A frigate has limited length and volume for weapons, and ASW is usually one of several roles competing for that space. In the 1950s and 1960s, long-range ASW weapons competed mainly with anti-aircraft armament. Anti-ship missiles and embarked helicopters later added demands on weapon stowage, hangars and flight decks. The US Mark 41 vertical launcher accommodates different roles in modular cells, including air-defence and strike missiles as well as vertical-launch ASROC and its Japanese and Korean equivalents. The limitation identified in the book is that the launcher cannot be replenished at sea, although work on that problem is acknowledged. On that basis, a ship leaves port with a set distribution of weapon functions.
Chapter · 29:18-30:28
Shipboard ASW competes for magazine and launcher space
Limited hull space and a fixed sailing load force frigates to divide weapons and aviation capacity among competing missions.