Corvette
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Just a comment...
The perfumed princes down at the Pentagon always want something bigger, faster and more "mission capable". They are willing to spend enormous sums of money to do this, when less expensive alternatives are easily available, just with less bells and whistles.
A ship like the corvette has always had a place in the better navies of the world. From the single decker sloop of sailing days, to the Flower class in the Battle of the Atlantic, the little ships always have an important role to fill. They're just not sexy and they don't cost a bazillion dollars.
Subs are another place where more expensive and bigger is not always better. The Swedes, Germans and Japanese all build very good smaller subs, using things like Stirling engines or fuel cell technology. The German sub is built by many countries under license, because it is very stealthy and only requires a crew of twenty-five. Those type subs are great for coastal defense and you could buy four or five for what a nuclear boat costs...
