Presence ships changed names more than size

Did navies shift to smaller surface combatants because global presence required many inexpensive ships?

Mostly they changed type labels and reduced fleet numbers; many frigates and destroyers used for presence were similar in size to the sloops and light cruisers they replaced.

Changing ship classifications complicates the claim that navies adopted smaller combatants to meet global commitments. Interwar presence work was often done by roughly 1,500-ton sloops and 4,000- to 5,000-ton C- and D-class cruisers. The frigates and destroyers that took over those duties in the 1960s were comparable in size despite their smaller-sounding type names. Fleet numbers contracted more clearly than the displacement of each presence platform.