General-purpose warships may suit navies that cannot buy enough specialists to guarantee the right one will be available. Generalists usually need more size because they must carry several systems and enough internal space for those systems to work together. The Dido and Crown Colony cruisers illustrate the tradeoff: the Dido was stronger in its specialized anti-aircraft role, while the larger Crown Colony combined useful air defense with more effective six-inch anti-surface fire and greater adaptability. Neither ship is presented as perfect, and wartime additions reduced the Crown Colony's main battery, but its broader utility helped it remain useful longer. The Corbettian point is that a seventy-percent solution present for most missions may contribute more than a perfect specialist absent when its one mission appears.
Notable Point · 1:00:16-1:04:38
Availability favors adaptable warships
A specialist may be ideal for one mission, but fleets without enough hulls often gain more usable power from adaptable ships that are available for many tasks.