Mountbatten's specialist-escort alternative

Mountbatten's specialist-ship policy helped shape the modern escort fleet. The Type 22 partly moved back toward broader capability, while the Type 26 and Type 31 are presented as later attempts to correct the problem. His preferred ships were designed around one mission, with another specialist class added whenever a different task appeared. That approach can reduce the cost of each hull, but it works only if government funds enough ships in every category. It also drew strength from early missile-age confidence that a single missile hit would destroy a target, an assumption that overlooked weapon failure, interception, compartmentation, and damage control.