In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or battle group and defend them against powerful short-range attackers. They were originally developed in 1885 by Fernando Villaamil for the Spanish Navy as a defense against torpedo boats, 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". 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.
The Fubuki-class destroyers were a class of twenty-four destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Fubuki class has been described as the world's first modern destroyer. The Fubuki class set a new standard not only for Japanese vessels, but for destroyers around the world. They remained formidable opponents to the end of World War II, despite being much older than many of their adversaries.
HNLMS Kortenaer was an Admiralen-class destroyer of the Royal Netherlands Navy, named after 17th century Dutch Admiral Egbert Bartholomeusz Kortenaer.
The third Aldea was a Serrano-class destroyer of the Chilean Navy in service from 1928 to 1967, but temporarily reactivated in 1973 to participate in the coup d'etat, where she and Captain Prat were used to secure Federico Santa María Technical University. She was laid down in 1928 by Thornycroft, at Woolston, Hampshire, England. She was launched by Mrs. Berta Castro de Merino in November 1928, and commissioned in July 1929.
The Serrano class was a series of six destroyers, built to a British design, which served with the Chilean Navy from 1928 to 1967. In 1927 Chile ordered the Serrano class from John I. Thornycroft & Company in the United Kingdom at the cost of £230,000 for each ship to enhance the Chilean Navy's ability to patrol its extensive coastline. The six vessels were completed by 1929. Serrano, Orella and Hyatt were equipped for minelaying, and Aldea, Riquelme and Videla for minesweeping.
At the outbreak of the Second World War Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine had 21 destroyers in service, while another one was just being completed. These 22 vessels – comprising 3 classes – had all been built in the 1930s, making them modern vessels. Including that final pre-war vessel, a further 19 were brought into service during the war and more were captured from opposing navies, including the Italian Navy after the Italian Armistice with the Allies in 1943.
The Tre Kronor class was a class of two cruisers built for the Swedish Navy during World War II, comprising Tre Kronor and Göta Lejon. Tre Kronor was discarded in 1968 and Göta Lejon was sold to Chile in 1971. Renamed Almirante Latorre, she remained in service until being discarded in 1986.
HNLMS Van Ghent was an Admiralen-class destroyer built for the Royal Netherlands Navy in the 1920s. The destroyer served in the Netherlands East Indies but was wrecked after running aground in 1942.
HMS Active, the tenth Active, launched in 1929, was an A-class destroyer. She served in the Second World War, taking part in the sinking of four submarines. She was broken up in 1947.
HMS Bentley was a Captain-class frigate which served during World War II. The ship was named after Sir John Bentley who entered the Royal Navy in 1720. Between 1744 and 1761 he commanded a series of ships and took part in the decisive victory at the Battle of Quiberon Bay in 1759 while commanding a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line HMS Warspite.
The Kamikaze-class destroyers were a class of nine destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Some authors consider the Nokaze, Kamikaze and Mutsuki classes to be extensions of the Minekaze-class destroyers, and the Kamikaze class is sometimes referred to as the "Kiyokaze class" to distinguish it from the earlier World War I-era destroyer class of the same name. Obsolete by the beginning of the Pacific War, the Kamikazes were relegated to mostly secondary roles. Most ultimately were lost to U.S. submarines.
The Churruca class was a Spanish destroyer class built for the Spanish Navy based on a British design. Eighteen ships were built, with two being sold to Argentina and commonly referred to as the Cervantes class. The last two members of the class are sometimes referred to as a separate class, the Alava class.
Japanese destroyers of World War II included some of the most formidable destroyers of their day. This came as a surprise to the Allies, who had generally underestimated Japanese technical capabilities. The Japanese had reassessed their naval needs in the mid-1920s and, placing an emphasis on ship and weapons technology and night-fighting expertise, developed a completely new destroyer design. Subsequent development from one destroyer class to the next was not, however, a smooth progression. Aside from the usual changes arising from experience, serious design faults also came to light and naval treaties imposed restrictions. As a result, the early "Special Type" destroyers required significant changes and the specifications of subsequent classes was reduced in one way or another. Naval treaties were later abrogated in 1937 and so destroyer development continued without regard to limits.
The Chidori-class torpedo boat was an Imperial Japanese Navy class of torpedo boats that were built before and served during the Second World War. The design initially proved to have too much armament for its small displacement, and the capsizing of Tomozuru (友鶴) shortly after completion in heavy weather resulted in a scandal which called into question the basic design of many Japanese warships of the time. After extensive modification, the class became satisfactory sea-boats and saw service in the Battle of the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies campaign as escorts and continued in that role for the rest of the war. Three were sunk during the war and the fourth was seized by the British at Hong Kong after the end of the war, where it was scrapped later.
The Mendoza class were a series of three destroyers built in the United Kingdom for the Argentine Navy in the 1920s. They were the first part of the Argentine re-armament programme of the 1920s. Construction began in 1927 and all three were commissioned in 1929. All three destroyers were converted to anti-aircraft escorts in 1958 and remained in service until 1962 when they were discarded.
The G-class destroyers were a proposed class of eight destroyers of the Royal Navy ordered during the Second World War under the 1944 Programme. Two were ordered on 24 July 1944, and six more on 30 August 1944, but all were cancelled on 13 December 1945, after the end of the war.
HNLMS Evertsen was a Admiralen-class destroyer of the Royal Netherlands Navy. She was destroyed by ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy on 1 March 1942, during the Battle of Sunda Strait.
HNLMS Piet Hein was an Admiralen-class destroyer of the Royal Netherlands Navy, named after 17th century Dutch Admiral Piet Pieterszoon Hein.
Teniente Serrano was a torpedo boat destroyer commissioned by the Chilean Navy in 1896. It was built by Laird Brothers along with three other destroyers: Capitán Orella, Capitán Muñoz Gamero and Guardiamarina Riquelme.
The Ehrensköld class was the first "modern" class of destroyer built by the Swedish Navy after the First World War. It introduced several new features, mainly heavy armament in three 12 cm guns and the new 53 cm torpedo. The class included two vessels, Ehrensköld and Nordenskjöld, which were both launched in 1926 and entered service in 1927. They patrolled the Baltic Sea until 1963, after which they became target vessels. Nordenskjöld was scrapped in 1964 and Ehrensköld in 1974.
Chile