Naval Nomenclature

This discussion of naval terms just shows that they have evolved over
time. In
modern navies the classes "destoyer","cruiser" etc refer to sizes, this
was used
in FT as well, but in Victorian times the names reffered to FUNCTION.
So, the
"line of battle ship" , the battleship, was to engage and destroy enemy
fleet
units, the "crusier" was intended to cruise distant sea lanes and the
far flung
provinces, destroying pirates, protecting commerce and settling local
problems.
Victorian cruisers were LONGER than battleships and often of a similar
tonnage,
the extar space was for bigger engines, more fuel, comapnies of marines
etc, in
line with their role. "Torpedo boat destroyers", destroyers, were
intended to
protect the battleships from torpedo boats. Thus in the B5 universe, the
ship
types may refer to inteded function, not size; a "destroyer" is inteded
to be
able to destroy any enemey ship, a cruiser to patrol the boundries of
the power,
etc etc.

Peace and Love
Geoffrey