The U.S. Navy: Can ships survive?

The war over the Falkland Islands had barely begun when, in a matter of days, both sides lost major warships: the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano and the British destroyer H.M.S. Sheffield. These losses, effected so quickly with so few weapons, have stirred considerable debate about whether surface naval forces can survive the threat of modern weapons, particularly the antiship missile. Are changes in ship design and ship defenses necessary?