Descriptions of ship types
From Websters 9th Collegiate dictionary
- BATTLESHIP
- Short for battle of the line ship. A warship of the largest and most heavily armed and armoured class
- DREADNOUGHT
- A battleship whose main armament consists of big guns of the same calibre
- BATLE CRUISER
- A large heavily armed warship that is lighter, faster and more manourvrable than a battleship
- CRUISER
- A large fast moderately armed and gunned warship usually of 600-1500 tons displacement
- FRIGATE
- a) An escort or coastal defence ship between a corvette and a destroyer in size
- b) Square rigged vessel between a Corvette and a ship of the line
- CORVETTE
- a) Ranks next below a Frigate (in old navies, ie not US)
- b) Highly manoeuvrable armed escort smaller than a destroyer
- DESTROYER
- A small fast warship usually armed with 5" guns, depth charges, torpedoes, mines and sometimes guided missiles
- DESTROYER ESCORT
- Similar to but smaller than a destroyer
- GUNBOAT
- An armed ship of shallow draft
- GUNSHIP
- An armed helicopter used especially for protecting troop transport helicopters against ground fire.
- CUTTER
- A small armed boat in government service
