Type 23 Duke-class frigate HMS St Albans completes mid-life refit

The Type 23 Duke-class frigate HMS St Albans has completed the final stages of its mid-life refit at its Devonport base, the Royal Navy said.

The refit included an updating of onboard equipment, but also 1.2 million hours of staff time for sailors, engineers and software specialists. The final element of the refit was the RN’s programme of fleet operational sea training (FOST).

FOST was designed to provide training across all RN surface ships, submarines, Royal Fleet Auxiliaries and Strike Groups, with broad standards but a ship-by-ship focus. Particularly after a significant change like the mid-life refit, it prepares all onboard staff for the way in which things should be done on the vessel, according to the RN.

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BBC Devon spoke to Executive Officer Byron Linn of HMS St Albans about the refit and the training.

He said: “My team has learnt lots of stuff in terms of the external battle, but also the internal battle when it comes to putting out fires or dealing with casualties. FOST makes us work hard together on a daily basis. As a result, we have bonded as a crew.”

The Type 23 Duke-class frigate is due to be replaced by the newly-built Type 26 vessels from BAE Systems. The 12 remaining Type 23s will be replaced by a fleet of just eight of the more modular, versatile Type 26 frigates.

The latest Type 26, HMS Sheffield began its steel cutting in Glasgow in the last week of November 2024. HMS St Albans will likely be the last Type 23 on active duty, as its out-of-service date is not until 2035, the latest date in the Type 23 schedule.

The Royal Navy will be aiming to get its money’s worth out of the 2024 mid-life refit and training, which should see the vessel through the next nine years.

Meanwhile, a contract signed between the RN and Babcock in April 2024 put the ongoing upkeep and refit of the Type 23 fleet in the company’s hands. Babcock’s Refit Support Group has taken over end-to-end responsibility for vessel upkeep and regeneration of the Type 23 fleet.

Related Equipment in Defence Insight

Duke Class (Type 23)