In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were originally conceived 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.
Sir Eustace Henry William Tennyson d'Eyncourt, 1st Baronet was a British naval architect and engineer. As Director of Naval Construction for the Royal Navy, 1912–1924, he was responsible for the design and construction of some of the most famous British warships. He was also chairman of the Landship Committee at the Admiralty, which was responsible for the design and production of the first military tanks to be used in warfare.
Sir Philip Watts was a British naval architect, famous for designing numerous Elswick cruisers and the revolutionary battleship HMS Dreadnought.
Isabel II was a Velasco-class unprotected cruiser of the Spanish Navy in commission from 1887 to 1900. She fought at San Juan, Puerto Rico, during the Spanish–American War. She named after Queen Isabella II of Spain.
Gravina was a Velasco-class unprotected cruiser of the Spanish Navy in service from 1881 to 1884. She was wrecked in a typhoon in 1884.
Velasco was a Velasco-class unprotected cruiser which entered service in the Spanish Navy in 1882. She operated in the Spanish East Indies, taking part in expeditions against the Jolo pirates in the Philippines and a rebellion on Ponape, as well as operations against Philippine rebels during the Philippine Revolution. She was sunk in the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War in 1898.
Infanta Isabel was a Velasco-class unprotected cruiser of the Spanish Navy in commission from 1887 to 1926. Her 39 years in commission made her the longest-lived ship of the Velasco class. She was the first metal-hulled cruiser built in Spain.
Almirante Simpson was a unique design of torpedo gunboat, built by the British shipyard Laird Brothers. Acquired by the Chilean Navy in 1895, during construction. The ship had a brief service in Chile, being transferred to the Ecuadorian Navy in 1907 and renamed Libertador Bolívar. She was the first Ecuadorian warship of the 20th century and had an important participation in the Ecuadorian Civil War of 1913–1916. After the war, the ship was retired and then sank in 1928.
