates.

So on September 9, Kolo officially signed this arms purchase agreement with Britain.

(End of this chapter)