Why warship cost figures need to be standardized

Would the Statistical Abstract of the United States help compare naval expenditure?

It could help, but government figures need checking by economic historians and standardising before they can support comparisons.

Government shipbuilding figures can count different things, so economic historians' checks matter before national totals are compared. The Type 45 example separates a roughly £450 million construction figure from a programme total that spreads research costs across only six ships. The estimate here is that twelve ships might have cost around £8 billion to £8.4 billion, compared with £6 billion for six. These are illustrative estimates, not a quoted contract for a twelve-ship order. Submarine and destroyer prices can also allocate research differently, while governments select figures to support different spending arguments. Comparisons need consistent cost categories and access to the underlying data. Economic specialists would need to check any reconstruction of those figures.