# HMS Cornwall



## Alan Hill (Jun 21, 2005)

For we uneducated Americans, how many guns, armament, caliber does the subject have? Thanks in advance. Alan Hill Bridgeport, Pa. USA


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## Gavin Gait (Aug 14, 2005)

Here's the info from the Royal Navy site.

HMS Cornwall is a Type 22 Batch 3 Frigate

Type 22 Statistics Displacement: 5300 tonnes
Length: 148.1m / 485.9ft
Beam: 14.8m / 48.5ft
Speed: 30 knots
Complement: 250 (Max 301)
Armament: 114mm (4.5 inch) MK 8 gun Goalkeeper close-in weapons system (CIWS) Sea Wolf anti-missile system 2 x Quad Harpoon missile launchers 2 x 20mm Close range guns NATO Seagnat Decoy Launchers
Sensors: Type 1007 navigation radar Type 967 and 968 surveillance radar 2 x Type 911 Sea Wolf tracking radars UAT Electronic Surveillance System Type 2050 active sonar
Aircraft: Lynx MK 8 helicopters Armament: Sea Skua anti-ships missiles Stingray anti-submarine torpedoes Mk 11 depth charges Machine guns


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## Keltic Star (Jan 21, 2006)

Wow! With all that gear, how come they missed the approaching Iranian patrol boats?


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## Alan Hill (Jun 21, 2005)

Thank you Davie. And Keltic Star you took the words right out of my mouth! Alan Hill Bridgeport, Pa. USA


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## yorky jim (Jul 7, 2006)

well with all that gear on board ,they could not do a single thing,because the navigator may not have told the captain it was too shallow for the draught of the CORNWALL to proceed to that situation that was unfolding at the time .
WE call it human error


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## John Rogers (May 11, 2004)

The CORNWALL didn't have to go into shallow water to help the smaller boats, a couple of well placed rounds near the Iranians may have changed their minds.
Thats only my opinion,not knowing what their mission was I can only make a guess.
John.


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## PeterG (Aug 26, 2005)

Maybe Cornwall didn't know. 
The sailors were on a patrol in small dingy type vessels, and had been inspecting a cargo ship. The Cornwall wouldn't have been right next to it when the Iranians arrived.


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## non descript (Nov 18, 2005)

Shaun Jones has kindly posted a very recent image of HMS Cornwall *here*


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## Keltic Star (Jan 21, 2006)

PeterG said:


> Maybe Cornwall didn't know.
> The sailors were on a patrol in small dingy type vessels, and had been inspecting a cargo ship. The Cornwall wouldn't have been right next to it when the Iranians arrived.


I know that we don't have all the facts, but the RIB's were dispatched from Cornwall. As they have limited fuel range and cannot operate too long due to crew fatigue caused by motion, Cornwall was not far away and should have been protecting her "rubber ducky's", at least with additional boats acting as sentury while the interdiction operation was under way. 

RIB's are far from practical for this type of mission, they are virtually defenceless, no on board fire power, no balistic protection, limited electronic sensing protection and serious long term crew injuries due to G-forces. But they are cheap to buy, about the same price the government seems to put on the lives of it's brave men and women in the Forces.

As for the top brass aboard the Cornwall, demotion to ships mascot should be the least punishment but they will probably get Knighthoods as a reward for gross incompetence.


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## John Rogers (May 11, 2004)

Right on Keltic Star.
John.


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