Corvette

A type of warship, a surface combat vessel smaller than a frigate with a standard displacement of around 600 to 2,000 tons, whose main missions include anti-submarine warfare in coastal waters, escorting merchant ships, preventing intrusions, security, and patrols.

Originally, the name was given to a small sailing warship that was first built in France in the 17th century and then widely built in other countries, with a three-mast (a mast means a mast) flat-deck hull and one deck equipped with 18 to 20 cannons. It existed until the era of steam-sailed ships in the mid-19th century, but disappeared with the arrival of the era of steam-powered steel warships.

In the early days of World War II, Britain built the Flower Class (925 ton standard displacement), a simple, small, slow-speed escort ship based on a whaling ship, for coastal convoy escort, and revived the name corvette for this type of ship. This class and its improved versions were built in great numbers in Commonwealth countries, and were used to escort convoys not only in the coastal waters as originally planned, but throughout the Atlantic, but because they were too small, they came to be replaced by larger, more capable frigates. Japan, the United States, Italy, and others also built and used similar small escort ships.

After World War II, anti-submarine and escort ships disappeared due to insufficient capabilities due to the improvement of submarine capabilities, and small lightly armed ships for coastal waters operations and small escort ships for coastal waters operations were built for small and medium-sized naval nations. However, after that, due to the appearance of small anti-ship missiles, anti-aircraft missiles for self-defense, lightweight automated medium-caliber guns, achievement of labor saving by automating engine control and weapon control systems, development of small lightweight high-power propulsion engines such as gas turbines, and improvement of seaability by advances in hull structure and motion reduction devices, corvettes evolved into small combat ships with cheap and powerful armaments from the late 1960s, and many were built. These vessels sacrifice some of their seaworthiness and anti-submarine capabilities, but they have surface attack power and air defense capabilities comparable to conventional destroyers and frigates, and can reach speeds of approximately 25 to 30 knots, making them the ideal type of ship for countries that cannot economically build large ships or whose geography does not require maritime operations.

There are two types of corvettes today: smaller frigate-like vessels, and larger high-speed missile boats with standard displacements of 500 to 700 tons and high speeds (around 35 knots). The former make up the majority of ships currently in service, and come in a variety of types, including those focused on surface attacks, anti-submarine, coastal patrol, and combinations of these, but they are evolving into small general-purpose ships with correspondingly stronger surface attack capabilities, anti-submarine capabilities, and self-defense capabilities. Most of the latter are equipped with anti-ship missiles and focused on surface attacks.

[Yasuo Abe]

"New Modern Warships" by Horimoto Motomi and Ebata Kensuke (1987, Hara Shobo) " "World's Ships No. 698 Special Feature: New Generation Corvettes" (2008, Kaijinsha) "Stephen Saunders Jane's Fighting Ships 2010-2011 (2010, Jane's Information Group)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

軍艦の一種で、近海における対潜、商船護衛、侵入阻止、警備、哨戒(しょうかい)などをおもな任務とした、フリゲートより小型で基準排水量600～2000トン程度の水上戦闘艦艇。

　元来は、17世紀にフランスが最初に建造し、その後各国で広く建造された、3檣(しょう)（檣は帆柱のこと）平甲板型船体に、砲18～20門装備の甲板1層を有する小型帆装軍艦につけられた艦種名称で、19世紀中ごろの汽帆併走艦時代まで存在していたが、汽走鋼製軍艦時代に入り消滅した。

　第二次世界大戦初期にイギリスは、近海での船団護衛用に、捕鯨船をベースとした簡易型小型低速護衛艦フラワー級Flower Class（基準排水量925トン）を建造し、この艦種にコルベットの名称を復活させた。本級およびその改良型はイギリス連邦諸国できわめて多数建造され、当初計画の近海のみならず大西洋全域で船団護衛に使用されたが、船型過小であったため、より大型高能力のフリゲートにとってかわられるようになった。日本、アメリカ、イタリアなども、同様の小型護衛艦をつくり使用した。

　第二次世界大戦後、潜水艦の能力向上により、洋上での対潜、護衛用の艦は能力不十分のため姿を消し、主として沿岸警備、小規模な紛争への対処、陸戦協力、漁業保護などを目的とした小型軽兵装艦や、沿岸水域作戦用の小型護衛艦が、中小海軍国用につくられた。しかしその後、小型対艦ミサイル、自艦防御用対空ミサイル、軽量自動化中口径砲などの出現、機関制御および武器管制システムの大幅自動化による省力化の達成、ガスタービンなど小型軽量大出力推進機関の発達、船体構造および動揺軽減装置の進歩による航洋性向上などにより、1960年代末期からコルベットは、安価にしてかつ有力な兵装を有する小型戦闘艦へと発展を遂げ、多数建造されるようになった。これらは洋上における航洋性と、対潜性能をある程度犠牲にしているが、従来の駆逐艦やフリゲートに匹敵する水上攻撃力と自艦防空力を備え、速力はおおむね25～30ノットで、経済上大型艦の建造が許されない国や、地勢上洋上作戦を必要としない国にとり最適の艦種として重用されている。

　現在のコルベットには、フリゲートの小型版的な艦と、高速ミサイル艇を大型化した基準排水量500～700トン、高速力（35ノット前後）の艦との2型式がある。前者は現用艦の多くを占め、対水上攻撃重視型、対潜重視型、沿岸哨戒型、これらの複合型などがあるが、対水上攻撃力、対潜能力、自艦防空能力などを相応に強化して小型汎用(はんよう)艦へと発展しつつある。後者はほとんどが対艦ミサイル装備の対水上攻撃重視型である。

［阿部安雄］

『堀元美・江畑謙介著『新・現代の軍艦』（1987・原書房）』▽『『世界の艦船第698号　特集　新世代のコルベット』（2008・海人社）』▽『Stephen SaundersJane's Fighting Ships 2010-2011（2010, Jane's Information Group）』

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例