Read Shackleton's paper/book and it clearly illustrates the issue is, time and time again governments outline strategies / political needs, that set capability requirements and then only fund the bare minimum (if that) to acquire the capabilities their strategies / desire demand.They look at short term acquisition costs, not through life sustainment and upgrade costs, let alone the need to be planning the next generation of upgrades or even capability replacement / evolution, well before a required in service date. The reason the RAN got the Adams class DDGs was there was nothing cheaper that met the requirements and even then they required extensive modernisation and improvements shortly after entering service and spent much of their careers slipping behind the required capability improvements, before finally being superseded by even less capable upgraded frigates.Collins hope was getting the carriers in service they would prove themselves and earn more capable replacements, well they proved themselves but weren't replaced. It could even me argued that a more capable carrier class, able to operate more advanced aircraft, could have mitigated the need to buy the DDGs when we did.According to the paper buying a more capable, but also more expensive design, i.e. the USNs Belknap class DLG, instead of the Adams likely would have been better value for money and if the USN upgrade path was followed, cheaper to own and operate over their lives while being far more relevant and useful through that life. Because we bought the lower end of the carrier escort capability we spent their entire service lives trying to lift them to the next level., now we are repeating the entire process again 40 years later, buying a smaller, less capable ship than required and then spending big to get some, but not all, of the desired missing capability.
CFBV
Originally launched as a Saipan-class light aircraft carrier (CVL-49) at the very end of WW2, the USS Wright ended its service days in this weird configuration. Converted into a command ship in 1962 and with its flight deck “festooned” with these huge communications antenna arrays. It could also operate helicopters, as a consolation.
I like how the 'poles' on the far side appear to be sticking through the bottom.