The inventory covers Type 82, Type 42, County-class, Type 22, Type 21, Leander, Rothesay, and Salisbury-class ships while repeatedly distinguishing major refits from short maintenance periods. A deep refit could involve cutting out and replacing major sections or machinery, whereas routine post-deployment work had much less effect on availability. Several modern escorts were still building or undergoing substantial work, so their names overstated the force immediately ready for operations. The Type 21 appears as a cheap frigate carrying an outdated weapons fit, while the numerous Leanders supplied much of the frigate force's practical muscle. The result is a more realistic picture of available escort strength than a simple hull count provides.
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Destroyer and frigate readiness behind the fleet list
The 1981 surface fleet inventory separates ships in deep refit or construction from those that could contribute useful destroyer and frigate capacity.