![]() Modern destroyers often have a helicopter pad as well, which helps with anti-submarine warfare. They usually have one smaller gun (5 inches compared to Iowa’s 16-inch beasts) and lots of missiles, including anti-ship, surface-to-air, and cruise missiles (Tomahawks in the American case). Although the term “destroyer” had been used interchangeably with “TBD” and “torpedo boat destroyer” by navies since 1892, the term “torpedo boat destroyer” had been generally shortened to simply “destroyer” by nearly all navies by the First World War.ĭestroyers are much smaller than battleships but larger than frigates. They were originally developed in the late 19th century by Fernando Villaamil for the Spanish Navy as a defense against torpedo boats, and by the time of the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, these “torpedo boat destroyers” (TBDs) were “large, swift, and powerfully armed torpedo boats designed to destroy other torpedo boats”. In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. The British recycled the term Frigates for this new class of ships. It was bigger than the Patrol Boats to carry more fuel and endure the rough ocean weather and waves. A middle class was created that was not as fast or heavily armed (don’t need it against submarines or planes) as Destroyers, but still faster than the convoys. The Patrol Boats were not fast enough and did not have the range or seakeeping qualities to escort the convoys and protect them against submarines. The ocean going, long-endurance Destroyers were relatively fast and carried torpedoes to threaten and harass capital ships, like Battleships and Cruisers - and in short supply. The Destroyers were serving in much the same role as the Frigates during the Age of Sail. The British needed a vessel for convoy escort. The term Frigate disappeared around the late 1800s or so. After all, you no longer had a “gun deck”, the defining feature of a Frigate. Once armored with turreted gunned ships became the norm, the Frigate became the Cruiser. The Cruiser was initially a mission, not a ship class. In the role of patrol and commerce raiding, they acted independently and were sometimes referred to as cruisers. They were usually used for scouting, patrol, dispatch boats for large fleets, and in independent commerce raiding. Depending on the nationality, there was also a minimum gun limit. During the Classic Age of Sail, it was a full-rigged ship with a single dedicated gun deck. Some long fast ships of the line were called “frigate-built”. Initially, the Frigate was a style of design, long, low and fast. Frigates:įrigates are the smallest of the three and possibly the smallest “blue water” ocean-spanning warship. To understand the difference clearly, we need to take a look at the history. Navy describes a 9000 toned Arleigh Burke-class as a destroyer, Iran may call a 95-meter Moudge-class ship a destroyer. Different countries have different definitions and ideas about what a destroyer or a frigate should do. However, there is no standard to define a warship as a destroyer. The main differences between a destroyer and a frigate are tonnage, weapons, mission definition, capabilities, and the size to define it roughly. ![]() If you are not a navy crew or a navy veteran, it could be hard to distinguish two types of ships. While commenting about a frigate or a destroyer, we face such questions: what is the difference between them? How can we define a warship as a destroyer? Why do we call it a frigate rather than a destroyer? A Horizon-Class Destroyer And Fremm-Class Frigate Protecting A Mistral-Class Amphibious Assault Ship (Credit: French Navy)
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