Why a new battleship may be at its weakest on commissioning

A warship's built-in potential differs from the combat power that its crew can actually extract. A newly commissioned ship may be at its weakest because the crew is still learning its peculiarities, specialties, and individual behavior. Repeated service builds institutional memory and a shipboard culture that can exploit the design more fully. Relative value eventually declines as newer ships and systems appear that cannot be incorporated into the older hull. A fleet therefore needs a continuing flow of ships entering service while experienced classes remain near their practical peak.