Royal Navy County-class destroyer HMS Fife (D20) gunnery exercise. Extract from ‘Action Navy’ (COI 1254) 1975. Official govt film uploaded as fair use.
County class DDGs definitely had Anti Ship Warfare advantages over the Type 42 and Type 45 especially in Gunnery range. Good ships...would have been great to see them if they had Sea Slug replaced by Sea Dart
Brilliant warships, replacing a 4.5 turret with Exocet was a logical thing to do but the further aft you went the more these ships armaments turned into a joke. 2Omm Oerlikons, Seacat bonfire night rockets and a Seaslug missile system which had taken for ever to develop the RAF Bloodhound for warship use, and was an absolute damage control nightmare. In fact HMS Fife was the closest any of the County Class came to being lost due in part to the absurdity of the missile loading and storage system. As for a side loading helicopter hangar, well just who on earth thought that one up?
Sea Slug was an outright liability, at least Seacat had a guidance system that worked within littoral combat when Radars of the day had handicaps with clutter (San Carlos Bay specifically). I have often wondered why Slug was never replaced with Sea Dart or even another pair of Quad Seacat launchers or Bofors
I spent a week on Fife when it was alongside in Whale Island for my sea week during training back in 1979. Lived in the FWD sailors mess. I remember the dining hall being full of cock roaches. Then again, so was the Arethusa 79 - 82.
Mi padre estuvo en la dotacion que fue a a buscar el HMS FIFE a Inglaterra en 1987, despues DLH Blanco encalada fue remodelado 92-93 y dado de baja el 2003 en Chile.
I served on HMS Fife and in 1975 she was in refit getting B turret removed to make way for Exocet Launchers.
County class DDGs definitely had Anti Ship Warfare advantages over the Type 42 and Type 45 especially in Gunnery range. Good ships...would have been great to see them if they had Sea Slug replaced by Sea Dart
Brilliant warships, replacing a 4.5 turret with Exocet was a logical thing to do but the further aft you went the more these ships armaments turned into a joke. 2Omm Oerlikons, Seacat bonfire night rockets and a Seaslug missile system which had taken for ever to develop the RAF Bloodhound for warship use, and was an absolute damage control nightmare. In fact HMS Fife was the closest any of the County Class came to being lost due in part to the absurdity of the missile loading and storage system. As for a side loading helicopter hangar, well just who on earth thought that one up?
Sea Slug was an outright liability, at least Seacat had a guidance system that worked within littoral combat when Radars of the day had handicaps with clutter (San Carlos Bay specifically). I have often wondered why Slug was never replaced with Sea Dart or even another pair of Quad Seacat launchers or Bofors
Brings back memories for me. I was on her 79 to 80. Polly Parrott. DB tanky
Brings back memories.....
I spent a week on Fife when it was alongside in Whale Island for my sea week during training back in 1979. Lived in the FWD sailors mess.
I remember the dining hall being full of cock roaches. Then again, so was the Arethusa 79 - 82.
I served on hms fife 1974
The sound overdub of the firing is crap.
They couldn't have got there without STOKERS!
I know they had Combined steam and gas but did they burn coal still?
Mi padre estuvo en la dotacion que fue a a buscar el HMS FIFE a Inglaterra en 1987, despues DLH Blanco encalada fue remodelado 92-93 y dado de baja el 2003 en Chile.
Awesome.
Needed in the English Channel right now.
Why would the navy shell civilians in the channel? Lunatic.
Have it ...
"This is Yankee foxtrot"
as muslim Burqas become fashionable in the Royal Navy .......
diamonddog257 funny
fireproof apparently... try it on your local High Street. ;-)
Flash protection , you idiot !
Antiflash protection