How 1970s missile refits shaped the Falklands fleet

What did a typical 1970s refit for modern combat remove or add, and how did that influence the Falklands War?

Missile-focused refits often removed guns, leaving less flexible firepower, while limited missile defense made San Carlos geography and conventional weapons unusually important.

Several 1970s refits removed 4.5-inch guns in favor of missiles, reflecting confidence that guided weapons had displaced traditional naval artillery. The Falklands War exposed the cost when ships needed close-range surface fire or naval gunfire support and some frigates lacked a main gun. In San Carlos Water, insufficient Sea Wolf coverage against Exocet helped make geography part of the defensive system. High surrounding ground screened the anchorage and forced Argentine aircraft toward low-level attacks with unguided bombs. The discussion also connects bomb-fuzing failures to a BBC report that may have alerted Argentina to the problem. More broadly, it presents the Falklands as an early near-real-time television war in which reporting could affect operations within hours.