destroyer

Small, fast warship designed for antisubmarine work. Destroyers played a critical role in the convoy system in World War II.

Originally termed ‘torpedo-boat destroyers’, they were designed by Britain to counter the large flotillas built by the French and Russian navies in the late 19th century. They proved so effective that torpedo-boats were more or less abandoned in the early 1900s, but the rise of the submarine found a new task for the ‘destroyer’. They proved invaluable as anti-submarine vessels in both World War I and World War II.

Modern destroyers often carry guided missiles and displace 3,700–5,650 tons.