TNAG-0538-FCO40-633-Strength-of-garrison-in-Hong-Kong-1975 — Page 121

CONFIDENT TAL

3RD DRAFT

Valiant class. Three more fleet submarines are under

construction and a twelfth is planned to be ordered

during the year.

(iii) Destroyers and Frigates

HMS Sheffield, the first of the new Type 42

guided-missile destroyers, has entered service and will

be followed this year by HMS Birmingham,

The first

and

Type 21 frigate, HMS Amazon, has entered service

three more are to be accepted this year. The first

of the new Type 22 frigates was ordered early in 1974

and is currently under construction by Messrs Yarrow.

Four more Type 42s and four more Type 21s are under

construction, and orders for two Type 42s and one

Type 22 are planned for this year.

(iv) Mine Countermeasures Vessels

The first ship of a new class of glass-reinforced

plastic mine countermeasures vessels is to be ordered

from Messrs Vosper Thorneycroft. This vessel will be

the largest ship ever built in glass-reinforced plastic and

is designed for both mine-hunting and minesweeping.

(v) Other Ships

A survey ship and two small fleet tankers have been

accepted into service. The Royal Navy has also acquired

an ocean-going tug, commissioned as the submarine tender.

HMS Wakeful, for duties in the Clyde area. These vessels

are in addition to those mentioned in Chapter IT

(paragraph 40 ) for distant patrols in UK offshore

waters. The first Bird Class patrol boat, HMS Kingfisher,

III

5

CONFIDENTIAL

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