There needs to be more qualifications to your question. What is your experience? What is your budget? To what extent do you wish to detail your kit? Are you looking for a nice beginner kit? Are you looking to build a museum quality kit? Do you have a lot of space to display it?
My experience lies mostly with steel warships.
If money is no object, and space is available, I recommend the 1/200 Trumpeter kit of Arizona. It is also a nice kit if you have a lot of patience and little experience. If you have little experience, you want a very high quality kit that does not require a lot of filling and sanding and modification to make a satisfactory model. Trumpy's Arizona in 1/200 is big enough that you will not become myopic from the tiny parts and the quality is excellent. You will want to consider the vast parts count but for me, the building process is all the fun so that was not a problem. You may also consider the 1/144 Fletcher from Revell AG (Not to be confused with the Lindberg 1/125 Blue Devil which only makes into a nice toy) for the same reason. The Arizona will knock you back about $200 which, given the rising prices of good kits is not bad considering what you get in the box including turned aluminum main guns and some PE to boot. (I love the fact that the Kingfishers on the fantaii have a better than two inch wingspan and the main launch in over three inches long!) 
lIf budget is an issue and myopia is not, try any of the 1/350 destroyers from Trumpeter or Tamiya or Revell AG or the new Dragon Smart Kits. I've done most of them and I have most of the rest on deck and the quality is excellent regardless of experience. The Arleigh Burke from Academy or the Oliver Hazard Perry from Academy are also good kits for someone with some but not a great many kits under his belt. I also took a great deal of pleasure in building the 1/72 Matchbox/Revell AG Flower class corvette and it easily lent itself to R/C. I was not all that experienced when I built my first one and was very pleased with the result.
If you have a lot of experience, take any of those kits or any of Trumpeter's 1/350 Battleships especially the Hood (Technically a Battlecruiser but you get my meaning) or the North Carolina and add PE detail sets and you will have a very fine model when you are done. If space is a premium, any of the Tamiya or Hasegawa or Fujimi 1/700 kits will make a fine model.
Avoid the Lindberg or early Airfix kits as they seriously lack any decent detail.
Bottom line, if steel warships are what you seek, I put the Arizona in 1/200 or the Nimitz in 1/350 on top of my unqualified list but they are both big in size and price. You cannot go wrong with any of the Dragon Smart Kits or the 1/350 modern kits from Trumpeter or Academy.
If you want to do a submarine, the 1/72 Revell Type IX U-boat or the Gato are excellent and not hugely expensive although they are hugely...huge so have a nice mantel to display them.
If civilian ships are your preference, try the Academy 1/350 Titanic or the Revell AG 1/700 Columbo Express.
If sail is your preference, Heller's 1/100 Victory is a monster of a kit but makes into a masterpiece. Airfin's Vasa (Wasa?) is also excellent Revell's big Constitution or Cutty Sark are older kits but can make into very nice models. Other than that, in the sail category, I have a lot less experience other than to advise you to avoid the Heller Soleil Royale. Refuse that one even if it is offered as a gift. Other than that, ask Prof Tilley as he seems to be the expert on sailing ship kits.
I know this is all over the map but I hope this helps. Whatever you choose, the biggest thing to consider is whether you expect to have fun building it. If you do not, don't get it.
Good luck and fair winds and following seas.