How many surface-combatant types should the Navy keep?

How many different ship types should the Navy have from frigate to battleship?

Frigate, destroyer, and the new battleship or large surface combatant, supported by rolling class replacement instead of endless modified versions of the same design.

The suggested surface force retains frigates, destroyers, and battleships with different functions. Each category could contain overlapping classes, with one established in service while its successor enters production. That would preserve continuity without requiring every new ship to remain a derivative of an increasingly old design. The Mosquito-to-Tornado comparison illustrates the technological change possible over an equivalent span of time. It is used to question how long one surface-warship design should remain the basis of successive generations.