what the diffrence from a Cruiser ship, and a destroyer ship?

Question

im guessing that a Cruiser cruises around looking for trouble, and a destroyer is sent to destroy something, on a specific mission.

Answer 1

Originally Cruisers were longer range ships capable of independent action, targeting merchant shipping, while destroyers were ship of limited armor but fast and packing a serious offensive punch.

Today, the difference is almost entirely one of size. Destroyers are smaller and Cruisers are bigger. The above answer has it backwards, the smallest Cruiser in the American Navy right now is at 9600 tons, while the largest destroyer is at 9000 tons. And 9000 tons is the biggest destroyer ever.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Navy_ships

Answer 2

A destroyer is primarily an anti-sub ship but has plenty of punch in other areas such as anti-ship or aircraft. these vessels are intended for escort duty. A cruiser in WW2 had either 6"-8" guns for anti-ship duty. Since the missile age cruisers are now primarily anti-aircraft and flag ship for escort vessels in a task force. An example would be the aegis cruiser which have very powerful radars and massive fire control which allows them to shoot down many targets at once while a destroyer can only engage a couple of planes at once. The new aegis destroyer has come a long way to correct this but is still not as capable as the cruiser.

Answer 3

The short answer is that a cruiser is designed to operate independantly, and a destroyer should always travel in a group for support.

Most modern cruisers have two five inch guns, can carry two helicopters, and about twice as many tomahawk missiles as a destroyer. The destroyer only has one five inch gun, and may not even have a hangar for a helicopter. Generally, a cruiser is also a little bit larger than a destroyer.

Lots of technical details separate the two, but I don't remember them all, and I wouldn't want to bore you. Check out Jane's guide to military ships if you want the straight dope in grueling details.

Answer 4

Difference in classes. Traditionally, ship sizes go Corvette, Frigatte, Destroyer, Cruiser, Battlecruiser (only a few left in the world) and then the carriers.

Cruisers, especially today, are missile barges, loaded to the nines with long-range armaments for anti-surface or sea-land warfare while maintaining substantial anti-air capabilities. Destroyers, on the other hand, carry much smaller armaments, are smaller ships, and generally have a primary function, say, like the Russian Udaloy-class destroyers are primarily sub-hunters, while their Sovremmenny's are primarily anti-surface.

Answer 5

Traditionally, cruisers and destroyers have served vastly different roles. Today, that difference betwen them is somewhat less distinct. Destroyers, from world war II on, have traditionally, along with firgates, been anti-submarine, but today, bridge the gap between frigate (anti-submarine) and cruisers, which have traditionally been anit-aircraft screens for the battleships and aircraft carriers.

Today's destroyers (Arleigh Burke class DDG guided missle destroyers) have vertical launch tubes that can carry two different versions of the Tomahawk cruise missle, the AGM 84 Harppon anti-ship missle, the SM-2 surface to air missle and the ASROC anti-submarine rocket (actually a Mk48 torpedo with a rocket booster that doubles the range of the torpedo by propelling it almost fifteen miles to the drop point). The VLS (vertical launch system) has a magazine capacity of 96 missles, in two different magazines, one fore and one aft. It also carries one 5"-Mk45 auto loading cannon, and two Phalanx close in weapons systems, and can load two OH-60 LAMPS III Oceanhawk anti submarine helicopters (same airframe as the armies UH-60 Blackhawks). The Ticonderoga guided missle cruisers can pack in 122 missles and carries armament similar to the destroyers, but are geared towards anti-aircraft duties instead.

Answer 6

Orginally Destroyers were called Torpedo boat Destroyers. They were developed to counter small fast boats armed with torpedos at the turn of the century. Over time they became a ASW & escort platform. Later they acted as a anti air defense screen for larger BB's and Carriers. Today they have become a sort of do all ship.
Crusiers develped from Frigates of the sailing era. The job of Cruisers was two fold. Scout ahead of the main fleet for the enemy & act as a independent raider of mercahntman or act as a escort. Today The missle Crusiers of Today act as anti Air/ Missile escorts to carriers and provide strong surface force capable of hiting targets far inland. The job of the two have blured over time. Now both CG' & DDG's do simmular missions. The only difference being size. The USN CG -47 class CG's are being retired for the newer DDG-51's for this reason........

Answer 7

I was on a destroyer off the coast of Viet-nam. The destroyer or tin can is much smaller maby about half, and the guns while large are still about half of the cruiser. Destroyers are named after famous men and cruisers are named after cities.

Answer 8

lana sands and the moondog have it right, and your question was actually spot on; a cruiser originally was a ship that cruised by itself, or went looking for the enemy; starting with the frigates of the French, Royal and American Navies in 1770's up to about 1939......destroyers were "Torpedo Boat Destroyers" ( we can thank Winston Churchill for that name); ships about 1/5 to 1/3 the size of cruisers, designed to operate with battleships and screen them from enemy torpedo boats...............and as was mentioned the role of cruisers and destroyers has blurred and merged as each had to get bigger to combat air and sub threats to the fleets; both are mostly used as screening ships to the carriers now a days rather than independent operators.....

Answer 9

Destroyers are a defensive ship whose job it is to chase off or destroy enemy subs, fend off missle attacks against the fleet, shoot down planes and stuff.

The cruiser is an offensive ship, whose job is to launch missles against enemy fleets and shore targets. They are cheaper to build and run than a battleship and there are far more cruisers than battleships.

Only subs go off on their own, while cruisers and destoyers stay with the fleet.

Answer 10

The armement and brass aboard.