Why a Ticonderoga hull cannot simply be stretched

Could a modernized Ticonderoga remain in production by lengthening or widening the Spruance hull?

Only to a limited degree, because a larger ship needs new proportions, framing, and keel support rather than a simple scaled copy of the old hull.

The Ticonderoga class had already used much of the growth margin in the Spruance hull. A hull shape that works below one hundred meters does not keep the same stability and structural behavior when enlarged toward two hundred meters. Length and beam have to be considered together as a ship grows, and wider or longer structures need redesigned transverse and longitudinal framing. Very long ships also distribute loads through more complex keel arrangements. At some point, modifying the old form becomes a new hull design in everything except name. The newer Arleigh Burke hull began with more room for growth, but it too eventually reaches a structural and displacement limit.