View source for County-class destroyer

{{short description |Class of British warships}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{ distinguish | County-class cruiser }}
{{Infobox ship
| sclass = 2
|section1={{Infobox ship/image
 |image = HMS Kent, Portsmouth Navy Yards, July 1989.jpg
 |image_caption = HMS ''Kent'' at Portsmouth in 1989
 }}

|section2={{Infobox ship/class overview
 |name = County class
 |builders = * [[Cammell Laird]]
             * [[Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company|Fairfields Shipbuilding]]
             * [[Harland & Wolff]]
             * [[John Brown & Company|John Brown]]
             * [[Swan Hunter]]
             * [[Upper Clyde Shipbuilders]]
             * [[Vickers-Armstrongs]]
 |operators = * {{navy|United Kingdom}}
              * {{navy|Chile}}
              * {{navy|Pakistan}}
 |class_before = {{sclass|Daring|destroyer (1949)|4}}
 |class_after = [[Type 82 destroyer|Type 82]]
 |subclasses = * Batch 1
               * Batch 2
 |cost = 
 |built_range = 
 |in_service_range = 
 |in_commission_range = 16 November 1962 – 22 September 2006
 |total_ships_completed = 8
 |total_ships_cancelled = 2{{sfnp|Brown|Moore|2003}}
 |total_ships_laid_up = 2 <!-- *[[HMS Antrim (D18)|''Almirante Cochrane'']] ex ''Antrim''
                               * [[HMS Norfolk (D21)|''Capitán Prat'']] ex ''Norfolk'' -->
 |total_ships_lost = 0 <!-- *[[HMS Devonshire (D02)|HMS ''Devonshire'']] (as target)
                            * [[HMS Glamorgan (D19)|''Almirante Latorre'']] (accident on way to scrap) -->
}}

|section3={{Infobox ship/characteristics
 |hide_header = 
 |header_caption = 
 |type = [[Guided missile destroyer]]
 |displacement = 6,200 [[long ton|tons]]
 |length = {{convert|520|ft|m|abbr=on}}
 |beam = {{convert|54|ft|m|abbr=on}}
 |height = 
 |draught = {{convert|21|ft|m|abbr=on}}
 |power = 
 |propulsion = * [[Combined steam and gas|COSAG]] on 2 shafts;
               * 2× [[Babcock & Wilcox boiler]]s, geared steam turbines, {{convert|30000|shp|abbr=on|lk=in}}
               * 4× [[Metropolitan-Vickers|Metrovick]] G6 gas turbines, 30,000&nbsp;shp
 |speed = {{convert|30|kn|lk=in}}
 |range = {{convert|3500|nmi|lk=in}}
 |endurance = 
 |complement = 471 (33 officers, 438 ratings)
 |sensors = Type 903 radar ([[MRS-3]] [[fire-control system|system]])
 |EW = 
 |armament = * 2× fore-mounted twin-gunned turret with [[QF 4.5 inch Mk I – V naval gun|4.5-inch (113&nbsp;mm) guns Mark N6]] (Batch 2's turret "B" was later replaced by 4× [[Exocet|MM38 Exocet]] missile launchers)
             * 2× mountings for [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon]]
             * 1× aft-mounted [[Seaslug missile|Seaslug GWS.1 or GWS.2]] surface to air missile system (24 missiles)
             * 2× mountings (port & starboard) for [[Seacat (missile)#GWS-22|Seacat GWS-22]] SAM
             * 2× triple-tube launchers for shipborne torpedoes
 |armour = 
 |aircraft = 1× [[Westland Wessex|Wessex HAS Mk 3]] helicopter
 |aircraft_facilities = [[Flight deck]] and enclosed [[hangar]] for embarking one helicopter
 |notes = 
 }}
}}

The '''County class''' was a class of British [[guided missile destroyer]]s, the first such warships built by the [[Royal Navy]]. Designed specifically around the [[Seaslug (missile)|Seaslug]] [[anti-aircraft]] missile system, the primary role of these ships was area air defence around the [[aircraft carrier]] task force in the nuclear-war environment.<ref name= RINApaper1974 >Purvis,M.K., 'Post War RN Frigate and Guided Missile Destroyer Design 1944–1969', Transactions, Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA), 1974</ref><ref name=MarriottBook >Marriott, Leo: ''Royal Navy Destroyers since 1945'', {{ISBN|0-7110-1817-0}}, Ian Allan Ltd, 1989</ref>

Eight ships were built and entered service. Two served in the [[British naval forces in the Falklands War|British naval task force]] in the [[Falklands War]] in 1982. After leaving British service, four ships were sold to the Chilean Navy and one to the Pakistan Navy.

==Development==
A class of ten ships was envisaged in 1958 for about [[British pound|£]]6–7.5 million each,<ref>G. Moore. Daring to Devonshire in Warship 2006. Conway Maritime. (London) p124, 130</ref> equivalent to a costed Programme for four large, Seaslug-armed, 15,000-ton cruisers, estimated at £14 million each,{{sfn|Moore|2005| p=124}} based on an upgraded [[Minotaur-class cruiser (1947)|''Minotaur''-class cruiser]] (1951), approved for full design in early 1955. The final four County-class ships, with hull numbers 07 to 10, were delayed in 1960 while an anti-submarine escort carrier was considered. Hulls 07 and 08 were approved in 1963 as a temporary stopgap,{{sfn|Moore|2005|p= 130}}<ref>ADM 167 162 1963</ref> and the ninth and tenth hulls were cancelled.

The class was designed as a hybrid cruiser-destroyer with dimensions similar to the broad-beam 1951 [[Dido-class cruiser|''Dido'' class]].<ref>1/ADM22760:1951 Emergency War Programme, Gun armament (PRO)</ref>{{sfn|Brown|Moore|2012|p=31}} Much larger than predecessors such as the 2,800 ton {{sclass|Daring|destroyer (1949)|4}}. the new County class would be destroyer-leaders for aircraft carrier task forces and when operating "[[East of Suez]]" also play a traditional cruiser flagship role with shore bombardment, and attacking enemy shipping.{{sfn|McCart |2014 |pp=pvii & 3}} In 1955 the new [[First Sea Lord]] [[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma|Louis Mountbatten]] specified the development of 4,800 ton Fast fleet escort design (DNC 7/959) with a Seaslug missile replacing a stern twin 3-inch anti-aircraft mounting,.{{sfn|Moore|2005|p=123}} This replacing a 15,000 ton cruiser design which would have combined Seaslug with the Type 984 3D radar and a conventional [[Tiger-class cruiser|''Tiger''-class]] gun armament.{{Citation needed|date=September 2025}}

During 1956–1958 a full "alternative" gun armament was an option for the new Fast Escort for the fleet {{sfn|Hall (May 2008)|pp=48–51}} based on a modern [[Combined steam and gas|combined gas turbine and steam turbine]] (COSAG) propulsion unit and armed with two twin 4.5-inch guns, two twin 40&nbsp;mm Bofors and a single twin 3-inch gun. A detailed March 1957 study following the [[Suez Crisis]] and the [[1957 Defence White Paper]] decided to increase the size of the new missile destroyers to that of light cruisers and include some cruiser features<ref>DNC 7/1014 for Board of Admiralty & ADM 167/150:1957</ref><ref>Brown & Moore. 2012, p 37=8</ref> The study opted for a {{convert|505|ft|abbr=on}} long hull with a fit of 18 Seaslug and four nuclear warhead fitted Seaslug for extended range anti-aircraft, anti-missile and anti-ship.<ref>DNC 7/1014</ref> Twin [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40 mm Bofors]] were kept due to doubt over the future and effectiveness of the [[Seacat (missile)|"Green Light"]] missile then under development.{{sfnp|Moore|2005|p=127}} The [[Limbo (weapon)|Limbo mortar]] was the only anti-submarine weapon.{{Citation needed|date=September 2025}}

A revised design in March 1958 added Seaslug and Seacat missiles and a telescoping aircraft hangar. Mountbatten staged an impressive demonstration shoot for [[flag officer]]s and politicians: the Seaslug test ship [[HMS Girdle Ness|HMS ''Girdle Ness'']] launched ten Seaslugs, including a salvo of two Seaslugs together. The success included hits in the lethal zone of two piston-engine [[Fairey Firefly]] radio-controlled drones at {{convert|16|km|abbr=on}} flying at a speed of 315-375&nbsp;mph.{{sfn |Grove |2005 |p=198}} This enabled the Minister of Defence [[Duncan Sandys]] to gain the approval of the Cabinet Defence Committee for Seaslug production to be approved in 1958.{{sfn|Grove |2005 |p=198}}<ref>:PRO. ADM 205/172 1958, (26) p. 211</ref>

While the missile worked against level flying targets, the beam guidance system was dubious at range and in rough water and eight fixed stabilisers were added to the design of the County-class. Advocacy for the guided missiles fit{{sfnp|Wise|2007|pp=19–21}} was led by Mountbatten{{sfnp|Preston|1980}}{{page needed|date=April 2023}} and the Cabinet agreed with using the system, despite staff reports over missile unreliability and inaccuracy,.{{sfnp|Wise|2007|pages=19–21}} This was confirmed by the dismal performance in the following Seaslug target launches at [[RAAF Woomera Range Complex|Woomera range]], South Australia in 1959{{sfn|Grove|2005|p=198}} Many Royal Australian Navy officers felt Seaslug was unsuitable for the RAN.{{sfnp|Moore|2005|pp=132–133, note&nbsp;26, p.&nbsp;135}}

Final revisions to the design in 1958<ref>ADM 167 152 1958 and First Lords Record (Public Record Office)- the final, construction order, ship cover and legend no longer exist</ref> were to adopt a high flush deck from B turret, increasing internal space, the cancellation of the nuclear-tipped Seaslug, and provision for folding fins for the Seaslug; this allowed storage of 20 extra missile bodies which could be rapidly assembled. Against staff advice, a tight fitting, fixed side-hangar for the anti-submarine [[Westland Wessex]] helicopter was added on the insistence of the First Sea Lord.{{sfnp|Mountbatten|1989|p=187}} While a flawed layout, it proved usable when tested in the [[Falklands War]] in 1982.{{Citation needed|date=September 2025}}

Lord Mountbatten classified the County-class as guided missile destroyers to gain Treasury and political support{{sfn|McCart|2014|p=vii, 1-3}} with cruisers discredited in the media{{citation needed|date=April 2023}} as colonial relics, obsolete gunships like battleships. The Royal Navy staff and officers regarded the County class as cruisers{{sfn|McCart |2014|p=3}} and to signify{{citation needed|date=April 2023}} they were major surface units they were given names previously carried by cruisers including the preceding [[County-class cruiser|County-class heavy cruisers]] and First World War [[Armored cruiser|armoured cruisers]]. They were however less than real cruisers,  unarmoured and fitted to destroyer standards, except for staff accommodation and a dated, short ranged, semi automatic, 4.5 destroyer armament<ref>D.K. Brown. Century of Naval Construction.  History of Royal Corps of Naval Constructors. Conway Maritime. London (1983)</ref><ref>C.J Bartlett. The Long Retreat. A Short History of British Defence Policy 1945-70. Macmillan (1972) & Palgrave (2014)</ref>{{page needed|date=April 2023}} given additional spotting radar. They did provide space and weight for light Bofors and Oerlikons to be fitted if required as happened post Falklands War. The apparently impressive performance of Seaslug against jet [[Gloster Meteor]] UC15 drones, giving the Royal Navy a good number of impressive County-class 'destroyers' and a greater number of ship commands and posts for ambitious officers.{{sfnp|Wilson|2013|pp=624–625}}

While short on the support and logistic spares stocks of a traditional cruiser, they were  envisaged by the [[Director of Naval Construction]] as being 'probably' used in the cruiser role{{sfn|Hall (May 2008)|p=48}} with space for Flag staff offices, and admiral's barge accommodation<ref>{{cite book |last=Friedman |first=Norman |title=The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapon Systems |edition=5th |year=2006 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=978-1-55750-262-9 |pages=181–190}}</ref> in the 1960s: the last decade when the UK oversaw significant colonial territory East of Suez. Its missile capability had been overtaken by aircraft development by 1962–63, when HMS ''Devonshire'' and ''Hampshire'' entered service, but in the early and mid-1960s the modern lines of these guided-missile destroyers, with their traditional RN cruiser style and their impressive-looking missiles, enabled the overstretched Royal Navy to project sufficient power to close down the threat of a militant, left-leaning Indonesia to Malaysia and Borneo during the [[Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation]].<ref>{{cite book |first=N. |last=van der Bijl |title=Confrontation. The War with Indonesia 1962–66 |publisher=Pen & Sword |date=2007 |pages=134–5, 139}}</ref> Indonesia was not impressed and spent the early 1960s building up an anti-carrier force of [[Tupolev_Tu-16]] bombers armed with [[KS-1_Komet]] cruise missiles, the very combination Seaslug could not catch. 

==Design==
[[File:HMS London, 1971 (IWM).jpg|thumb|''London'' leads ''Antrim'' and ''Norfolk'' during exercises in 1971]]

The County class was designed around the [[Seaslug missile|GWS1 Seaslug]] [[beam riding]] anti-aircraft missile system. Seaslug was a first-generation [[surface-to-air missile]] intended to hit high-flying nuclear-armed bombers and surveillance aircraft like the [[Tupolev Tu-16|Tupolev Tu-16 "Badger"]] and [[Tupolev Tu-95|Tupolev Tu-95 "Bear"]], which could direct strikes against the British fleet from missile destroyers and cruise missile-armed submarines. The Tu 95 and the improved [[Tupolev Tu-142]] were demanding targets for a missile like Seaslug; the long-range Soviet turboprop aircraft flew at an altitude of {{convert|7.5|mi|ft m|abbr=on}}, at {{convert|572|mph|abbr=on}}<ref>Gunston, B. ''The Encyclopedia of Russian Aircraft, 1875–1975''. Motorbooks International, (rep Osprey, Reed, ed), WI, USA (2005) p. 425.</ref> and were barely within the engagement capability of Seaslug.{{sfn|Wise| 2007 |p= 20}} In 1956 during the first integrated trials of Sea Slug on HMS ''Girdle Ness'' cancellation of Seaslug was considered. The RAF found Seaslug could not cover low and high level targets and was only marginally capable on subsonic targets at 3–10 miles and height of 1–7 miles, and not effective against modern [[V Bomber]], [[English Electric Canberra]] and Soviet Il-28 type aircraft which were likely to be used in a 1956 Suez confrontation.{{sfn|Wise|2007|pp= 19-20, 26-27}} The missile was obsolete in many Admirals and MPs views compared the USN Terrier missile, the RAF Bristol Bloodhound and the British Army's Thunderbird semi-active homing missiles in service by 1958. CNS, Mountbatten and Vice Admiral Reid, saw it as 'deplorable' that Sea Slug was so far behind due to the lack of engineers and higher priority for Korea but it was essential to Royal Navy and UK credibility and independence to  continue with Sea Slug.{{sfn|Wise| 2007 |p= 19}} A new British missile or adoption of the Terrier Mk11 or Thunderbird would take too long.{{sfn|Wise| 2007 |pp= 19-20}} The improved Mark 2 version of Seaslug had 10,000&nbsp;ft (3000 m) greater altitude and speed.

The Seaslug system was a large weapon. Each missile was {{convert|6|m|ftin|abbr=on}} long and weighed two tons; its handling arrangements and electronics systems were also large; so even fitting a single system aboard a ship the size of the Counties was a challenge. The missiles were stowed horizontally in a long unarmoured magazine which was sited above the waterline and took up a great deal of internal space. The risk of fire near the magazine was checked by an automatic sprinkler system.{{sfnp|Moore|2005|page=129}} In order to increase the number of missiles that could be carried, on the last four ships, some of the missiles were stored partly disassembled in the forward end of the magazine. Their wings and fins would be reattached before being moved into the aft sections of the handling spaces and eventually loaded onto the large twin launcher for firing.{{Citation needed|date=September 2025}}

The limitations of the beam riding guidance method and lack of a homing head, meant the Mk 1 and 2 Seaslug were intended to have nuclear variants - the much larger blast compensating for lack of accuracy. However nuclear warhead for Mk 1 Seaslug (for the first group of ships) was dropped as it needed extra crew, space and security which were not available on the smaller hull; development of the nuclear warhead for Seaslug on the second group of ships was cancelled in June 1962,<ref>{{citation |first=R. |last=Moore |title=Nuclear. Illusion and Nuclear Reality. Britain, the United States and Nuclear Weapons 1958–1964 |publisher=Palgrave |location= London |date=2010 |page= 222}}</ref> to reduce the naval budget, and the RNs requirement below 334 tactical nuclear warheads.{{Citation needed|date=September 2025}}

The County-class and the Seaslug missile were interim solutions and the new [[Sea Dart]] anti-aircraft missile would have speed and accuracy to ensure a hit without requiring a nuclear warhead. Mountbatten doubted the usefulness of tactical nuclear weapons by 1962, due to escalation theories, scientific advice and greater evidence of fallout consequences, leading to the [[Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty]] in 1963. There were also staff and space difficulties with carrying nuclear warheads on confined destroyers.{{sfnp|Mountbatten|1989 }} As early as 1952, Air Chief Marshal [[John Slessor]] ([[Chief of the Air Staff (United Kingdom)|Chief of the Air Staff]]) the most influential defence Advisor to Winston Churchill considered the Navy irrelevant in a nuclear war,{{sfn|Seldon |1981|pp=334-5}} he first defined, the role of RN was "uncertain"{{sfn|Seldon |1981|pp=334-5}}  as a pretext to maintain a large fleet and required only for political reasons. The [[Suez Crisis|collapse of the 1956 Suez operation]] and the huge impact of the [[British hydrogen bomb programme|British hydrogen bomb tests]] in 1954-57<ref>G. Freudenberg. Churchill & Australia. Macmillan. Sydney (2008) p 529-30</ref>{{sfn|Seldon |1981|pp=314-16, 334-5}} led to the [[1957 Defence White Paper|1957 review of Britain's defences]], reliance on nuclear deterrence by strategic aircraft, missiles and missile submarines and doubt that a nuclear war would last long enough to require trans-Atlantic convoys. Corresponding doubt whether major conventional war was still possible on the basis of the last 1954-5 HC speeches of Churchill<ref>Freudenberg. Churchill & Australia(2008)p529-30</ref>{{sfn|Seldon|1981|pp=314-16, 334-5}} and Eisenhower, justified large cutbacks of British and American large ship, destroyer and carrier programmes<ref>{{cite book |first=N. |last=Friedman |title= The Royal Navy, 1930-2000: Innovation and Defence: Innovation and Defense|editor-first=R. |editor-last=Harding |publisher=Frank Cass |date=2005 |page= 249|isbn=978-0-7146-8581-6}}</ref> and the future role and relevance of the Royal Navy was "unclear"<ref>"Statement on Defence 1957. Future Options". HMSO. 15 March 1957, p 7-8, s15</ref> moving the RN to more limited [[East of Suez]] task forces with gun and Seaslug- and Seacat-armed destroyers escorting medium British aircraft carriers with only a limited nuclear strike capacity against ships and cities equipped with [[Blackburn Buccaneer]] S.1 (and then the improved S.2) strike aircraft mainly aimed to deter regional powers such as Indonesia.<ref>{{citation |first=Edward |last=Hampshire |title=British Guided missile Destroyers: County-class, Type 42, Type 82 and Type 45 |date=2016 |series=New Vanguard 234 |publisher=Osprey }}</ref> Early versions of the equivalent US missile system [[RIM-2 Terrier]], like Seaslug, relied on beam riding and needed a nuclear warhead variant to compensate for inaccuracy at low level and range. However, by 1962, the US was concentrating on the medium range radar guided [[RIM-24 Tartar]] and long range [[RIM-8 Talos]], which had success against long range North Vietnamese aircraft from 1968.<ref>S. Tindle "USS Long Beach. The Last Cruiser" ''Ships Monthly'' August 2018, p. 40.</ref> The Royal Air Force's semi-active land-based [[Bristol Bloodhound]] was unrelated to Seaslug development, but drew top scientists away from RN work.

The County-class design attempted to give maximum protection from nuclear fallout. The operation rooms, where the ship was fought from, was located deep in the ship five decks below the bridge with a lift connecting it to the latter,{{sfnp|Marland|2016|page=77}} which maintained some duplicated command systems. The operations room had the main radar, sonar and electronic warfare screens, and communication data and computer links. The electronics required for the Seaslug were the large [[Type 901 radar|Type 901 fire-control radar]] and the [[Type 965 radar|Type 965 air-search radar]]. These required a great deal of weight to be carried high up on the ship which affected the ship layout. Although superior the [[Type 984 radar]]  was rejected as it was even heavier and would excluded fitting a twin turret 4.5-inch armament forward which was needed for gunfire support or action against surface vessels. It was hoped that RN carriers with Type 984 would provide primary air targeting for the destroyers through a datalink.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brown |last2=Moore |title=Redesigning the RN|date=2012 }}</ref>{{page needed|date=May 2020}} According to a RN naval architect, "Sea Slug did not live up to expectations" and was obsolete by 1957.{{sfnp|Brown|Moore|2003|pp=39, 188}} The compromises required by the heavy and dated Seaslug system detracted from the success and popularity of an otherwise advanced ship design. Its ineffectiveness and vulnerable magazine{{sfnp|Moore|2005|page=133}} and missile fuel reduced confidence in the class,{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} which had potential as command ships, having good seaworthiness, speed and in the group two ships a spacious operations room with [[Type 82 destroyer#History|ADAWS]].

In 1960, because US-designed missiles were seen at the time to be superior to the Seaslug, the [[Royal Australian Navy]] (RAN) proposed a variation of the County-class armed with the US Tartar missile and two additional modifications: hangar space for three [[Westland Wessex]] helicopters and a steam propulsion system, rather than the [[combined steam and gas]] system used in the County class. However, the RAN instead decided to proceed with the {{sclass|Perth|destroyer|4}} (a modified version of the US {{sclass|Charles F. Adams|destroyer|4}}). Two different reasons have been put forward for the Australian decision: according to an Australian history, British authorities would not allow a steam-propelled variant of the county,<ref>Cooper, Alastair; cited by Stevens, David, ed. (2001). ''The Royal Australian Navy. The Australian Centenary History of Defence'' (vol. III); South Melbourne, Oxford University Press, pp. 190–1</ref> whereas, according to a British account, the re-design required to accommodate the Tartar missile would have taken longer than the RAN was prepared to accept.<ref>{{cite book |last=Friedman |first=Norman |title=The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapon Systems |edition=5th |year=2006 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=978-1-55750-262-9 |page=195}}</ref>

The US Terrier missile had some support amongst the RN staff but consideration was not given to acquiring it for the second batch of four ships,{{citation needed|date=July 2014}} as the County class were "shop windows" for advanced UK technology, and it was vital for the British missile and aerospace industry to continue the Sea Slug project, to allow the development of the much improved [[Sea Dart]] missile.  Following problems with the original version, a reworked Action Data Automation Weapon System (ADAWS) was successfully trialled on HMS ''Norfolk'' in 1970.<ref>{{cite book |last=Friedman |first=Norman |title=The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapon Systems |edition=5th |year=2006 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=978-1-55750-262-9 |page=191}}</ref> In the mid-1960s the County-class destroyers were assets; their impressive appearance and [[data link]]s, feeding off the carriers' [[Type 984 radar]], projected effective capability during the [[Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation]].{{sfnp|Wilson|2013|pp=627 & spec}}{{sfn|Hall (December 2008)|p=50}} The Mark 1 Seaslug was operationally reliable and proved useful as a missile target for the new Sea Dart missiles in the late 1970s and early 1980s; the supersonic Mark 2 version proved less effective for this. There are questions as to whether it was ever fully operational and there were problems with missiles breaking up when the boosters separated.<ref>{{cite book |last=Friedman |first=Norman |title=The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapon Systems |edition=5th |year=2006 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=978-1-55750-262-9 |page=192}}</ref> Inaccuracy, primitive [[beam-riding guidance]] and lack of [[infrared homing]] or a [[proximity fuze]] in the Mk 1 made it of limited value.{{sfnp|Brown|Moore|2003|p=39}} Short-range air defence was provided by the [[Seacat (missile)#GWS-22|GWS-22 Seacat]] anti-aircraft missile system, which made the Counties the first Royal Navy warships to be armed with two different types of guided missile.

===Batch 2 improvements===
[[File:NAVO eskader bezoekt Amsterdam, vlaggeschip HNS Norfolk, Bestanddeelnr 928-6223.jpg|thumb|HMS ''Norfolk'', a Batch 2 ship, following modification that removed the 'B' turret and replaced it with four Exocet launcher boxes]]
The second four Counties had improved air warning and target indicator radar ("double bedstead" 965M and a revised 992 for closer range tracking rather than only surface warning). The revised Seaslug Mk2 was supposedly effective against supersonic and surface targets at up to 30&nbsp;km. ADAWS command and control system could process and prioritise air targets detected by the 965 and 992 radar and other so fitted RN warships. This was important as the Type 984 3D processing system on the carriers ''Victorious'', ''Hermes'' and ''Eagle'' were removed from 1967 to 1972, affecting the first four County class ships which depended on datalinks to the carrier systems for primary radar and targeting processing of Seaslug.

As constructed, the County-class ships were armed with a pair of twin [[QF 4.5 inch naval gun|QF 4.5-inch gun]] mountings. These had magazines for 225 shells for each gun, two-thirds of the magazine capacity for the same guns in the single-turreted [[Leander-class frigate|''Leander''-class frigate]]s.<ref>{{cite book |last=Friedman |first=Norman |title=The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapon Systems |edition=5th |year=2006 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=978-1-55750-262-9 |page=189}}</ref> The second batch of four ships (''Antrim'', ''Fife'', ''Glamorgan'' and ''Norfolk'') were refitted in the mid-1970s – their 'B' turrets were removed and replaced by four single [[Exocet|MM38 Exocet]] surface-to-surface anti-ship-missile launcher boxes in order to increase the fleet's anti-ship capability following retirement of its aircraft carriers.{{sfnp|Marriott|1989|p=106}} This made the County-class ships the only Royal Navy ships to be fitted with three separate types of guided missile: Seaslug, Seacat and Exocet.

===Possible development===
It was suggested by [[Vosper Thornycroft]] that the Counties could have been developed for the anti-submarine role by replacing the Seaslug system with a larger hangar and flight deck and the possibility of removing Seaslug and rebuilding the missile tunnel as storage for extra [[Westland Lynx]] helicopters.{{sfnp|Preston|1980}}{{page needed|date=September 2018}} Certainly, these arrangements as originally installed to operate a single [[Westland Wessex]] anti-submarine helicopter were problematic, with a hangar so cramped it took an hour to get the aircraft either in or out again, during which the port Seacat launcher was unusable. However it was determined that beam-restrictions would still limit the Counties' helicopter operation in RN service to the obsolescent Wessex, as they were too narrow to handle the far more capable [[Westland Sea King|British-built Sea King HAS]]. The Chilean navy, however, did convert two of the four ships they purchased along these lines.{{citation needed|date=December 2014}}

===Ships of the class===
Eight vessels were built in two batches between 1959 and 1970, the later four vessels carrying the improved Seaslug GWS2 and updated electronics requiring rearranged mastheads. The major identifying feature was the Batch 2 vessels' prominent "double-bedstead" AKE-2 antennas of the [[Type 965 radar|Type 965 air-search radar]], and their taller foremast carrying the Type 992Q low-angle search radar.

===Ships' names===

Four of the "Counties" had names which had been used by the famous interwar {{sclass2|County|cruiser}}s: ''London'', ''Norfolk'', ''Devonshire'' and ''Kent''. (The last of that class, {{HMS|Cumberland|57|6}}, had survived until 1959 as a trials ship). ''Devonshire'', ''Hampshire'' and ''Antrim'' had been the names of  {{sclass|Devonshire|cruiser (1903)|0}} [[armoured cruiser]]s of the [[First World War]].

Four of the new ships were named after counties containing a [[Royal Navy Dockyard]]: [[Devonshire]] ([[HMNB Devonport|Devonport Dockyard]]), [[Hampshire]] ([[HMNB Portsmouth|Portsmouth Dockyard]]), ''Kent'' ([[Chatham Dockyard]]), and [[Fife]] ([[Rosyth dockyard]]). [[Glamorgan]] and [[County Antrim|Antrim]] are the counties in Wales and Northern Ireland which contain the port cities and regional capitals of [[Cardiff]] and [[Belfast]] (by analogy to ''London'', England). [[Norfolk]] is the county of [[Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson|Nelson]]'s birth, and the important 19th-century ports of [[Great Yarmouth]] and [[King's Lynn]].

Three of the ships' names have been subsequently re-used: {{HMS|London|F95|6}} was a [[Type 22 frigate]].  HMS ''Kent'' and HMS ''Norfolk'' were used for RN [[Type 23 frigate]]s though in their case after [[List of dukedoms in the peerages of Britain and Ireland|British dukedoms]].

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
!
! scope="col" | Ship
! scope="col" | Builder
! scope="col" | Laid down
! scope="col" | Launched
! scope="col" | Commissioned
! scope="col" | Fate
|-
!rowspan=4|Batch 1
|{{HMS|Devonshire|D02|2}}
|[[Cammell Laird]], [[Birkenhead]]
|9 March 1959
|10 June 1960
|15 November 1962
|Sunk as target, 17 July 1984
|-
|{{HMS|Hampshire|D06|2}}
|[[John Brown & Company]], [[Clydebank]]
|26 March 1959
|16 March 1961
|15 March 1963
|Broken up at [[Briton Ferry]], 1979
|-
|{{HMS|Kent|D12|2}}
|[[Harland & Wolff]], [[Belfast]]
|1 March 1960
|27 September 1961
|15 August 1963
|Broken up at [[Alang Ship Breaking Yard|Alang]], 1998
|-
|{{HMS|London|D16|2}}
|[[Swan Hunter]], [[Wallsend]]
|26 February 1960
|7 December 1961
|4 November 1963
|Sold to [[Pakistan Navy|Pakistan]] as ''Babur'', March 1982
|-
!rowspan=5|Batch 2
|-
|{{HMS|Fife|D20|2}}
|[[Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company|Fairfield Shipbuilding]], [[Govan]]
|1 June 1962
|9 July 1964
|21 June 1966
|Sold to [[Chilean Navy|Chile]] as ''Blanco Encalada'', August 1987
|-
|{{HMS|Glamorgan|D19|2}}
|[[Vickers-Armstrongs]], [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]]
|13 September 1962
|9 July 1964
|14 October 1966
|Sold to Chile as ''Almirante Latorre'', September 1986
|-
|{{HMS|Antrim|D18|2}}
|[[Upper Clyde Shipbuilders]], [[Govan]]
|20 January 1966
|19 October 1967
|14 July 1970
|Sold to Chile as ''Almirante Cochrane'', June 1984
|-
|{{HMS|Norfolk|D21|2}}
|Swan Hunter, Wallsend
|15 March 1966
|16 November 1967
|7 March 1970
|Sold to Chile as ''Capitán Prat'', April 1982. Decommissioned from Chilean Navy in 2006 and sold for scrap in 2008
|}

===Construction programme===
The ships were built at the major UK yards, with some of the machinery coming from [[Associated Electrical Industries]] of Manchester, [[Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company]] of Wallsend-on-Tyne, [[John I. Thornycroft & Company]] of Southampton, [[Yarrow Shipbuilders|Yarrows]] of Glasgow, and the [[Wallsend Slipway and Engineering Company]], Wallsend-on-Tyne.

{| class="wikitable"
|+County-class ships<ref name=NE1963>''Navy Estimates, 1963–64'', page 70, "Table 3 (Programme): List and particulars of new ships which have been accepted or are expected to be accepted into HM service during the Financial Year ended 31 March 1963"</ref>{{sfnp|Moore|2005|page=133}}<ref name=DE1964 >''Defence Estimates, 1964–65'', page 72, "Table 3 (Programme): List and particulars of new ships which have been accepted or are expected to be accepted into HM service during the Financial Year ended 31 March 1964"</ref><ref name=DE1967>''Defence Estimates, 1967–68'', page 75, "Table 3 (Programme): List and particulars of new ships which have been accepted or are expected to be accepted into HM service during the Financial Year ended 31 March 1967"</ref>
|-valign=top
! | [[Pennant number|Pennant]]
! | Name
! width=20% |Built by
! | Ordered
! | Laid down
! | Launched
! | Accepted<br />into service
! | Commissioned
! | Estimated<br />building cost{{efn|"Unit cost, i.e. excluding cost of certain items (e.g. aircraft, first outfit)."<ref>Text from ''Defences Estimates''</ref>}}
|-valign=top
| | D02
| | [[HMS Devonshire (D02)|''Devonshire'']]
| | [[Cammell Laird]], Birkenhead
| | 24 January 1956
| | 9 March 1959
| | 10 June 1960
| | November 1962
| | 15 November 1962
| | £14,080,000
|-valign=top
| | D06
| | [[HMS Hampshire (D06)|''Hampshire'']]
| | [[John Brown & Company]], Clydebank<ref name=NE1963/>
| | 27 January 1956
| | 26 March 1959
| | 16 March 1961
| | March 1963
| | 15 March 1963
| | £12,625,000<
|-valign=top
| | D12
| | [[HMS Kent (D12)|''Kent'']]
| | [[Harland & Wolff]], Belfast
| | 6 February 1957
| | 1 March 1960
| | 27 September 1961
| | August 1963<ref name=DE1964/>
| | 15 August 1963
| | £13,650,000<ref name=DE1964/>
|-valign=top
| | D16
| | [[HMS London (D16)|''London'']]
| | Swan Hunter, Wallsend-on-Tyne<ref name=DE1964/>
| | 6 February 1957
| | 26 February 1960
| | 7 December 1961
| | November 1963
| | 14 November 1963
| | £13,900,000
|-valign=top
| | D20
| | [[HMS Fife (D20)|''Fife'']]
| | [[Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company|Fairfields]], Glasgow
| | 26 September 1961
| | 1 June 1962
| | 9 July 1964
| | June 1966
| | 21 June 1966
| | £15,250,000
|-valign=top
| | D19
| | [[HMS Glamorgan (D19)|''Glamorgan'']]
| | [[Vickers-Armstrongs|Vickers Shipbuilding]], Newcastle
| | 26 September 1961
| | 13 September 1962
| | 9 July 1964
| | October 1966<ref name=DE1967/>
| | 11 October 1966
| | £14,100,000<ref name=DE1967/>
|-valign=top
| | D21
| | [[HMS Norfolk (D21)|''Norfolk'']]
| | [[Swan Hunter]]<ref name=DE1970>''Defence Estimates, 1970–71'', page XII-81, "Table V: List and particulars of new ships which have been accepted or are expected to be accepted into HM service during the Financial Year ended 31 March 1970"</ref>
| | 5 January 1965
| | 15 March 1966
| | 16 November 1967
| | February 1970<ref name=DE1970/>
| | 7 March 1970
| | £16,900,000<ref name=DE1970/>
|-valign=top
| | D18
| | [[HMS Antrim (D18)|''Antrim'']]
| | [[Upper Clyde Shipbuilders]], Govan<ref name=DE1971 >''Defence Estimates, 1971–72'', page XII-81, "Table V: List and particulars of new ships which have been accepted or are expected to be accepted into HM service during the Financial Year ended 31 March 1971"</ref>
| | 5 January 1965
| | 20 January 1966
| | 19 October 1967
| | November 1970<ref name=DE1971/>
| | 14 July 1970
| | £16,350,000<ref name=DE1971/>
|-
|}

==Service in the Royal Navy==

'''HMS ''Devonshire'' (D78)'''

Commissioned on 15 November 1962 as the first of the class, she served with the Home and Mediterranean Fleets, frequently deploying with NATO's [[Standing NATO Maritime Group 1|Standing Naval Force Atlantic]] (STANAVFORLANT) and taking part in multinational exercises such as 'Dawn Patrol' and 'Ocean Safari'. She underwent several upgrades, including enhancements to her Seaslug missile system and Type 965 radar, and in 1978 became a trials platform for the new [[Sea Wolf (missile)|Sea Wolf]] system. Devonshire was decommissioned in 1984 and scrapped in 1985.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-10DD-County-Devonshire.htm |title=HMS Devonshire (D78) |website=Naval-History.net |access-date=7 August 2025}}</ref>

'''HMS ''Hampshire'' (D06)'''

Commissioned in 1967, she operated extensively with NATO and undertook multiple deployments in the North Atlantic, Caribbean, and Mediterranean. She also took part in the [[Beira Patrol]] enforcing the oil blockade against [[Rhodesia]]. In 1969, she sustained damage from a machinery room fire and underwent a major repair. ''Hampshire'' was withdrawn from service in 1976, used as a trials ship until 1979, then laid up before being sold for scrap in 1989.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-10DD-County-Hampshire.htm |title=HMS Hampshire (D06) |website=Naval-History.net |access-date=7 August 2025}}</ref>

'''HMS ''Kent'' (D12)'''

Commissioned in 1963, she served with the Home Fleet and completed extended deployments in the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and Far East. She was involved in major NATO exercises such as 'Teamwork' and provided naval gunfire support during training operations. Her refits included improvements to radar, sonar, and the ship's communication systems. She also represented the Royal Navy during the Coronation celebrations in Ethiopia in 1966. Kent was paid off in 1980 and broken up the following year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-10DD-County-Kent.htm |title=HMS Kent (D12) |website=Naval-History.net |access-date=7 August 2025}}</ref>

'''HMS ''London'' (D16)'''

Commissioned in 1963, she was the first County-class destroyer to be completed. She saw service with the Home and Far East Fleets, including a major deployment to the Far East between 1966 and 1968 as part of Britain's presence '[[East of Suez]]'. She took part in the [[withdrawal from Aden]] in 1967. Modernisation in the 1970s saw updates to her sensors, missile systems, and electronic warfare equipment. After serving as a training ship later in her career, sold to Pakistan on 23 March 1982 serving as PNS ''Babur''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-10DD-County-London.htm |title=HMS London (D16) |website=Naval-History.net |access-date=7 August 2025}}</ref>
----
'''HMS ''Fife'' (D20)'''

HMS Fife was commissioned in 1966 as the first of the Batch 2 group. She featured an enlarged hangar and flight deck to operate the Westland Wessex helicopter. Fife served with both the Home and Far East Fleets, notably visiting ports in the Pacific and Indian Oceans during deployments. She was the flagship of the First Flotilla in the mid-1970s. In 1980–81, she was converted into a mobile headquarters ship with her missile launcher removed. She was sold to Chile as ''Blanco Encalada'' in August 1987.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-10DD-County-Fife.htm |title=HMS Fife (D20) |website=Naval-History.net |access-date=7 August 2025}}</ref>

'''HMS ''Glamorgan'' (D19)'''

Commissioned in 1966, she had a long and active career. She served extensively in the Mediterranean and Far East, participated in NATO exercises, and undertook global deployments. In 1982, she was part of the task force sent to recover the Falkland Islands. Glamorgan was decommissioned in September 1986 and sold to Chile, where she served as ''Almirante Latorre'' until 1998.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-10DD-County-Glamorgan.htm |title=HMS Glamorgan |website=Naval-History.net |access-date=7 August 2025}}</ref>

'''HMS ''Norfolk'' (D21)'''

Commissioned in 1970, she served in Cold War patrols, often operating in the Arctic Circle and North Atlantic. She was fitted with the Ikara ASW missile system in place of the Seaslug, like Hampshire. Norfolk was involved in major NATO exercises and flag missions across the globe. In 1975, she shadowed Soviet naval movements in the [[Norwegian Sea]]. After an extended refit in the early 1980s, she was sold to Chile as ''Capitán Prat'', in April 1982.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-10DD-County-Norfolk2.htm |title=HMS Norfolk (D21) Batch 2 |website=Naval-History.net |access-date=7 August 2025}}</ref>

'''HMS ''Antrim'' (D18)'''

Was commissioned in 1970 and served as flagship of the South Atlantic Task Group during the 1982 Falklands War. She had conducted deployments to the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Indian Ocean. She was decommissioned in 1984 and sold to Chile the same year, serving as ''Almirante Cochrane'' until 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-10DD-County-Antrim.htm |title=HMS Antrim (D18) |website=Naval-History.net |access-date=7 August 2025}}</ref>

==1982 Falklands War service==

===HMS ''Antrim''===
''Antrim'' served as the flagship for ''[[Operation Paraquet]]'', the British task force tasked with recapturing [[South Georgia]] from Argentine forces. Arriving off South Georgia in late March 1982, ''Antrim'' coordinated the amphibious assault launched on 21 April 1982.<ref name="NavalHistoryOps">{{cite web|url=https://www.naval-history.net/Falklands_War_1.htm |title=Falklands War – Naval Operations |website=Naval-History.net |access-date=7 August 2025}}</ref>
[[File:Fleet Air Arm Museum. RNAS Yeovilton. Somerset (8437698395).jpg|thumb|200px|Wessex XP142 ''Humphrey'' at the Fleet Air Arm Museum]]

Her embarked [[Westland Wessex|Westland Wessex HAS Mk 3 helicopter]] (XP142, "Humphrey") rescued 16 [[Special Air Service]] (SAS) personnel stranded on [[Fortuna Glacier]] on 22 April.<ref name="Freedman2005">{{cite book|last=Freedman|first=Lawrence|title=The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy|year=2005|publisher=Routledge|page=255}}</ref> On 25 April 1982, the Wessex located and attacked {{ship|ARA|Santa Fe|S-21|2}} using depth charges, inflicting serious damage. The submarine was later attacked by helicopters from {{HMS|Brilliant|F90}} and {{HMS|Plymouth|F126}}, forcing her back to Grytviken, where she was abandoned by her crew and captured. This was the first ever anti-submarine operation successfully conducted exclusively by helicopters.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/naval-obituaries/6975842/Captain-Brian-Young.html|title=Captain Brian Young obituary|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=12 January 2010}}</ref>

During the amphibious landings at San Carlos Water (21 to 25 May), ''Antrim'' provided [[naval gunfire support]] and acted as the flagship of the task group.<ref name="Brown1987">{{cite book|last=Brown|first=David K.|title=The Royal Navy and the Falklands War|year=1987|publisher=Naval Institute Press|page=104}}</ref> On 25 May 1982, ''Antrim'' was struck by a 1,000&nbsp;lb (450&nbsp;kg) bomb dropped by Argentine aircraft. Although the bomb penetrated her deck, it failed to detonate and she continued operations after temporary repairs.<ref name="Hall1982">{{cite journal|last=Hall|first=Tim|title=Falklands Air War|journal=Air International|year=1982|volume=23|issue=1|page=45}}</ref>

''Antrim''<nowiki />'s 4.5-inch Mk V guns fired ~400 rounds during the campaign, in support of ground troops around San Carlos and during bombardments of Argentine positions on East Falkland.<ref name="Friedman2006">{{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=British Destroyers & Frigates: The Second World War and After|year=2006|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|page=413}}</ref> Her Wessex helicopter (XP142) is preserved at the [[Fleet Air Arm Museum]], [[RNAS Yeovilton (HMS Heron)|RNAS Yeovilton]] in [[Somerset]], with mission tallies marking its operational achievements: ARA Santa Fe sunk, two [[casualty evacuations|CASEVACs]], two Special Forces insertions, three rescues, with the number of personnel saved.

===HMS ''Glamorgan''===
[[File:HMS Glamorgan (11533801865).jpg|right|250px|thumb|Damage to the hangar from an Argentine Exocet missile]]
''Glamorgan'' was assigned to the "gunline" off the Falklands, providing sustained naval gunfire support to British ground forces attacking Argentine positions, especially around [[Port Stanley Airport|Port Stanley airfield]].<ref name="Freedman2005"/> During the gunline deployment in early to mid-June, ''Glamorgan'' fired over 1,000 4.5-inch shells against Argentine forces.<ref name="NavalHistoryGunfire">{{cite web|url=https://www.naval-history.net/Falklands_War_6.htm |title=Naval Gunfire Support |website=Naval-History.net |access-date=7 August 2025}}</ref>

On the night of 12 June, ''Glamorgan'' was struck by an [[Exocet#HMS Glamorgan|Exocet missile]] launched from an Argentine Navy tractor-mounted launcher positioned on the coast at Port Pleasant.<ref name="Hall2008">{{cite book|last=Hall|first=Tim|title=Exocet Falklands: The Untold Story of Special Forces Operations|year=2008|publisher=Orion Books|page=51}}</ref> The missile destroyed the ship's helicopter (XM837), hangar and port-side [[Seacat (missile)|Seacat missile]] launcher. Prompt action by the navigating officer, Lieutenant Commander Huxtable, averted a direct hit on her Seaslug missile magazine by manoeuvring to present her stern.<ref name="BBCGlamorgan">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18151538 |title=How HMS Glamorgan was hit by Exocet missile|website=BBC News |access-date=7 August 2025}}{{dead link|date=September 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref name=firing>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4zjYEfwZi4&ab_channel=NicolasKasanzew YouTube video discussing setting up the ITB and showing its firing and the damage on the ship, narrated in Spanish]</ref>

The attack caused extensive flooding, fires and structural damage. Fourteen crew members were killed.<ref name="Brown1987"/><ref name="NavalHistoryAftermath">{{cite web|url=https://www.naval-history.net/Falklands_War_7.htm |title=Aftermath of the Glamorgan Attack |website=Naval-History.net |access-date=7 August 2025}}</ref> Despite severe damage, ''Glamorgan'' remained afloat and was underway with all fires extinguished by 11:00.<ref name="InskipIan">{{harvnb|Inskip|2002|pp=160–185}}</ref>

==Service in the Pakistan Navy==

'''''Babur'' (ex-HMS ''London'')'''

Sold to the [[Pakistan Navy]] in March 1982 and recommissioned as ''Babur''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-10DD-County-London.htm |title=HMS London (D16) |website=Naval-History.net |access-date=8 August 2025}}</ref> She retained her original armament and sensors, including the Sea Slug missile system and Type 965 radar, and operated with an [[Alouette III]] helicopter in place of the Wessex. Primarily used for training and surface patrols, she was decommissioned in 1993 and scrapped in 1995.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pakdef.org/navy/historical-ships/pns-babur-i/ |title=PNS Babur I (ex-HMS London) |website=PakDef |access-date=8 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/pakistan/babur.htm |title=PNS Babur (D-182) |website=GlobalSecurity.org |access-date=8 August 2025}}</ref>

==Service in the Chilean Navy==

'''''Blanco Encalada'' (ex-HMS ''Fife'')'''

Transferred to the [[Chilean Navy]] in August 1987 and renamed ''Blanco Encalada''. She was refitted with her Seaslug missile system removed, the quarterdeck extended and a larger hangar constructed. The rebuild was completed in May 1988. In 1996 her Sea Cat launchers were removed and she was fitted with the [[Barak 1|Barak SAM]]. ''Blanco Encalada'' was decommissioned in December 2003 and scrapped.

'''''Almirante Latorre'' (ex-HMS ''Glamorgan'')'''

Transferred to Chile in late 1986 and commissioned as ''Almirante Latorre'' in early 1987. She initially retained her Seaslug system, which was later removed during a major refit. The launcher was replaced by extended helicopter facilities, her command spaces were upgraded and the ADAWS combat system was replaced with the Chilean SISDEF-100. She served as a flagship and training vessel until decommissioning in 1998. The ship was stripped for spares and scrapped in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.navaltoday.com/2013/11/18/chilean-navy-to-decommission-two-ships/ |title=Chilean Navy to Decommission Two Ships |website=Naval Today |date=18 November 2013 |access-date=8 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/glamorgan.htm |title=HMS Glamorgan (D19) |website=Battleships-Cruisers.co.uk |access-date=8 August 2025}}</ref>  
[[File:DN-SN-97-01708.jpg|thumb|250px|Chilean Navy County-class destroyer ''Almirante Cochrane'']]

'''''Almirante Cochrane'' (ex-HMS ''Antrim'')'''

Entered service in 1984 as ''Almirante Cochrane''. The ship retained her Wessex hangar and deck, which suited Chilean requirements. In 1996 she was modernised with Barak SAMs replacing her Sea Cat launchers, and most of her original sensors were retained. ''Cochrane'' remained operational until decommissioning in 2006 and was later used as a static training ship. She was scrapped in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.helis.com/database/unit/2606-Chilean-Navy/ |title=Chilean Navy - Almirante Cochrane |website=helis.com |access-date=8 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-10DD-County-Antrim.htm |title=HMS Antrim (D18) |website=Naval-History.net |access-date=8 August 2025}}</ref>

'''''Capitán Prat'' (ex-HMS ''Norfolk'')'''

Entered service on 6 April 1982 and renamed ''Capitán Prat'', after [[Arturo Prat]], commander of the Chilean ship {{ship||Esmeralda|1855|2}} during the [[War of the Pacific]]. In 1996 her Sea Cat launchers were removed and replaced with the Barak SAM, and in 2001 her Seaslug system was removed and she was refitted as a helicopter destroyer operating a [[Eurocopter AS 532|Cougar attack helicopter]]. She was decommissioned in August 2006 and scrapped in Mexico.

==Costs==

===Running costs===
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size:97%;"
|-valign=top
!Date
!Running cost
!What is included
|-valign=top
| 1972–73
| £500,000
| Average annual maintenance cost per vessel for County-class destroyers<ref>{{citation |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1974/dec/16/ships-refits#S5CV0883P0_19741216_CWA_104 |work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]] |date=16 December 1974 |volume=883 |at=c316W |title=Ships (Refits) |author=Frank Judd |quote=Mr. Trotter asked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the approximate cost of a long refit of (a) a Leander class frigate and (b) a County class destroyer}}</ref>
|-valign=top
| 1981–82
| £7.0 million
| Average annual running cost of County-class destroyers" at average 1981–82 prices and including associated aircraft costs but excluding the costs of major refits".<ref>{{citation |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1982/jul/16/naval-vessels-operating-costs#S6CV0027P0-09171 |work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]] |date= 16 July 1982 |volume=27 |at= cc485-6W |title=Naval Vessels (Operating Costs)   |author=Peter Blaker |quote=Mr. Trotter asked the Secretary of State for Defence what are the annual running costs of ships of the following 486W types. .. (h) county class destroyers ...}}.</ref>
|-
|}

===Cost of major refits===
In 1974, the costs of the major refits for County-class ships was given as £5½ million – £8 million.
<ref>[https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1974/dec/16/ships-refits#S5CV0883P0_19741216_CWA_104 Hansard HC Deb 16 December 1974 vol 883 c316W] Question to the Secretary of State for Defence about the approximate cost of a long refit of (a) a ''Leander''-class frigate and (b) a County-class destroyer, 16 December 1974.</ref>

===Disposal===
All eight of the class had short Royal Navy careers, serving on average less than 16 years. Only ''London'' of the first batch would serve further (transferred to Pakistan) while the other three Batch 1 ships were decommissioned by 1980 with ''Hampshire'' being immediately scrapped in 1977 after cannibalization for spares, and ''Devonshire'' sunk in weapons testing in 1984. ''Kent'' would serve as a floating (though immobile) accommodation and training ship in [[Portsmouth]] harbour until 1996.  The four ships of Batch 2 however would be operated for 16 to 23 more years after sale to the [[Chilean Navy]], in which they all received extensive upgrades and modernisation.

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==Citations==
{{reflist}}

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}}
*{{citation |first=A. |last=Seldon |title=Churchill Indian Summer. Conservative Government 1951-5 |publisher= Hodder & Stoughton |date=1981 |location=London }}
*{{citation |first=E. |last=Grove |contribution=The RN Guided Missile |editor-first=R. |editor-last=Harding |title=Royal Navy 1930–2000. Innovation and Defence |publisher=F. Case/ Routeledge |location=NY & London |date=2005 }}
*{{cite book|first=Neil |last=McCart |title=The County class Guided Missile Destroyers |publisher= Maritime Press |location=Liskeard, Cornwall |date=2014 |isbn=978-1-904459-63-7}}

==Further reading==
*{{Cite Colledge2006}}
* Marriott, Leo: ''Royal Navy Destroyers since 1945'', {{ISBN|0-7110-1817-0}}, Ian Allan Ltd, 1989

==External links==
{{commons category|County class destroyer}}
*http://www.countyclassdestroyers.co.uk

{{County class destroyer}}
{{Chilean destroyers}}

[[Category:Destroyer classes]]
[[Category:County-class destroyers]]
[[Category:County-class destroyers of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:Ship classes of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:COSAG ships]]