The class were still good warships in spite of being fitted with outdated guns, (they were described by some as 'guided flagpoles') if sometimes capable of 18rpm for the first two minutes, and proved the usefulness of the general purpose frigate concept and gas turbine propulsion, but the average unit costs of the Type 81s completed in 1963-64 was £500,000 more than the first 8 "Leander"s and the final cost of over ₤5 million of the first Tribal, "Ashanti", completed in 1961 was considered too high and hence limited the number actually built.