Cruiser
In military terminology, a cruiser is a large warship capable of engaging multiple targets simultaneously. Historically they were generally considered the smallest ships capable of independent operations -- destroyers usually requiring outside support such as tenders -- but in modern parlance this difference has disappeared. The United States Navy and the Russian Navy are the only remaining navies which operate cruisers, but the Russians' are in bad repair and may be unsailable (the last sailable Kirov, Petr Velikiy, was recently recalled to port with severe reactor problems).
Modern United States Navy guided missile cruisers (CG hull classification symbol) perform primarily in a Battle Force role. These ships are multi-mission -- anti-aircraft (AAW), anti-submarine (ASW), and anti-surface (ASUW) surface combatants capable of supporting carrier battle groups, amphibious forces, or of operating independently and as flagships of surface action groups.
Technological advances in surface-to-air missiles coupled with the Aegis combat system have increased cruisers' AAW capability, while Tomahawk missiles give them long-range strike mission capability. These weapon systems have restored an offensive strike role to the surface forces that seemed to have been lost to air power at the battle of Midway. (The Battle of Midway marked the rise of carrier-minded naval strategy.)
All cruisers currently in commission in the US Navy are members of the Ticonderoga class. The Ticonderoga class was originally designed and designated as a class of destroyers (USS Ticonderoga was laid down as DDG-47 and redesignated to CG-47 while under construction); its designation as a cruiser represents the greater combat capability afforded by the Aegis combat system and its capability to act as the flagship of a squadron.
In the late 1960s, the US government perceived a "cruiser gap" (at the time, the US Navy possessed eight ships designated as "cruisers," compared to 23 for the Soviet Union); because of this, in 1975 the Navy performed a massive redesignation of its forces:
- CVA/CVAN were redesignated CV/CVN (although CV-41 Midway and CV-43 Coral Sea never embarked antisubmarine squadrons)
- DLG/DLGN (Frigate/Nuclear-powered Frigate) were redesignated CG/CGN (Guided Missile Cruiser/Nuclear-powered Guided Missile Cruiser)
- Coontz-class guided missile frigates (DLG), being smaller and less capable than the others, were redesignated to DDGs;
- DE/DEG (Ocean Escort/Guided Missile Ocean Escort) were redesignated to FF/FFG (Guided Missile Frigates), bringing the US "Frigate" designation into line with the rest of the world.
Historical subtypes include armored cruiser, protected cruiser, auxiliary cruiser, heavy cruiser, and light cruiser. The battlecruiser could be considered a sort of hybrid between cruiser and battleship.
The term "cruiser" was a mid 19th century invention. When warships were made of wood and had sails, frigates were small, fast, long range, lightly armed (single gun-deck) ships used for scouting and carrying dispatches. The first ironclads also had only a single gun-deck because of the weight of armor, even though they were bigger ships with bigger guns. They were nevertheless referred to as frigates although they were really ships of the line. Thus the definition of a frigate changed.
Ships which carried out the original frigate role were now renamed "cruising ships", which was rapidly abbreviated to cruiser. This continued to be the meaning until after the Second World War - a fast, long-range, lightly armored ship.
- See also: List of cruisers