They were designed to be cheaper and smaller to complement the expensive Type 12 frigates and had light armament. The class were very specialised for the A/S role and thus had little capability in any other role, though they did perform fishery protection duties during the Cod Wars. One of the ships, HMS Exmouth, was later converted to gas turbines in 1966, becoming the first major warship of the Royal Navy to be so powered.
After experience with these frigates, the admiralty decided to ensure that quality was the top priority of all ships, even though it meant having a smaller fleet.
In the late 1950s, during their time on patrols around Iceland to ensure that Iceland did not interfere with British fishermen's attempts to fish, problems were found with the hulls of the Type 14s in such heavy waters, such that their hulls had to be strengthened to cope with these patrols. However, they proved to be good seaboats throughout the dispute, which continued into the mid-1970s.
| General characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Class and type: | anti-submarine frigate |
| Displacement: | 1,456 tons (1,479 tonnes) full load |
| Length: | 310 ft (94 m) |
| Beam: | 33 ft (10 m) |
| Draught: | 15 ft (4.6 m) |
| Propulsion: | Y-100 plant; 2 x Babcock & Wilcox boilers, steam turbines on 1 shaft, 15,000 shp (11 MW) |
| Speed: | 27 knots (50 km/h) |
| Range: | 5,200 nautical miles (9,630 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h) |
| Complement: | 112 |
| Sensors and processing systems: | Radar Type 974 navigation |
| Armament: | 3 x 40 mm Bofors gun Mark 7 (quarterdeck mount later removed) |
