Destroyer

File:Fernando Villaamil (ca 1897).jpg, credited as the inventor of the destroyer concept, who died in action during the Battle of Santiago de Cuba in 1898.]]

The emergence and development of the destroyer was related to the invention of the self-propelled torpedo in the 1860s. A navy now had the potential to destroy a superior enemy battle fleet using steam launches to fire torpedoes. Cheap, fast boats armed with torpedoes called torpedo boats were built and became a threat to large capital ships near enemy coasts. The first seagoing vessel designed to launch the self-propelled Whitehead torpedo was the 33-ton {{HMS|Lightning|1876|6}} in 1876.{{cite journal |last=Toby |first=A. Steven |year=1985 |title=The "Can-Do" Tin Can |journal=Proceedings |volume=111 |issue=10 |pages=108–113 |publisher=United States Naval Institute }} She was armed with two drop collars to launch these weapons; these were replaced in 1879 by a single torpedo tube in the bow. By the 1880s, the type had evolved into small ships of 50–100 tons, fast enough to evade enemy picket boats.

At first, the threat of a torpedo-boat attack to a battle fleet was considered to exist only when at anchor, but as faster and longer-range torpedo boats and torpedoes were developed, the threat extended to cruising at sea. In response to this new threat, more heavily gunned picket boats called "catchers" were built, which were used to escort the battle fleet at sea. They needed significant seaworthiness and endurance to operate with the battle fleet, and as they inherently became larger, they became officially designated "torpedo-boat destroyers", and by the First World War were largely known as "destroyers" in English. The antitorpedo boat origin of this type of ship is retained in its name in other languages, including French ({{lang|fr|contre-torpilleur}}), Italian ({{lang|it|cacciatorpediniere}}), Portuguese ({{lang|pt|contratorpedeiro}}), Czech ({{lang|cs|torpédoborec}}), Greek ({{transliteration|el|antitorpiliko}}, {{lang|el|αντιτορπιλικό}}), Dutch ({{lang|nl|torpedobootjager}}) and, up until the Second World War, Polish ({{lang|pl|kontrtorpedowiec}}, now obsolete).Lyon p. 8

Once destroyers became more than just catchers guarding an anchorage, they were recognized to be also ideal to take over the offensive role of torpedo boats themselves, so they were also fitted with torpedo tubes in addition to their antitorpedo-boat guns. At that time, and even into World War I, the only function of destroyers was to protect their own battle fleet from enemy torpedo attacks and to make such attacks on the battleships of the enemy. The task of escorting merchant convoys was still in the future.

File:Kotaka.jpg's Kotaka (1887)]]

An important development came with the construction of HMS Swift in 1884, later redesignated TB 81.{{cite web |url=http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/torpedo_boats.htm |title=Torpedo Boats |publisher=Battleships-Cruisers.co.uk}} This was a large (137 ton) torpedo boat with four 47 mm quick-firing guns and three torpedo tubes. At {{convert|23.75|kn|lk=in}}, while still not fast enough to engage enemy torpedo boats reliably, the ship at least had the armament to deal with them.

Another forerunner of the torpedo-boat destroyer (TBD) was the Japanese torpedo boatJentschura p. 126 {{ship|Japanese warship|Kotaka||2}} (Falcon), built in 1885.{{cite book |last=Evans and Peattie |first=David C. and Mark R. |title=Kaigun: Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1887–1941 |year=1997 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=978-0-87021-192-8}} Designed to Japanese specifications and ordered from the Isle of Dogs, London Yarrow shipyard in 1885, she was transported in parts to Japan, where she was assembled and launched in 1887. The {{convert|165|ft|m|adj=on}} long vessel was armed with four 1-pounder (37 mm) quick-firing guns and six torpedo tubes, reached {{convert|19|knot|km/h}}, and at 203 tons, was the largest torpedo boat built to date. In her trials in 1889, Kotaka demonstrated that she could exceed the role of coastal defense, and was capable of accompanying larger warships on the high seas. The Yarrow shipyards, builder of the parts for Kotaka, "considered Japan to have effectively invented the destroyer".{{cite book |last=Howe |first=Christopher |title=The Origins of Japanese Trade Supremacy: Development and Technology in Asia from 1540 to the Pacific War |year=1996 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago, Illinois |isbn=978-0-226-35485-9}}

The German aviso {{SMS|Greif|1886|2}}, launched in 1886, was designed as a "Torpedojäger" (torpedo hunter), intended to screen the fleet against attacks by torpedo boats. The ship was significantly larger than torpedo boats of the period, displacing some {{cvt|2266|t|LT}}, with an armament of {{cvt|10.5|cm}} guns and {{cvt|3.7|cm}} Hotchkiss revolver cannon.{{cite book| last1 = Hildebrand| first1 = Hans H.| last2 = Röhr| first2 = Albert| last3 = Steinmetz| first3 = Hans-Otto| year = 1993| title = Die Deutschen Kriegsschiffe: Biographien: ein Spiegel der Marinegeschichte von 1815 bis zur Gegenwart (Band 4)| trans-title=The German Warships: Biographies: A Reflection of Naval History from 1815 to the Present (Vol. 4)| language = de| publisher = Mundus Verlag| location = Ratingen| isbn = 978-3-7822-0382-1|name-list-style=amp|pages=17–18}}

{{Main|Torpedo gunboat}}

File:HMS Spider.png

The first vessel designed for the explicit purpose of hunting and destroying torpedo boats was the torpedo gunboat. Essentially very small cruisers, torpedo gunboats were equipped with torpedo tubes and an adequate gun armament, intended for hunting down smaller enemy boats. By the end of the 1890s, torpedo gunboats were made obsolete by their more successful contemporaries, the TBDs, which were much faster.

The first example of this was {{HMS|Rattlesnake|1886|6}}, designed by Nathaniel Barnaby in 1885, and commissioned in response to the Russian War scare.{{cite book |last=Lyon & Winfield |title=The Sail and Steam Navy List|chapter=10|pages=82–3}} The gunboat was armed with torpedoes and designed for hunting and destroying smaller torpedo boats. Exactly {{convert|200|ft|m}} long and {{convert|23|ft|m}} in beam, she displaced 550 tons. Built of steel, Rattlesnake was unarmoured with the exception of a {{fraction|3|4}}-inch protective deck. She was armed with a single 4-inch/25-pounder breech-loading gun, six 3-pounder QF guns and four {{convert|14|in|mm|adj=on}} torpedo tubes, arranged with two fixed tubes at the bow and a set of torpedo-dropping carriages on either side. Four torpedo reloads were carried.

A number of torpedo gunboat classes followed, including the Grasshopper class, the {{sclass|Sharpshooter|torpedo gunboat|4}}, the {{sclass|Alarm |torpedo gunboat|4}}, and the {{sclass|Dryad|torpedo gunboat|4}} – all built for the Royal Navy during the 1880s and the 1890s. In the 1880s, the Chilean Navy ordered the construction of two {{sclass|Almirante Lynch|torpedo gunboat|4}} torpedo gunboats from the British shipyard Laird Brothers, which specialized in the construction of this type of vessel. The novelty is that one of these Almirante Lynch-class torpedo boats managed to sink the ironclad {{ship|Chilean ironclad|Blanco Encalada||2}} with self-propelled torpedoes in the Battle of Caldera Bay in 1891, thus surpassing its main function of hunting torpedo boats.

Fernando Villaamil, second officer of the Ministry of the Navy of Spain, designed his own torpedo gunboat to combat the threat from the torpedo boat.{{Cite web|url=https://www.spanamwar.com/Vilamil.htm|title=Capitan de Navio Fernando Villaamil, 1898|website=www.spanamwar.com|accessdate=18 December 2022}} He asked several British shipyards to submit proposals capable of fulfilling these specifications. In 1885, the Spanish Navy chose the design submitted by the shipyard of James and George Thomson of Clydebank. {{ship|Spanish warship|Destructor|1886|2}} (Destroyer in Spanish) was laid down at the end of the year, launched in 1886, and commissioned in 1887. Some authors considered her as the first destroyer ever built."Under the influence of Fernando Villamil (1845–1898), Spain in 1886 produced the first torpedo boat destroyer." Kern, Robert & Dodge, Meredith: Historical dictionary of modern Spain, 1700–1988. Greenwood Press, 1990, page 361. {{ISBN|0-313-25971-2}}{{Cite book|last1=Polmar|first1=Norman|title=Navy's Most Wanted™: The Top 10 Book of Admirable Admirals, Sleek Submarines, and Other Naval Oddities|last2=Cavas|first2=Christopher|publisher=Potomac Books|year=2009|isbn=978-1597976558|pages=44}}

File:Contratorpedero Destructor (en 1890).svg in 1890, the first destroyer ever built]]

She displaced 348 tons, and was the first warship{{Cite book|title=The illustrated history of ships|last=Cornwell|first=Edward Lewis|publisher=Crescent Books|year=1979|isbn=0517287951|pages=150}} equipped with twin triple-expansion engines generating {{convert|3784|ihp|0|abbr=on}}, for a maximum speed of {{convert|22.6|kn|km/h}},{{Cite web|url=https://accounts.google.com/v3/signin/identifier?dsh=S-200562420%3A1671362468167974&continue=https%3A%2F%2Fsites.google.com%2Fsite%2Fsites%2Fsystem%2Ferrors%2FWebspaceNotFound%3Fpath%3D%2Frlmbuquesdeguerra%2Fcontratorpedero-destructor&followup=https%3A%2F%2Fsites.google.com%2Fsite%2Fsites%2Fsystem%2Ferrors%2FWebspaceNotFound%3Fpath%3D%2Frlmbuquesdeguerra%2Fcontratorpedero-destructor&passive=1209600&service=jotspot&flowName=WebLiteSignIn&flowEntry=ServiceLogin&ifkv=AeAAQh4ygN8Myw04e4GrFy_UtXYT1uUliIutQB9C-gLkpfx-kFM_8r6fQa48u2dDzkqfuZMdxSVh|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100226031523/http://sites.google.com/site/rlmbuquesdeguerra/contratorpedero-destructor#prof|url-status=dead|title=Google Sites: Sign-in|archivedate=26 February 2010|website=accounts.google.com|accessdate=18 December 2022}} which made her one of the faster ships in the world in 1888.Illustrated Naval and Military Magazine: A monthly journal devoted to all subjects connected with Her Majesty's land and sea forces, 1888, v 9, page 280 She was armed with one {{convert|90|mm|in|adj=on|abbr=on}} Spanish-designed Hontoria breech-loading gun,Fitzsimmons, Bernard: The Illustrated encyclopedia of 20th century weapons and warfare. Columbia House, 1978, v. 8, page 835 four {{convert|57|mm|in|adj=on|abbr=on}} (6-pounder) Nordenfelt guns, two {{convert|37|mm|in|adj=on|abbr=on}} (3-pdr) Hotchkiss cannons and two {{convert|15|in|cm|adj=on}} Schwartzkopff torpedo tubes. The ship carried three torpedoes per tube. She carried a crew of 60.

In terms of gunnery, speed, and dimensions, the specialised design to chase torpedo boats and her high-seas capabilities, Destructor was an important precursor to the TBD.{{Cite web|url=http://www.quarterdeck.org/100th/DDs.htm#prof|title=The Destructor -100 Years|website=www.quarterdeck.org|access-date=2019-04-28|archive-date=2021-02-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226160934/http://www.quarterdeck.org/100th/DDs.htm#prof|url-status=dead}}

File:HMS Havock (1893).jpg

The first classes of ships to bear the formal designation TBD were the {{sclass|Daring|destroyer|4||1893}} of two ships and {{sclass|Havock|destroyer|4}} of two ships of the Royal Navy.

Early torpedo gunboat designs lacked the range and speed to keep up with the fleet they were supposed to protect. In 1892, the Third Sea Lord, Rear Admiral John "Jacky" Fisher ordered the development of a new type of ships equipped with the then-novel water-tube boilers and quick-firing small-calibre guns. Six ships to the specifications circulated by the admiralty were ordered initially, comprising three different designs each produced by a different shipbuilder: {{HMS|Daring|1893|6}} and {{HMS|Decoy|1894|6}} from John I. Thornycroft & Company, {{HMS|Havock|1893|6}} and {{HMS|Hornet|1893|6}} from Yarrows, and {{HMS|Ferret|1893|6}} and {{HMS|Lynx|1894|6}} from Laird, Son & Company.{{cite book|title=The British Destroyer|author=Captain T.D. Manning|publisher=Putnam and Co|year=1961}}

These ships all featured a turtleback (i.e. rounded) forecastle that was characteristic of early British TBDs. {{HMS|Daring|1893|6}} and {{HMS|Decoy|1894|6}} were both built by Thornycroft, displaced 260 tons (287.8 tons full load), and were 185 feet in length. They were armed with one 12-pounder gun and three 6-pounder guns, with one fixed 18-in torpedo tube in the bow plus two more torpedo tubes on a revolving mount abaft the two funnels. Later, the bow torpedo tube was removed and two more 6-pounder guns added, instead. They produced 4,200 hp from a pair of Thornycroft water-tube boilers, giving them a top speed of 27 knots, giving the range and speed to travel effectively with a battle fleet. In common with subsequent early Thornycroft boats, they had sloping sterns and double rudders.{{cite book|last=Lyon|first=David|title=The First Destroyers|year=1996|publisher=Caxton Editions |isbn=978-1-84067-364-7}}

The French navy, an extensive user of torpedo boats, built its first TBD in 1899, with the {{sclass|Durandal|destroyer|0}} torpilleur d'escadre. The United States commissioned its first TBD, {{USS|Bainbridge|DD-1|6}}, Destroyer No. 1, in 1902, and by 1906, 16 destroyers were in service with the US Navy.Simpson p. 151

File:Yarrow plan.png

Torpedo boat destroyer designs continued to evolve around the turn of the 20th century in several key ways. The first was the introduction of the steam turbine. The spectacular unauthorized demonstration of the turbine-powered {{ship||Turbinia}} at the 1897 Spithead Navy Review, which, significantly, was of torpedo-boat size, prompted the Royal Navy to order a prototype turbine-powered destroyer, {{HMS|Viper|1899|6}} of 1899. This was the first turbine warship of any kind, and achieved a remarkable {{convert|34|kn}} on sea trials. By 1910, the turbine had been widely adopted by all navies for their faster ships.

The second development was the replacement of the torpedo boat-style turtleback foredeck by a raised forecastle for the new {{sclass2|River|destroyer|2||1903}}s built in 1903, which provided better sea-keeping and more space below deck.

The first warship to use only fuel oil propulsion was the Royal Navy's TBD {{HMS|Spiteful|1899|6}}, after experiments in 1904, although the obsolescence of coal as a fuel in British warships was delayed by oil's availability.{{cite journal|author=Anon. |title=The British Admiralty ... |journal=Scientific American |volume=91 |issue=2 |year=1904 |url=https://archive.org/stream/scientific-american-1904-07-09/scientific-american-v91-n02-1904-07-09#page/n0/mode/2up |issn=0036-8733}}{{cite journal|last=Dahl |first=E.J. |title=Naval innovation: From coal to oil |journal=Joint Force Quarterly |issue=Winter 2000–01 |year=2001 |url=http://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a524799.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022194856/http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a524799.pdf |archive-date=22 October 2016 |pages=50–6|url-status=live |access-date=14 February 2017}} Other navies also adopted oil, for instance the USN with the {{sclass|Paulding|destroyer|4}} of 1909.

In spite of all this variety, destroyers adopted a largely similar pattern. The hull was long and narrow, with a relatively shallow draft. The bow was either raised in a forecastle or covered under a turtleback; underneath this were the crew spaces, extending {{fraction|1|4}} to {{fraction|1|3}} the way along the hull. Aft of the crew spaces was as much engine space as the technology of the time would allow - several boilers and engines or turbines. Above deck, one or more quick-firing guns were mounted in the bows, in front of the bridge; several more were mounted amidships and astern. Two tube mountings (later on, multiple mountings) were generally found amidships.

Between 1892 and 1914, destroyers became markedly larger; initially 275 tons with a length of {{convert|165|ft|m}} for the Royal Navy's first {{sclass|Havock|destroyer|4}} of TBDs,Lyon p. 53 up to the First World War with {{convert|300|ft|m|adj=on}} long destroyers displacing 1,000 tons was not unusual. Construction remained focused on putting the biggest possible engines into a small hull, though, resulting in a somewhat flimsy construction. Often, hulls were built of high-tensile steel only {{cvt|1/8|in}} thick.

By 1910, the steam-driven displacement (that is, not hydroplaning) torpedo boat had become redundant as a separate type. Germany, nevertheless, continued to build such boats until the end of World War I, although these were effectively small coastal destroyers. In fact, Germany never distinguished between the two types, giving them pennant numbers in the same series and never giving names to destroyers. Ultimately, the term "torpedo boat" came to be attached to a quite different vessel – the very fast-hydroplaning, motor-driven motor torpedo boat.

Navies originally built TBDrs to protect against torpedo boats, but admirals soon appreciated the flexibility of the fast, multipurpose vessels that resulted. Vice-Admiral Sir Baldwin Walker laid down destroyer duties for the Royal Navy:Brett, Bernard: "History of World Sea Power", Deans International (London) 1985. {{ISBN|0-603-03723-2}}

• Screening the advance of a fleet when hostile torpedo craft are about
• Searching a hostile coast along which a fleet might pass
• Watching an enemy's port for the purpose of harassing his torpedo craft and preventing their return
• Attacking an enemy fleet

Early destroyers were extremely cramped places to live, being "without a doubt magnificent fighting vessels... but unable to stand bad weather".Grant p. 136 During the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, the commander of the Imperial Japanese Navy TBD AkatsukiGrant, image, frontispieceLyon p. 58Jentschura p. 132 described "being in command of a destroyer for a long period, especially in wartime... is not very good for the health". Stating that he had originally been strong and healthy, he continued, "life on a destroyer in winter, with bad food, no comforts, would sap the powers of the strongest men in the long run. A destroyer is always more uncomfortable than the others, and rain, snow, and sea-water combine to make them damp; in fact, in bad weather, there is not a dry spot where one can rest for a moment."Grant p. 102, 103

The Japanese destroyer-commander finished with, "Yesterday, I looked at myself in a mirror for a long time; I was disagreeably surprised to see my face thin, full of wrinkles, and as old as though I were 50. My clothes (uniform) cover nothing but a skeleton, and my bones are full of rheumatism."

In 1898, the US Navy officially classified {{USS|Porter|TB-6|6}}, a {{convert|175|ft|m|adj=on}} long all steel vessel displacing 165 tons, as a torpedo boat, but her commander, LT. John C. Fremont, described her as "...a compact mass of machinery not meant to keep the sea nor to live in... as five-sevenths of the ship are taken up by machinery and fuel, whilst the remaining two-sevenths, fore and aft, are the crew's quarters; officers forward and the men placed aft. And even in those spaces are placed anchor engines, steering engines, steam pipes, etc. rendering them unbearably hot in tropical regions."Simpson p. 100

File:HMS Loyal (1913) IWM SP 001136.jpg

The TBD's first major use in combat came during the Japanese surprise attack on the Russian fleet anchored in Port Arthur at the opening of the Russo-Japanese War on 8 February 1904.

Three destroyer divisions attacked the Russian fleet in port, firing a total of 18 torpedoes, but only two Russian battleships, {{ship|Russian battleship|Tsesarevich||2}} and {{ship|Russian battleship|Retvizan||2}}, and a protected cruiser, {{ship|Russian cruiser|Pallada|1899|2}}, were seriously damaged due to the proper deployment of torpedo nets. Tsesarevich, the Russian flagship, had her nets deployed, with at least four enemy torpedoes "hung up" in them,Grant p. 42 and other warships were similarly saved from further damage by their nets.Grant p. 33, 34, 40

While capital-ship engagements were scarce in World War I, destroyer units engaged almost continually in raiding and patrol actions. The first shot of the war at sea was fired on 5 August 1914 by {{HMS|Lance|1914|6}}, one of the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla, in an engagement with the German auxiliary minelayer {{SS|Königin Luise|1913|2}}.The Königin Luise was abandoned and scuttled by her crew, but the British patrol later passed through the area she had mined and a cruiser was damaged and abandoned.

Destroyers were involved in the skirmishes that prompted the Battle of Heligoland Bight, and filled a range of roles in the Battle of Gallipoli, acting as troop transports and as fire-support vessels, as well as their fleet-screening role. Over 80 British destroyers and 60 German torpedo boats took part in the Battle of Jutland, which involved pitched small-boat actions between the main fleets, and several foolhardy attacks by unsupported destroyers on capital ships. Jutland also concluded with a messy night action between the German High Seas Fleet and part of the British destroyer screen.

File:Wickes dd75.jpg

The threat evolved by World War I with the development of the submarine, or U-boat. The submarine had the potential to hide from gunfire and close underwater to fire torpedoes. Early-war destroyers had the speed and armament to intercept submarines before they submerged, either by gunfire or by ramming. Destroyers also had a shallow enough draft that they were difficult to hit with torpedoes.

File:HMS Badger (1911).jpg

The desire to attack submarines under water led to rapid destroyer evolution during the war. They were quickly equipped with strengthened bows for ramming, and depth charges and hydrophones for identifying submarine targets. The first submarine casualty credited to a destroyer was the German {{SMU|U-19|Germany|2}}, rammed by {{HMS|Badger|1911|6}} on 29 October 1914. While U-19 was only damaged, the next month, {{HMS|Garry}} successfully sank {{SMU|U-18|Germany|2}}. The first depth-charge sinking was on 4 December 1916, when {{SMU|UC-19|3=2}}{{cite book|publisher = Naval Institute Press |title = U-boats Destroyed: German Submarine Losses in the World Wars|first= Paul|last = Kemp |date =1997|isbn = 9781557508591}} was sunk by HMS Llewellyn.

The submarine threat meant that many destroyers spent their time on antisubmarine patrol. Once Germany adopted unrestricted submarine warfare in January 1917, destroyers were called on to escort merchant convoys. US Navy destroyers were among the first American units to be dispatched upon the American entry to the war, and a squadron of Japanese destroyers even joined Allied patrols in the Mediterranean. Patrol duty was far from safe; of the 67 British destroyers lost in the war, collisions accounted for 18, while 12 were wrecked.

At the end of the war, the state-of-the-art was represented by the British W class.

{{See also|List of destroyers of the Second World War}}

File:Velox.jpg

The trend during World War I had been towards larger destroyers with heavier armaments. A number of opportunities to fire at capital ships had been missed during the war, because destroyers had expended all their torpedoes in an initial salvo. The British V and W classes of the late war had sought to address this by mounting six torpedo tubes in two triple mounts, instead of the four or two on earlier models. The V and W classes set the standard of destroyer building well into the 1920s.

Two Romanian destroyers {{ship|NMS|Mărăști||2}} and {{ship|NMS|Mărășești||2}}, though, had the greatest firepower of all destroyers in the world throughout the first half of the 1920s. This was largely because, between their commissioning in 1920 and 1926, they retained the armament that they had while serving in the Italian Navy as scout cruisers (esploratori). When initially ordered by Romania in 1913, the Romanian specifications envisioned three 120 mm guns, a caliber which would eventually be adopted as the standard for future Italian destroyers. Armed with three 152 mm and four 76 mm guns after being completed as scout cruisers, the two warships were officially re-rated as destroyers by the Romanian Navy. The two Romanian warships were thus the destroyers with the greatest firepower in the world throughout much of the interwar period. As of 1939, when the Second World War started, their artillery, although changed, was still close to cruiser standards, amounting to nine heavy naval guns (five of 120 mm and four of 76 mm). In addition, they retained their two twin 457 mm torpedo tubes and two machine guns, plus the capacity to carry up to 50 mines.Brassey's Annual: The Armed Forces Year-book, Praeger Publishers, 1939, p. 276

File:Uranami II.jpgThe next major innovation came with the Japanese {{sclass|Fubuki|destroyer|4}} or "special type", designed in 1923 and delivered in 1928. The design was initially noted for its powerful armament of six 5-inch (127 mm) guns and three triple torpedo mounts. The second batch of the class gave the guns high-angle turrets for antiaircraft warfare, and the {{convert|24|in|cm|adj=on}}, oxygen-fueled Long Lance Type 93 torpedo. The later {{sclass|Hatsuharu|destroyer|4}} of 1931 further improved the torpedo armament by storing its reload torpedoes close at hand in the superstructure, allowing reloading within 15 minutes.

Most other nations replied with similar larger ships. The US {{sclass|Porter|destroyer|4}} adopted twin 5-inch (127 mm) guns, and the subsequent {{sclass|Mahan|destroyer|4}} and {{sclass|Gridley|destroyer|4}}es (the latter of 1934) increased the number of torpedo tubes to 12 and 16, respectively.

File:Fantasque.jpg

In the Mediterranean, the Italian Navy's building of very fast light cruisers of the {{sclass|Condottieri|cruiser|4}} prompted the French to produce exceptional destroyer designs. The French had long been keen on large destroyers, with their {{sclass|Chacal|destroyer|4}} of 1922 displacing over 2,000 tons and carrying 130 mm guns; a further three similar classes were produced around 1930. The {{sclass|Le Fantasque|destroyer|4}} of 1935 carried five {{convert|138|mm|in}} guns and nine torpedo tubes, but could achieve speeds of {{convert|45|kn|kph|0}}, which remains the record speed for a steamship and for any destroyer.{{cite book|last1=Jordan|first1=John|last2=Moulin|first2=Jean|title=French Destroyers: Torpilleurs d'Escadre & Contre-Torpilleurs 1922–1956|year=2015|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|location=Barnsley, UK|isbn=978-1-84832-198-4 |name-list-style=amp}} The Italians' own destroyers were almost as swift; most Italian designs of the 1930s were rated at over {{convert|38|knot|km/h|0}}, while carrying torpedoes and either four or six 120 mm guns.

Germany started to build destroyers again during the 1930s as part of Hitler's rearmament program. The Germans were also fond of large destroyers, but while the initial Type 1934 displaced over 3,000 tons, their armament was equal to smaller vessels. This changed from the Type 1936 onwards, which mounted heavy {{convert|150|mm|in}} guns. German destroyers also used innovative high-pressure steam machinery; while this should have helped their efficiency, it more often resulted in mechanical problems.

File:Torpedobootjager Hr.Ms.Tjerk Hiddes (G16) (ex. Non Pareil) onder Nederlandse vlag met Brits kenteken G16 (2158 012325).jpg, a British built N-class destroyer, laid down on 22 May 1940 and transferred to the Royal Netherlands Navy ]]

Once German and Japanese rearmament became clear, the British and American navies consciously focused on building destroyers that were smaller, but more numerous than those used by other nations. The British built a series of destroyers (the {{sclass2|A|destroyer|4||1929}} to {{sclass2|I|destroyer|4}}), which were about 1,400 tons standard displacement, and had four {{convert|4.7|in|mm|0|adj=on}} guns and eight torpedo tubes; the American {{sclass|Benson|destroyer|4}} of 1938 was similar in size, but carried five {{convert|5|in|mm|0|adj=on}} guns and ten torpedo tubes. Realizing the need for heavier gun armament, the British built the {{sclass2|Tribal|destroyer (1936)|4}} of 1936 (sometimes called Afridi after one of two lead ships). These ships displaced 1,850 tons and were armed with eight {{convert|4.7|in|mm|0|adj=on}} guns in four twin turrets and four torpedo tubes. These were followed by the J-class and L-class destroyers, with six {{convert|4.7|in|mm|0|adj=on}} guns in twin turrets and eight torpedo tubes.

Antisubmarine sensors included sonar (or ASDIC), although training in their use was indifferent. Antisubmarine weapons changed little, and ahead-throwing weapons, a need recognized in World War I, had made no progress.

{{further|American World War II destroyers|British World War II destroyers|French World War II destroyers|German World War II destroyers|Italian World War II destroyers|Japanese World War II destroyers|Soviet World War II destroyers|Romanian World War II destroyers}}

File:USS McGowan (DD-678) at sea, circa in 1945.jpg

During the 1920s and 1930s, destroyers were often deployed to areas of diplomatic tension or humanitarian disaster. British and American destroyers were common on the Chinese coast and rivers, even supplying landing parties to protect colonial interests. By World War II, the threat had evolved once again. Submarines were more effective, and aircraft had become important weapons of naval warfare; once again the early-war fleet destroyers were ill-equipped for combating these new targets. They were fitted with new light antiaircraft guns, radar, and forward-launched ASW weapons, in addition to their existing dual-purpose guns, depth charges, and torpedoes. Increasing size allowed improved internal arrangement of propulsion machinery with compartmentation, so ships were less likely to be sunk by a single hit. In most cases torpedo and/or dual-purpose gun armament was reduced to accommodate new anti-air and anti-submarine weapons. By this time the destroyers had become large, multi-purpose vessels, expensive targets in their own right. As a result, casualties on destroyers were among the highest. In the US Navy, particularly in World War II, destroyers became known as tin cans due to their light armor compared to battleships and cruisers.

The need for large numbers of antisubmarine ships led to the introduction of smaller and cheaper specialized antisubmarine warships called corvettes and frigates by the Royal Navy and destroyer escorts by the USN. A similar programme was belatedly started by the Japanese (see {{sclass|Matsu|destroyer|2}}). These ships had the size and displacement of the original TBDs from which the contemporary destroyer had evolved.

File:ORP_Błyskawica_w_nowym_kamuflażu_-_02-01-2012.jpg destroyer {{ORP|Błyskawica}} is preserved as a museum ship in Gdynia.]]

Some conventional destroyers completed in the late 1940s and 1950s were built on wartime experience. These vessels were significantly larger than wartime ships and had fully automatic main guns, unit machinery, radar, sonar, and antisubmarine weapons, such as the squid mortar. Examples include the British {{sclass|Daring|destroyer (1949)|0}}, US {{sclass|Forrest Sherman|destroyer|0}}, and the Soviet {{sclass|Kotlin|destroyer|2}}s.

Some World War II–vintage ships were modernized for antisubmarine warfare, and to extend their service lives, to avoid having to build (expensive) brand-new ships. Examples include the US FRAM I programme and the British Type 15 frigates converted from fleet destroyers.

The advent of surface-to-air missiles and surface-to-surface missiles, such as the Exocet, in the early 1960s changed naval warfare. Guided missile destroyers (DDG in the US Navy) were developed to carry these weapons and protect the fleet from air, submarine, and surface threats. Examples include the Soviet {{sclass|Kashin|destroyer|4}}, the British {{sclass2|County|destroyer|4}}, and the US {{sclass|Charles F. Adams|destroyer|4}}.

The 21st century destroyers tend to display features such as large, slab sides without complicated corners and crevices to keep the radar cross-section small, vertical launch systems to carry a large number of missiles at high readiness to fire, and helicopter flight decks and hangars.

File:Countries by destroyer number.png

• {{navy|Australia}} operates three {{sclass|Hobart|destroyer|2}}s.

File:PLANS Taiyuan (DDG-131) 20190729.jpg Luyang III-class (Type 052D) destroyer]]

• {{navy|China}} operates the Type 055 destroyer,{{Cite web |last= Johnson|first=Jesse|date=2020-01-12|title=China's navy commissions biggest and 'most powerful' surface warship |url= https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/01/12/asia-pacific/china-navy-commissions-biggest-most-powerful-warship/ |access-date= 2020-11-17|website=The Japan Times|language=en-US}} two Luyang I-class destroyers, six Luyang II-class destroyers, 24{{Cite web |title=China Commissions Two New Type 052D Destroyers |url=https://www.defenseworld.net/news/31547/China_Commissions_Two_New_Type_052D_Destroyers#.YjRNxnpBy3A |access-date=2022-03-18 |website=www.defenseworld.net|date=10 March 2022 }} Type 052D destroyer and two Luzhou-class destroyers. China also operates two Type 052 destroyers, one Type 051B destroyer and four {{sclass|Sovremenny|destroyer|5}}-class destroyers that are of older models. The Type 055 is considered to be a cruiser by NATO and the U.S. Department of Defense for its tonnage and capability matching that of the {{sclass|Ticonderoga|cruiser|1}}.{{Cite web|title=Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2017|url=https://dod.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/pubs/2017_China_Military_Power_Report.PDF |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180824200942/https://dod.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/pubs/2017_China_Military_Power_Report.PDF |archive-date=2018-08-24 |url-status=dead|website=dod.defense.gov |date = 15 May 2017 }}
• {{naval|Taiwan}} (Taiwan) operates four {{sclass|Kidd|destroyer|2}}s, purchased from the United States.

• {{navy|France}} operates two {{sclass2|Horizon|frigate|2}}s and eight FREMM Multipurpose frigates of the Aquitaine-class variant. The French Navy does not use the term "destroyer" but rather "first-rate frigate" for these ship types, but they are marked with the NATO "D" hull code which places them in the destroyer type, as opposed to "F" for frigate.{{cite web | url=https://www.seaforces.org/marint/French-Navy/ships.htm | title=French Navy - Marine Nationale - Ships Submarines Aircraft }}

• {{navy|Greece}} has HS Velos, a {{sclass|Fletcher|destroyer|2}}, remains ceremonially in commission due to her historical significance.

• {{navy|India}} operates four {{sclass|Visakhapatnam|destroyer|2}}s, three {{sclass|Kolkata|destroyer|2}}s, three {{sclass|Delhi|destroyer|2}}, and three {{sclass|Rajput|destroyer|0}} destroyers.

• {{navy|Italy}} operates two {{sclass|Durand de la Penne|destroyer|2}}s and two Orizzonte-class destroyers.

File:JS Izumo（DDH-183）seen from the sky 10-03-2021.jpgs]]

• {{navy|Japan}} operates two {{sclass|Maya|destroyer|0}}, two {{sclass|Atago|destroyer|0}}, four {{sclass|Kongō|destroyer|0}}, two {{sclass|Asahi|destroyer|0}}, four {{sclass|Akizuki|destroyer|0||2010}}, five {{sclass|Takanami|destroyer|0}}, nine {{sclass|Murasame|destroyer|0||1994}}, eight {{sclass|Asagiri|destroyer|0}}, and two {{sclass|Hatakaze|destroyer|2}}s, along with six {{sclass|Abukuma|destroyer escort|2}}s. Japan also operates two {{sclass|Izumo|multi-purpose destroyer|0}} and two {{sclass|Hyūga|helicopter destroyer|0}} helicopter destroyers, internationally regarded as helicopter carriers.

• {{navy|South Korea}} operates three {{sclass|Sejong the Great|destroyer|0}}, six {{sclass|Chungmugong Yi Sun-shin|destroyer|0}} and three {{sclass|Gwanggaeto the Great|destroyer|0}} destroyers.

• {{navy|North Korea}} operates a single {{sclass|Choe Hyon|destroyer|2}}.{{Cite web|url=https://thedefensepost.com/2025/04/26/north-korea-new-destroyer/|title=North Korea Launches New Destroyer|first=Staff Writer With|last=AFP|date=April 26, 2025}}

• {{navy|Poland}} has the {{sclass|Grom|destroyer|2}} {{ORP|Błyskawica}} which remains ceremonially in commission due to her historical significance.

File:The Russian Navy Udaloy-class destroyer RFS Admiral Panteleyev arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam to participate in the Rim of the Pacific exercise 2012. (7487834270).jpg, an {{sclass|Udaloy|destroyer|0}} guided missile destroyer of the Russian Navy]]

• {{navy|Russia}} The Russian Navy operates two {{sclass|Sovremenny|destroyer|0}} and eight {{sclass|Udaloy|destroyer|0}} destroyers.

• {{naval|Thailand}} operates a single {{sclass|Cannon|destroyer escort|2}} purchased from the United States for training use.

• {{navy|United Kingdom}} operates six Type 45 or Daring-class destroyers.

File:USS_Zumwalt_is_on_the_final_leg_of_its_three-month_journey_to_its_new_homeport_in_San_Diego._(31620613005).jpg's {{sclass|Zumwalt|destroyer|4}}, pictured here sailing with USS Independence (rear) are the longest and heaviest destroyers currently in service]]

• {{naval|United States}} operates 73 active {{sclass|Arleigh Burke|destroyer|0}} guided missile destroyers (DDGs) of a planned class of 92, and also has two active {{sclass|Zumwalt|destroyer|0}} destroyer of a planned class of three, all {{as of|lc=y|December 2022}}.

• {{navy|Argentina}} operates three {{sclass|Almirante Brown|destroyer|2}}s. This class's hull is MEKO 360H2 frigate.
• {{naval|Iran}} operates five {{sclass|Moudge|frigate|2}}s. These ships are classified as destroyers by Iran, but internationally regarded as light frigates.

• {{navy|Egypt}} operates the ENS Tahya Misr. This is one of the Aquitaine-class variants of the FREMM Multipurpose frigates purchased from France, which is classified as a destroyer by France.
• {{navy|Germany}} operates three {{sclass|Sachsen|frigate|2}}s and four {{sclass|Baden-Württemberg|frigate|2}}s. These ships are officially classified as frigates by Germany, but regarded as destroyers internationally due to size and capability.
• {{navy|India}} operates one Nilgiri class and three {{sclass|Shivalik|frigate|4}}s. These ships are officially classified as frigates by India, but are larger and armed with BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles.
• {{navy|Morocco}} operates the Mohammed VI. This is one of the Aquitaine-class variants of the FREMM Multipurpose frigates purchased from France, which is classified as a destroyer by France.
• {{naval|Netherlands}} operates four {{sclass|De Zeven Provinciën|frigate|2}}s. These ships are classified as frigates by the Netherlands, but regarded as destroyers internationally due to size and capability.{{cite web|url=https://weaponsystems.net/system/424-De+Zeven+Provinci%C3%ABn+class|title=De Zeven Provinciën class |last= |first= |date= |website=weaponsystems.net |publisher= |access-date=9 November 2024 |quote=}}
• {{naval|Norway}} operates four {{sclass|Fridtjof Nansen|frigate|2}}s. These ships are subclasses of Spain's Alvaro de Bazan-class, and classified as frigates, but are regarded as destroyers due to their size and armament.{{cite web|url=http://www.milpower.org/shipclass.asp?class=Fridtjof%20Nansen|title=Show warship class: Fridtjof Nansen |last= |first= |date= |website=milpower.org |publisher= |access-date=9 November 2024 |quote=}}
• {{naval|Romania}} operates {{ship|Romanian frigate|Mărășești||2}}. This ship was classified as a destroyer from 1990 to 2001, when she was reclassified as a frigate. No official reason was given for this and there was no change in armament or capability, thus remaining in the destroyer type.
• {{navy|Spain}} operates five {{sclass|Álvaro de Bazán|frigate|2}}s. These ships are officially classified as a frigates by Spain, but due to their size and capabilities are regarded internationally as destroyers. They also served as the basis for Australia's Hobart-class destroyers.

• {{navy|Austria-Hungary}} lost its entire navy upon the Empire's collapse following World War I.
• {{navy|Ukrainian People's Republic}} lost its entire navy upon its conquest by the Bolsheviks in 1921.
• {{navy|Estonia}} sold its two {{sclass|Orfey|destroyer|2}} and {{sclass|Izyaslav|destroyer|2}}s to Peru in 1933, to prevent their capture by the Soviet Union.
• {{navy|Manchukuo}} transferred its only {{sclass|Momo|destroyer|2}} back to Japan in 1942.
• {{navy|Bulgaria}} decommissioned its only {{sclass|Ognevoy|destroyer|2}} in 1963.
• {{navy|Denmark}} decommissioned its last {{sclass2|Hunt|destroyer|2}} in 1965.
• {{naval|Portugal}} decommissioned its last {{sclass|Douro|destroyer|2}} in 1967.
• {{navy|Israel}} decommissioned its last Z-class destroyer in 1972.
• {{navy|Dominican Republic}} decommissioned its H-class destroyer in 1972.
• {{naval|South Vietnam}} transferred its remaining {{sclass|Edsall|destroyer escort|2}} to The Philippines in 1975 following the Fall of Saigon.
• {{navy|South Africa}} decommissioned its last W-class destroyer in 1976.
• {{navy|Yugoslavia}} decommissioned its only destroyer, {{ship|Yugoslav destroyer|Split||2}} in 1980.
• {{naval|Sweden}} decommissioned both its {{sclass|Halland|destroyer|2}} and four {{sclass|Östergötland|destroyer|2}}s in 1982 following defense reviews.
• {{naval|Colombia}} decommissioned both its {{sclass|Halland|destroyer|2}}s and its lone {{sclass|Allen M. Sumner|destroyer|2}} in 1986.
• {{navy|Uruguay}} decommissioned its last {{sclass|Cannon|destroyer escort|2}} in 1991.
• {{navy|Tunisia}} lone {{sclass|Edsall|destroyer escort|2}} was destroyed by a fire in 1992.
• {{navy|Ecuador}} decommissioned its lone {{sclass|Dealey|destroyer escort|2}} in 1994.
• {{navy|Vietnam}} decommissioned its lone {{sclass|Edsall|destroyer escort|2}} in 1997.
• {{naval|Turkey}} decommissioned its last {{sclass|Gearing|destroyer|2}} in 2000.
• {{navy|Poland}} decommissioned its lone {{sclass2|Kashin|destroyer|2}} in 2003.
• {{navy|Greece}} decommissioned its last {{sclass|Charles F. Adams|destroyer|2}} in 2004.
• {{naval|Indonesia}} decommissioned its last {{sclass|Claud Jones|destroyer escort|2}}s in 2005.
• {{navy|Chile}} decommissioned its last {{sclass2|County|destroyer|2}} in 2006.
• {{navy|Peru}} decommissioned its last {{sclass|Daring|destroyer|2||1949}} in 2007.
• {{naval|Brazil}} decommissioned its last Garcia-class destroyer escort in 2008.
• {{navy|Venezuela}} decommissioned its last {{sclass|Almirante Clemente|destroyer|2}} in 2011.
• {{naval|Mexico}} decommissioned its last {{sclass|Edsall|destroyer escort|2}} in 2015.
• {{navy|Canada}} decommissioned its last {{sclass|Iroquois|destroyer|2}} in 2017.
• {{naval|Philippines}} decommissioned its last {{sclass|Cannon|destroyer escort|2}} in 2018.
• {{navy|Pakistan}} decommissioned its last {{sclass|Tariq|destroyer|2}} in 2023.

File:BADEN-WURTTEMBERG 00257 (cropped).jpg; the biggest frigates worldwide. In size and role they are qualified as destroyers]]

• {{naval|Brazil}} plans to build 7,000-ton destroyers after the delivery of the new frigates, and TKMS presented to the Navy its most modern 7,200-ton MEKO A-400 air defense destroyer, an updated version of the German F-125-class frigates. The similarities between the projects and the high rate of commonality between requirements were also crucial for the consortium's victory.{{Cite news|url=http://www.defesanet.com.br/cct/noticia/31694/CCT-%E2%80%93-thyssenkrupp-Marine-Systems---Dr-Rolf-Wirtz--O-nosso-diferencial-e-a-Qualidade-do-Produto/|title=CCT – thyssenkrupp Marine Systems - Dr Rolf Wirtz: O nosso diferencial é a Qualidade do Produto|date=9 January 2019|website=Defesa Net|language=pt|access-date=16 May 2021|archive-date=25 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221125184529/https://www.defesanet.com.br/cct/noticia/31694/CCT-%E2%80%93-thyssenkrupp-Marine-Systems---Dr-Rolf-Wirtz--O-nosso-diferencial-e-a-Qualidade-do-Produto/|url-status=dead}}
• {{navy|Canada}} is building up to 15 {{sclass2|River|destroyer|2||2030s}}s based on the Royal Navy's Type 26 frigate. They will be more powerful than the Type 26, being fitted with the Aegis Combat System and long range surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles.
• {{navy|China}} is adding six more Type 052D destroyer and sixteen more Type 055 destroyer class ships to its navy.
• {{navy|France}} is building five new Amiral Ronarc'h-class destroyers (classed as "first rank frigates" in the French Navy).
• {{navy|Germany}}: Six multi-mission F126 frigates which will have destroyer-size and corresponding capabilities (Length: 163 m, displacement: 10,550 tons){{cite web|url=http://www.bundeswehr-journal.de/2017/zwei-weitere-mks-180-fuer-die-deutsche-marine/|title=Zwei weitere MKS 180 für die deutsche Marine – bundeswehr-journal|date=14 February 2017}}
• {{navy|Greece}} has ordered three Frégate de défense et d'intervention (with an option on a fourth) from France.
• {{navy|India}} India has begun development of its Project-18 Next Generation Destroyers.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mod.gov.in/sites/default/files/tpcr.pdf|title=Technology perspective}}
• {{naval|Iran}} is building 1-2 {{sclass|Khalije Fars|destroyer|2}}s.
• {{navy|Italy}} is researching development into their new DDX project to replace their Durand da le Penne-class destroyers.{{Cite web|url=https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/11/09/italy-plans-new-destroyers-for-2028-delivery/|title = Italy plans new destroyers for 2028 delivery|date = 9 November 2020}}
• {{navy|Japan}} Is developing plans for its DDR Destroyer Revolution Project.
• {{navy|South Korea}} has begun development of its KDX-IIA destroyers. These ships are to be a subclass of South Korea's {{sclass|Chungmugong Yi Sun-shin|destroyer|2}}s. The first unit is expected to enter service in 2019. Additionally, {{sclass|Sejong the Great|destroyer|2}}s are being built.
• {{navy|Russia}} has begun development of its {{sclass2|Lider|destroyer|2}}. Design work was ongoing as of 2020.
• {{naval|Turkey}} is currently developing its TF2000-class destroyer as the largest part of the MILGEM project. A total of seven ships will be constructed and will specialise in anti-air warfare.
• {{navy|United Kingdom}} is in the early stages of developing a Type 83 destroyer design after the unveiling of these plans in the 2021 defence white paper. The class is projected to replace the Type 45 destroyer fleet beginning in the latter 2030s.{{Cite web|url=https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/uk-announces-new-type-83-destroyer/|title = UK announces new Type 83 Destroyer|date = 22 March 2021|work = ukdefencejournal.org.uk|first = George|last = Allison}}
• {{naval|United States}} has 19 additional Arleigh Burke destroyers planned or under construction. The new ships will be the upgraded "flight III" version.{{cite web |url=https://news.usni.org/2018/07/11/report-congress-u-s-navy-destroyer-programs-4 |title=Report to Congress on U.S. Navy Destroyer Programs |publisher=usni.org |date=11 July 2018 |access-date=21 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180821223318/https://news.usni.org/2018/07/11/report-congress-u-s-navy-destroyer-programs-4 |archive-date=21 August 2018 |url-status=live }} The United States has also started development of its DDG(X) next-generation destroyer project.{{Cite web|url=https://news.usni.org/2022/01/12/navy-unveils-next-generation-ddgx-warship-concept-with-hypersonic-missiles-lasers|title=Navy Unveils Next-Generation DDG(X) Warship Concept with Hypersonic Missiles, Lasers|date=12 January 2022}} Construction of the first ship is expected to start in 2028.

Many historic destroyers are preserved as museum ships

• {{USS|The Sullivans|DD-537}} in Buffalo, New York, USA
• {{USS|Kidd|DD-661}} in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
• {{USS|Cassin Young|DD-793}} in Boston, Massachusetts, USA
• {{USS|Laffey|DD-724}} in Charleston, South Carolina, USA
• {{USS|Edson|DD-946}} in Bay City, Michigan, USA
• {{USS|Turner Joy|DD-951}} in Bremerton, Washington, USA
• {{USS|Slater|DE-766}} in Albany, New York, USA
• {{USS|Stewart|DE-238}} in Galveston, Texas, USA
• {{HMS|Cavalier|R73}} in Chatham, Kent, UK
• HMCS Hadia in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
• {{HMAS|Vampire|D11}} in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
• FS Maillé-Brézé in Nantes, Pays de la Loire, France
• FGS Mölders in Wilhelmshaven, Lower Saxony, Germany
• ORP Błyskawica in Gdynia, Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland
• HSwMS Småland in Gothenburg, Västergötland, Sweden
• HS Velos in Thessaloniki, Central Macedonia, Greece
• TCG Gayret in Izmit, Kocaeli Province, Turkey
• RFS Bespokoyny in Kronshtadt, Saint Petersburg, Russia
• RFS Smetlivy in Sevastopol, Crimea, Russia
• ROKS Jeong Ju in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, South Korea
• ROCS Te Yang in Tainan City, Tainan County, Taiwan
• CNS Anshan in Qingdao, Shandong, China
• CNS Changchun in Rushan, Shandong, China
• CNS Taiyuan in Zhongshan, Dalian, China
• CNS Chongqing in Tianjin, China
• CNS Dalian in Liugong Island, Shandong, China
• CNS Jinan in Qingdao, Shandong, China
• CNS Nanchang in Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
• CNS Nanjing in Shipu, Xiangshan County, Zhejiang, China
• CNS Nanning in Fangchenggang, Guangxi, China
• CNS Xi'an in Wuhan, Hubei, China
• CNS Xining in Taizhou, Jiangsu, China
• CNS Yinchuan in Yinchuan, Ningxia, China
• CNS Zhuhai in Chongqing, China
• BNS Comandante Bauru in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• ARA Santísima Trinidad being restored at Port Belgrano Naval Base, Argentina

• List of destroyer classes
• United States Navy 1975 ship reclassification
• Bombardment of Cherbourg
• List of destroyers of the Second World War

{{NoteFoot}}

{{Reflist}}

• Evans, David C. Kaigun: Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1887–1941, Mark R. Peattie. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland {{ISBN|0-87021-192-7}}
• Gardiner, Robert (Editor). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships (1860–1905): Naval Institute Press, 1985.
• Gove, Philip Babock (Editor in Chief). Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged. (2002) Merriam-Webster Inc., Publishers, Massachusetts, US.
• Grant, R. Captain. Before Port Arthur in a Destroyer; The Personal Diary of a Japanese Naval Officer. London, John Murray; first and second editions published in 1907.
• Howe, Christopher. Origins of Japanese Trade Supremacy: Development and Technology in Asia from 1540 to the Pacific War, The University of Chicago Press, {{ISBN|0-226-35485-7}}
• Jentschura, Hansgeorg. Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945. United States Naval Institute, Annapolis, Maryland, 1977. {{ISBN|0-87021-893-X}}.
• Lyon, David, The First Destroyers. Chatham Publishing, 1 & 2 Faulkner's Alley, Cowcross St. London, Great Britain; 1996. {{ISBN|1-55750-271-4}}.
• Sanders, Michael S. (2001) [https://books.google.com/books?id=VkBWTGGzGNUC The Yard: Building a Destroyer at the Bath Iron Works], HarperCollins, {{ISBN|978-0-06-092963-3}}
• Simpson, Richard V. Building The Mosquito Fleet, The US Navy's First Torpedo Boats. Arcadia Publishing, (2001); Charleston, South Carolina, US. {{ISBN|0-7385-0508-0}}.
• Preston, Antony. Destroyers, Bison Books (London) 1977. {{ISBN|0-600-32955-0}}
• Van der Vat, Dan. The Atlantic Campaign.
• [http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2006/nr20060407-12772.html Navy Designates Next-Generation Zumwalt Destroyer]

{{Wiktionary|destroyer}}

{{Commons category-inline|Destroyers}}

{{Warship types of the 19th & 20th centuries}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Ship types