Are There Any Leander Class Frigates Left?

The Leander-class, or Type 12I (Improved) frigates, were one of the most numerous and long-lived classes of frigate in the Royal Navy’s modern history. Built in three batches between 1959 and 1973, these vessels comprised twenty-six vessels. The class never had a frigate type number, particularly not Type 12M, as type-numbering of new designs was functionally irrelevant after the Royal Navy abandoned the mobilization.

The Leanders represent one of the outstanding frigate designs of the post-war period, built in greater numbers than any other class of major Royal Navy surface ships since the formal creation of the Royal Navy. With the help of some close MOD purchases, the design was made possible by purchasing Ikara missiles to fit into two new aircraft carriers planned, and their escorts, of which only HMS Bristol was built.

The Leander silhouette became synonymous with the Royal Navy through the 1960s until the 1980s. Only two Leander Class Frigates survive today, serving in the Ecuadorian Navy as of February 2015. The Leander class was the UK’s most successful frigate design, combining operational flexibility with excellent sea-keeping in affordable ships.

The Leander class was one of the more well-known RN ships from the cold war, inspiring other ships like HMS Hero. In 1981, the RNZN announced it was purchasing two Leander-class frigates to replace HMNZS Otago and Taranaki, with the ships selected being HMS Dido Bacchante and HMS…