Why the Darings did not receive Sea Slug conversions

Sweden's Halland-class destroyers show how an existing gun destroyer could accumulate missiles and other weapons through later modernisation. The Royal Navy considered a comparable Daring conversion but primarily wanted a large area-air-defence missile, not a compact supplementary weapon. Sea Slug and its supporting machinery demanded far more internal volume than the available Daring hull could readily surrender. Britain was also reducing the fleet, while carrier aircraft and submarines covered other roles that might otherwise have justified a broader conversion. Eight purpose-built Counties consequently took over the major fleet and presence duties associated with the eight Royal Navy Darings. The older ships still gave useful service, but the replacement policy favoured a new hull designed around the missile system instead of a costly structural compromise.