An Introduction to Not the Big Ships: NGFS As Provided by Destroyers & Below Part 2 of 2

With battleships gone and cruisers scarce, destroyers and frigates may carry a navy's heaviest available guns even though they remain escorts by lineage and role.

Operation Claymore shows how four Tribal-class destroyers, HMS Legion, two landing ships medium, and landing craft supported a heavily resourced commando raid on the Lofoten Islands.

One Tribal-class destroyer uses its guns, presence, and crew to compel the Italian garrison of Linosa to surrender.

HMCS Haida's Korean War crews learned to stop railway traffic by hitting the locomotive with their first or second round before destroying the rest of the train.

HMCS Haida shows how visual presence depends on a ship's lines, appearance, and upkeep as well as physical size.

The false claim that HMS Invincible had been sunk came from Argentine propaganda. Newspapers repeated it, but many also carried British denials.

The Battle of Goose Green shows how HMS Arrow, an inexpensive Amazon-class Type 21 frigate, delivered important supporting fire during the Falklands campaign.

The Type 31's gun-heavy design is welcome, but its 57 mm weapon may be too light for full naval gunfire support, leaving heavier escorts to cover amphibious operations.

Falklands-era frigates carried gunfire comparable to substantial land-artillery support while bringing their own mobility and ammunition supply.

A twin mount can keep one gun firing after the other fails, while the extra barrel greatly increases the suppressive fire available to troops ashore.

Later Type 22 frigates gained 4.5-inch guns after the Falklands exposed the limits of missile-focused escorts in littoral and shore-support missions.

The case for retaining all 16 Type 23 frigates rests on gaining three useful hulls at little extra operating cost compared with a fleet of 13.

At Al-Faw in the Second Gulf War, three Royal Navy ships were available to provide naval gunfire support.