Mark 13 missile launcher#Variations

{{Infobox weapon

| name = Mark 13 Guided Missile Launching System

| image = Tartar missile.jpg

| image_size = 300

| caption = A RIM-66 Standard missile mounted on the Mark 13 missile launcher aboard the French Navy frigate Cassard

| origin = United States

| type = Guided Missile Launching System

| is_ranged = yes

| service = late 1960s to present

| used_by = United States Navy
Spanish Navy
Royal Australian Navy
French Navy
Royal Netherlands Navy
German Navy
Italian Navy
Polish Navy
Pakistan Navy
Turkish Navy

| wars = Cold War
Tanker War

| designer =

| design_date = 1960s

| manufacturer = FMC / United Defense / BAE

| unit_cost =

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| number =

| variants = Mark 22

| spec_label =

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| length =

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| action =

| rate = 1 Standard missile every 8 seconds
1 Harpoon missile every 22 seconds[http://www.alternatewars.com/BBOW/Weapons/NAVEDTRA_14109_Ch7-8.pdf NAVEDTRA 14909 Gunner’s Mate 3 & 2 – Chapters 7 through 8 (1996)] via alternatewars.com Accessed May 11, 2014

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The Mark 13 guided missile launching system (GMLS) is a single-arm missile launcher designed for use on frigates and other military vessels. Because of its distinctive single-armed design, the Mark 13 is often referred to as the "one-armed bandit".

The Mark 13 is equipped to fire the RIM-66 Standard, RGM-84 Harpoon, and RIM-24 Tartar missiles for anti-air and anti-ship defense, and is capable of firing the Standard at a rate of one every eight seconds.{{cite web |url=http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/weaps/mk13-gmls.pdf |format=PDF|title=mk13-gmls.pdf |author=United Defense |publisher=Federation of American Scientists Military Analysis Network |date=March 29, 1998 |access-date=April 15, 2007 }} Its 40-round magazine consists of two concentric rings of vertically stored missiles, 24 in the outer ring and 16 in the inner. Total capacity was reduced by 1 due to a requirement to carry a Guided Missile Training Round (GMTR) in order to test system functionality. In case of a fire, the system is equipped with magazine sprinkling, CO2 suppression and booster suppression. It is also equipped with a dud jettison function to eject a round overboard if it fails to fire.[http://www.alternatewars.com/BBOW/Weapons/NAVEDTRA_14109_Ch7-8.pdf NAVEDTRA 14909 Gunner’s Mate 3 & 2 – Chapters 7 through 8 (1996)] via alternatewars.com Accessed May 11, 2014

Usage

In the United States Navy, the Mark 13 launcher was most typically employed as part of the Mark 74 Guided Missile Launch System, or the Mark 92 Fire Control System. Though the launcher was original armament on U.S. Navy Perry-class frigates (and their derivatives), in order to save costs on an obsolete system, by 2004 all active U.S. Navy vessels have had the system removed.{{cite journal|last=Burgess|first=Richard R.|date=September 2003|title=Guided Missiles Removed from Perry-class Frigates (Sea Services section: Northrop Grumman-Built DDG Mustin Commissioned in U.S. Pacific Fleet)|journal=Sea Power|publisher=Navy League of the United States|location=Washington, D.C.|volume=46|issue=9|page=34|issn=0199-1337|oclc=3324011|url=http://www.navyleague.org/sea_power/sep_03_34.php|access-date=2008-09-22|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090112064344/http://www.navyleague.org/sea_power/sep_03_34.php|archive-date=2009-01-12}} It was also fitted on the French Cassard-class frigates, as well as the two Mitscher-class destroyers converted to DDGs, the last ten American Charles F. Adams-class destroyers, the American {{sclass|California|cruiser}}s, the German {{sclass|Lütjens|destroyer}}s and Australian {{sclass|Perth|destroyer}}s and {{sclass|Adelaide|frigate}}s, and Dutch {{sclass|Tromp|frigate}}s and {{sclass|Jacob van Heemskerck|frigate}}s, and Italian {{sclass|Durand de la Penne|destroyer}}s.{{Cn|date=October 2021}}

Due to the end of the US Navy's support of the Mark 13 missile launcher, support for the systems in Taiwanese service was taken up by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology.{{cite web |last1=LUNDQUIST |first1=EDWARD |title=Neighborhood Problems in the Taiwan Strait |url=https://indsr.org.tw/en/News_detail/122/Neighborhood-Problems-in-the-Taiwan-Strait |website=indsr.org.tw |publisher=INDSR |access-date=5 December 2019}} The same approach was taken for the Mark 13’s SM-1.{{cite web |last1=Lundquist |first1=Edward W. |title=nterview with Adm. Richard Chen, Republic of China Navy (Ret.) |url=https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/interview-with-adm-richard-chen-republic-of-china-navy-ret/ |website=Defense Media Network |access-date=2 August 2019}}

Variations

The Mark 22 guided missile launching system (GMLS) is a variation of the Mark 13 launcher which has only the inner 16 round storage ring of the Mark 13 launcher. It was deployed on US-designed, Baleares-class Spanish frigates.Friedman, Norman, The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapons Systems 1997-1998, Page 419, USNI Press 1997. and US Navy Brooke class frigates. Another major difference is that on the Mark 22 the magazine is non-rotating. The launcher rotates over the desired missile and it is then hoisted onto the rail. On the Mark 13 the magazine rotates under the launcher.[http://www.okieboat.com/GMM/GMM%203%20and%202%20CHAPTER%205%20Guided%20Missile%20Launching%20Systems.pdf Gunner’s Mate 3 & 2 Chapter 5]. USN. Accessed May 12, 2014.

Gallery

File:Standard Missile - ID 060730-N-8977L-011.jpg|A Standard MR missile being fired from the Mark 13 launcher of Spanish frigate Canarias

File:RGM-84 Harpoon on missile launcher of USS Goldsborough (DDG-20) on 1 October 1990 (6476486).jpg|A Harpoon Missile on the rail of a Mark 13 aboard {{USS|Goldsborough|DDG-20|6}}

File:HMAS Adelaide FFG01 Mk13 missile launcher loading part 3.jpg|Training round (GMTR) loaded for testing aboard {{HMAS|Adelaide|FFG 01|6}}

File:Mk 13 GMLS aboard USS Doyle (FFG-39).jpg|Elevated viewpoint of the Mark 13 launcher aboard {{USS|Doyle|FFG-39|6}}

File:MK 13 GMLS Diagram.jpg|Diagram of the Mark 13 mod 4 GMLS

File:Mark 13 missile launcher of ROCN PFG-1110 20190324.jpg|ROCS Tian Dan's Mark 13 launchers

See also

References

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