Classifying frigates, destroyers, and cruisers by role

Should frigate, destroyer, and cruiser labels correspond to ASW, air warfare, and general-purpose roles?

It would be a useful classification scheme, but consistent international usage is unlikely.

The proposed vocabulary assigns anti-submarine warfare to frigates, air defence to destroyers, and general-purpose missions to cruisers. It ties familiar names to primary roles instead of displacement or politically convenient labels. The scheme is clear and useful for explaining fleet structure. National requirements and procurement politics, however, would probably prevent navies from applying it consistently. Its strength is explanatory clarity rather than likely international adoption.