County class combined missiles with cruiser-like presence

The County design evolved from gun-heavy studies into two operational batches, with the later ships replacing one twin 4.5-inch mount with four Exocet missiles. Displacement makes the change in role clearer than the destroyer label: a Daring was about 3,820 tons fully loaded, early Type 42s about 4,500 tons, and a County about 6,200 tons. That extra volume carried flag accommodation, helicopter facilities, missile equipment, and the stores needed for sustained presence duties. Sea Slug itself was best suited to large targets such as the Tu-16 Badger and Tu-95 Bear and was much less convincing against more demanding aircraft. The class nevertheless remained valuable because command space, aviation, guns, and political presence did not depend on Sea Slug's tactical quality. A County could therefore be a destroyer in official classification while functioning as a cruiser substitute.