If the US Navy had built far more Kidds, Spruances, OHPs, Knoxes, Brookes, Garcias, and Bronsteins, how long would retirement take?
Short answerRetirement would be long and staggered, with ships sold, mothballed, or replaced over time; the United States might retain a much larger frigate force and use LCS differently.
NotesA fleet that large would not retire as one block because construction pace, service lives, reserve status, and allied transfers would spread the process out. The hypothetical force approaches Battle of the Atlantic scale, and the United States might still have a large frigate force today. That alternative path would also change the role of the LCS, making it an adjunct rather than a replacement asked to cover too many missions.