Sloops as peacetime presence ships

How much cruiser work could a large sloop force perform in peacetime?

Sloops could handle small-harbor presence and routine station visits, complementing rather than replacing cruisers in larger ports.

Before helicopters, a cruiser could not be everywhere within a distant station. Sloops served as lower-cost presence vessels, visiting small harbors while the cruiser concentrated on large ports and more demanding crises. Their endurance and warship status let them conduct routine visits without consuming scarce cruiser time. The arrangement multiplied the visible reach of the larger ship rather than treating a sloop as a direct cruiser substitute.