Why a recently refitted ship may still be retired

What are examples of seemingly illogical decommissioning decisions?

Condition and hull life can justify retirement, but selling or retiring capable ships after major investment can also create an avoidable force-structure shortfall.

The exchange cautions that submarine hull life and technical condition can make an apparently wasteful retirement reasonable. It nevertheless uses the sale of Type 23 frigates to show how successive decisions can shrink a fleet below the force around which its efficiency plans were built. The recently refuelled California- and Virginia-class nuclear cruisers offer a sharper example because expensive reactor work appeared to leave years of potential service unused. The speakers also treat any future retirement of the Vanguard class without considering an SSGN conversion as another case where a capable hull might be discarded too quickly.