How new gun cruisers could survive into the Gulf War

How long might Royal Navy cruisers with twin automatic six-inch turrets remain in service?

They could survive into the mid-1990s if Falklands service proved their unique value for shore bombardment and led to another deployment in the Gulf War.

A class entering service in the 1960s could remain viable into the 1980s. If the ships reached the Falklands War, their heavy automatic guns would provide a unique naval-gunfire capability and protect them from immediate retirement. Their readiness might resemble Fearless and Intrepid: one ship active and another in mothballs or reduced readiness, with both mobilized for the campaign. One cruiser could serve as a task-force flagship and another support the amphibious force. Falklands service could then create a political requirement for two successor hulls, much as the campaign preserved the case for replacing the amphibious ships. That legacy could carry the cruisers into the 1991 Gulf War for further shore bombardment before retirement in the mid-1990s.