Destroyer

History

Origins

The destroyer , as the source language of the word indicates it, appeared with the the United Kingdom, little time after the Chilean Civil war and the Sino-Japanese Guerre, two conflicts where small the Torpilleur S invented by John Ericsson had shown their efficacité.
These small extremely fast boats for the time arrived, in spite of their small size, to approach at the distance necessary to the use of their Torpille S, against the slow mastodons which were the Cuirassé S of this period. They could thus create considerable damage, for a ridiculous price, even if they were destroyed. They were particularly dangerous when they were employed in a way combined with friendly battleships, the enemy ships having the choice between protecting themselves some or attacking their congeneric, the attacker within sight of the price of these boats, having then though it arrives gained a avantage.
The need for a ship especially studied to counter them, by making screen in front of the large units, being felt; thus was born the torpedo boat destroyer (destroying boat of destroyer), shortened soon in destroyer and which took the name in the French marine of destroyer . The idea was to build such fast ships, but with an armament containing guns with fast shooting and not exclusively of torpedes, and which operative in front of the fleet of line would prevent the destroyers from reaching a position of attack on the large buildings. However, the concept evolved/moved very quickly, because these new small ships were also likely them to be found confronted with the unfavourable battleships and it was thus decided to also equip them them with torpedes. In addition, the destroyers were to be able to operate with the fleet and thus to be able to follow it, contrary to the Torpilleur which acted close to its bases, and to final the destroyer was a ship much more important than that which it owed combattre.
The first success of the concept took place to the the United Kingdom, with the launching of the two ships of the class Havoc. The destroyer finishes, because of its embarked torpedes, by taking again the missions of the ships which it was charged to destroy, i.e. the fast attack with torpedes. A first example was given by it by the Japan board to Port-Arthur as of 1904. The destroyer ends up indicating in the French navy a small destroyer with short operating range, the role of the pure destroyer, the attack near the coasts, being ensured by the high-speed motorboat S torpedo tube and others Motor-boat S.

Evolution

During the First World War, the generalization of the danger of the Sous-marin S led the destroyers to ensure another mission: the protection of the large units against these new enemies within the squadrons. Convoys, them, when they started to be structured called more upon specialized escort ships anti-submarine, the Aviso S, then soon, at the beginning of the Second world war, the corvette S and frigates, which, because of the ships which they were supposed to protect, was much slower but on the other hand much more enduring because of the distances to parcourir.
The armament and the tactics of the destroyers, had to evolve/move for this mission and thus appeared the depth charges which ended up being launched by mortar, the Asdic and the Sonar. On the other hand, the destroyer thanks to its high speed, was often capable of éperonner the submarines, before they can plunge deeply, which was more difficult for the slow escort ships. The offensive capacities of the destroyers against the targets of surface suffered from it, sometimes of the guns and torpedo tubes were dismounted to leave the place to the equipment anti-submarines, but more generally one attended with an inflation of displacement to be able to fulfill all the missions effectively and the appearance of destroyer specialized in protection, the destroyer of escort, which at the beginning were carried out by an obsolete reconversion of class. It was even truer, when the Second world war, added with the underwater threat, the air danger, the destroyers had to embark new weapons to fight this one. One thus installed guns machine gunners in great number, then radars of day before, continuation and finally of the surface-to-air missiles. Soon the increase in size was not possible any more and one started to specialize the ships for certain roles. The offensive mission knew an eclipse after war because of declining effectiveness of the guns and of the torpedes in the modern combat, it had for this period only two defensive roles, against the submarine and aviation. During Years 1970, the possibility of mounting surface-to-surface missiles, which had become less cumbersome and more reliable, made reappear this role, in a form nouvelle.
Nowadays, the name of destroyer is more one traditional name, which varies according to the countries, the terms destroyer , frigate, corvette and Escorteur of squadron, are very often used for completely similar ships, often their displacement would make it possible to classify them as Croiseur S. On the other hand the versatility is their key word, because even if they are generally more suited in a particular mission (antiérien, antisubmersibles or fights of surface), they nevertheless have capacities in the other fields. Another characteristic emerged starting from the beginning of the year fifty, the presence of Hélicoptère S embarked, and spread thereafter. These revolving aerofoils can fulfill several missions, fights anti-submarine, guidance of missiles with semi-race, héliporté attack, recognition and rescue at sea; what takes part largely in the increase in tasks which can be entrusted to these boats, authorizing to them to operate far from their bases in an isolated way.

In France

France, used not designation of destroyer , ships intended to fight against destroyers, were called destroyer , term which appears the first time in the ministerial Décret of the March 17th 1886, which orders the transformation of the numbered destroyers from 65 to 74, by the assembly of four guns revolver of 37 mm; with final only the n° 68 will be converted. Into February 1888, the Canonnière Gabriel-Charms is also transformed into against destroyer n°151 . In 1890, they all are reclassified in Torpilleur S.

Designation reappears in 1896, when that the sloop-destroyers Cassini , D' Iberville and Casabianca are reclassified destroyers of squadron . Both Dunois and Lahire receive them also this designation as of their startup. The class Condor, initially classified in Cruiser-destroyer, also adopts it, just as the Croiseur of 3rd class, Milan in 1897.

In 1901, the destroyers of squadron become officially destroyers and are built: 32 of " 300 tonnes" , 13 of " 450 tonnes" and 21 of " 800 tonnes". Designation is again modified in 1914, in destroyer of squadron .

In 1922, the term of destroyer reappears at the time of the naval program, which envisages twelve of 2.200 tons of them, the six first will be those of the class Jaguar, 26 others will follow; four of the class Fantasque will be reclassified in light Croiseurs after the war.

After war designation yields place to that of escort ship of squadron which reflects better their missions, which appears with the launching of the ten eights of the model 1947, they are intended for the protection of the squadron of heavy buildings. To protect the Convoy S and navigation from trade, the fast classification of escort ship east creates, the four first will be those of the model 1950, followed of the twelve of the model 1952, then of the three of the model 1952A. The term of frigate reappears in the French marine in 1962, with the two buildings of the class Suffren which are classified like frigate missile launcher. To succeed the fast escort ships, are launched at the same time the nine sloop-escort ships of the class Victor Schoelcher.

In 1965, the designation of corvette is adopted for the launching of Aconit, then of the three Tourville which they will be reclassified in frigates, dice their startup. In 1988 the Aconite and the seven corvettes of the class Georges Leygues are they also reclassified in the frigates, the corvette term disappears in the French navy.

June 1st 1992, the last escort ship of squadron, Duperré, is disarmed, designation disappears too. In 1996, it is the last sloop-escort ship which undergoes the same fate. Nowadays only the designation of frigate seems to be essential in the national marine. Last the sloop of the Class of Estienne d' Orves being ready disarmament and the term should disappear him too. They, henceforth, are on the other hand divided into two rows and their function is specified, the naval lists Frenchwoman including/understanding of:

frigates anti-aircraft and missile launcher
anti-submarine frigates
frigates of monitoring

Formations and tactics

During the period when the destroyers fulfilled their traditional role of attack and protection in the actions using the torpedo, they were employed in a grouped way and coordinate. The basic training employing of the destroyer at the time was the flotilla , the size of this one varied according to the nations and included/understood in general, of four with ten destroyers. The building ordering the unit was named him conducting flotilla , according to the countries; there still, it was either a light cruiser, or a destroyer itself, but often of bigger size with additional installations to fill of the administrative offices. The flotilla was in addition supported by tenders , which supplied it and allowed him to act far from a terrestrial base. The small size of the destroyer, indeed, made impossible, all at least in the first time, the recharging of the embarked torpedo tubes, requiring the intervention of a heavier ship equipped with material of adapted lifting. Moreover these fast ships consumed their fuel reserves quickly. Isolated destroyers would have had only one limited endurance, but associated with the tenders , they were found able to follow the fleet everywhere where it went. Only limits tactical destroyers then became their endurance by heavy weather to which they were more sensitive than a ship of large taille.
The whole of these tactics was sophisticated at the time of the first conflict and reached its apogee at the time of the second, in particular in the navy Japan ease. At the time of the combat of night, they were sometimes employed to light the enemy fleet with their projectors, or after the appearance of the radar, in a new mission that of stake radar, thus ensuring a good part of the lighting of the fleet principale.
The fight against the submarines saw the emergence of specialized units, much more heterogeneous than the flotillas, often called group of hunting , gathering as well Porte-avions of escort, than of the Sloop S, corvette S or frigate. In these formations, the destroyer was used then often as fast force of attack which charged the Sous-marin attacking the convoy, going until the éperonner if the need were to oblige it to pass in a defensive posture while plunging deeply. Their high speed and their great agility put them almost at the shelter torpedes submarines, unless being surprised, as for their armament of guns, it made suicidal the attack however surfaces some most effective at that time. However, the destroyer suffered from several defects which made it depend on the other component ships the group:

it was impossible to use a Sonar and even less a Hydrophone, when the ship was launched to nearly thirty node S
its low endurance, obliging it to supply itself near its tenders, did not enable him to ensure a continuous protection around the tradind ships.
finally its price was prohibitory compared to a simple corvette, the appearance of the destroyers of escort attenuated just a little this defect.

It thus constituted an important component of the forces of escort, but depend on the other components.

List destroyers by country

See too

Escort ship
Frigate
Sloop
List of the ships of the French navy

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