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{{Short description|Type of warship intended to escort other larger ships}} {{other uses}} {{EngvarB|date=November 2022}} [[File:PLANS Nanchang (DDG-101) 20210427.jpg|thumb|[[Type 055 destroyer|Type 055 class destroyer]] [[Chinese destroyer Nanchang (101)|Nanchang]] of the [[China|Chinese]] [[People's Liberation Army Navy]] (PLAN)]] [[File:ROKS Sejong the Great (DDG 991) broadside view.jpg|thumb|[[ROKS Sejong the Great]], the lead ship of her class of [[Sejong the Great-class destroyer]] of the [[Republic of Korea Navy]]]] [[File:130920-N-NX070-025 - USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51).jpg|thumb|{{USS|Arleigh Burke}}, the lead ship of her class of [[guided-missile destroyer]]s]] [[File:Caio Duilio D554.jpg|thumb|The Italian {{ship|Italian destroyer|Caio Duilio||2}}, which belongs to the {{sclass2|Horizon|frigate|4}} of Franco-Italian designed first-rate frigates]] In [[navy|naval]] terminology, a '''destroyer''' is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance [[warship]] intended to escort larger vessels in a [[Naval fleet|fleet]], [[convoy]], or [[carrier battle group]] and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived in 1885 by [[Fernando Villaamil]] for the [[Spanish Navy]]<ref name="Bernie2" /><ref name="smith">Smith, Charles Edgar: ''A short history of naval and marine engineering.'' Babcock & Wilcox, ltd. at the University Press, 1937, page 263</ref> as a defense against [[torpedo boat]]s, 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".<ref>Gove p. 2412</ref> 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]].<ref>Lyon pp. 8, 9</ref> Before [[World War II]], destroyers were light vessels with little endurance for unattended ocean operations;{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}} typically, a number of destroyers and a single [[destroyer tender]] operated together.{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}} After the war, destroyers grew in size. The American {{sclass|Allen M. Sumner|destroyer|1}}s had a displacement of 2,200 tons, while the {{sclass|Arleigh Burke|destroyer|4}} has a displacement of up to 9,600 tons, a difference of nearly 340%. Moreover, the advent of guided missiles allowed destroyers to take on the surface-combatant roles previously filled by [[battleship]]s and [[cruiser]]s. This resulted in larger and more powerful [[guided missile destroyer]]s more capable of independent operation. At the start of the 21st century, destroyers are the global standard for [[surface combatant|surface-combatant]] ships, with only two nations (the [[United States Navy|United States]] and [[Russian Navy|Russia]]) officially operating the heavier cruisers, with no battleships or true [[battlecruiser]]s remaining.{{NoteTag|Although the Russian {{sclass|Kirov|battlecruiser|4}} are sometimes classified as battlecruisers due to their displacement, they are described by Russia as large missile cruisers.}} Modern guided-missile destroyers are equivalent in [[tonnage]] but vastly superior in firepower to cruisers of the World War II era, and are capable of carrying [[nuclear missile|nuclear-tipped]] [[cruise missile]]s. At {{convert|510|ft|m}} long, a displacement of 9,200 tons, and with an armament of more than 90 missiles,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120301123441/http://www.armybase.us/2010/04/northrop-grumman-christened-its-28th-aegis-guided-missile-destroyer-william-p-lawrence-ddg-110/ Northrop Grumman christened its 28th Aegis guided missile destroyer, William P. Lawrence (DDG 110)] April 19, 2010. Retrieved August 29, 2014.</ref> guided-missile destroyers such as the ''Arleigh Burke'' class are actually larger and more heavily armed than most previous ships classified as guided-missile cruisers. The Chinese [[Type 055 destroyer]] has been described as a cruiser in some US Navy reports due to its size and armament.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/pubs/2017_China_Military_Power_Report.PDF |title=Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2017 |publisher=Office of the Secretary of Defense |access-date=1 July 2021 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828190843/https://www.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/pubs/2017_China_Military_Power_Report.PDF |archive-date=2017-08-28 }}</ref> Many [[NATO]] navies, such as the [[French Navy|French]], [[Spanish Navy|Spanish]], [[Dutch Navy|Dutch]], [[Royal Danish Navy|Danish]], and [[German Navy|German]], use the term "[[frigate]]" for their destroyers, which leads to some confusion.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}
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