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