They were a new "double-ender" class fitted with Terrier (later Standard ER) missile launchers fore and aft, and the first and only frigate class designed without a main gun battery for shore bombardment or ship-vs.-ship engagements—the gun armament was reduced in order to carry a larger missile load.

The ships carried over the propulsion plant of the Farragut class, fitted into a longer hull designed with a knuckled “hurricane” bow that reduced plunging in a rough sea, thus keeping the forecastle dry as needed to operate the forward missile launcher.

The upgrade included massive remodeling of the ship from food service space rehabilitation to a main propulsion system overhaul.

The entire class was decommissioned between 1993 and 1995, stricken from the naval register, and transferred to the Maritime Administration (MARAD) for disposal.

Bainbridge was largely identical to the Leahy class[2]: 329  except for the replacement of the conventional design's four 1,200 lb/in2 steam boilers with two D2G reactors, and related increases in displacement, length and beam.