The variety of modern frigates is compared with the nineteenth-century coexistence of Warrior and much smaller single-deck ships. A proposed working distinction assigns one principal mission to frigates and several principal missions to destroyers. National doctrine, strategy and politics still determine what a navy actually calls its ships. Corvettes can carry substantial firepower while lacking the endurance expected for independent worldwide deployment. Offshore patrol vessels may have that endurance without comparable armament, while frigates combine useful fighting power with the ability to remain away.
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Frigates, destroyers, corvettes and deployment endurance
Mission focus and the ability to deploy independently offer useful distinctions, with national naming practices retaining the final say.