Kaibōkan fit more closely with sloops and corvettes in this classification than with frigates or American destroyer escorts. Hunt-class escort destroyers and overlapping British and American terminology illustrate why the labels can mislead. Some destroyer escorts and later frigates could work with either convoys or carrier forces. Sloops had a nominal 20-knot limit, although recorded movements during an earlier incident involving Japan suggest that some British ships exceeded it. The relevant comparison includes intended duties and speed as well as the name attached to a ship.
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Why compare kaibōkan with sloops and corvettes?
Ship categories matter because convoy protection and escorting a carrier force impose different demands on speed and capability.