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cruiser
cruiser, orig. cruizer, in the days of sailing navies a ship, usually a fourth-rate or large frigate, detached from a fleet to cruise independently in search of the enemy. Frigates and smaller warships engaged in the protection of trade or in the guerre de course were also usually known as cruisers. The one essential characteristic of any ship detached for duty as a cruiser was a good sailing speed, superior to that of any enemy she might encounter.
With the introduction of steam propulsion and iron armour in the mid-19th century, the cruiser gradually became a generic type of warship in its own right. It was built in three or four categories, ranging from armoured cruisers which were large ships of up to 15,000–16,000 tons displacement, through belted cruisers (those protected only by a waterline belt of armour), second-class cruisers with only light armour, and light cruisers with virtually no armour but with a particularly high speed. The Washington Naval Limitation Treaty of 1922 limited the cruiser to 10,000 tons and classified those with guns of 7.1 in. (17.7 cm) or larger as ‘heavy’ and those with 6 in. (15 cm) or smaller as ‘light’. Virtually all subsequent cruisers carried either 6-in. (15-cm) or 8-in. (20-cm) guns, though the anti-aircraft cruisers built by the Royal Navy during the Second World War (1939–45) for convoy protection were armed with 5.5-in. (13.7-cm) dual purpose guns. The three diesel-engined German pocket battleships Deutschland (later renamed Lützow), Admiral Graf Spee, and Admiral Scheer, with their six 11-in. (27.5-cm) guns and eight 5.7-in. (14.2-cm) guns, were in fact heavily armoured cruisers of 10,000 tons displacement. The US Navy launched the last all-gun heavy cruiser, Salem, in 1947, but the advent of guided missiles rendered ‘heavy’ and ‘light’ designations for cruisers irrelevant; and, with larger and larger destroyers being built, the difference between the two types of warship has virtually disappeared. No cruisers are built today though the US Navy continues to consider designs for them. See also belfast; warfare at sea. |
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Cite this article
"cruiser." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "cruiser." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-cruiser.html "cruiser." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-cruiser.html |
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cruiser
cruiser large, fast, moderately armed warship, intermediate in type between the aircraft carrier and the destroyer. During World War II, battle cruisers operated as small battleships, combining in one vessel maximum qualities of gun caliber, armor protection, and speed. Upon the retirement of the battleship from the major navies of the world, the cruiser became the largest of the conventionally armed warships in commission. The cruiser's primary mission in modern warfare is to provide antiaircraft defense and gunfire support for aircraft carriers. Light cruisers, lightly armed and very fast, are often employed in scouting, police duties, and other jobs where speed rather than defensive strength is important. The advent of guided missiles as the primary offensive weapon of modern warfare has led to the conversion of many cruisers into guided-missile cruisers. The guided-missile cruiser Long Beach (completed 1961) was the first ship since World War II to be constructed for the U.S. navy from keel up as a cruiser; it was also the first nuclear-powered surface fighting ship in the world.
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"cruiser." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "cruiser." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-cruiser.html "cruiser." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-cruiser.html |
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cruiser
cruis·er / ˈkroōzər/ • n. 1. a relatively fast warship larger than a destroyer and less heavily armed than a battleship. 2. a yacht or motorboat with passenger accommodations, designed for leisure use. ∎ a person who goes on a pleasure cruise. 3. an automobile that can be driven smoothly at high speed. ∎ a police patrol car. |
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Cite this article
"cruiser." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "cruiser." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-cruiser.html "cruiser." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-cruiser.html |
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cruiser
cruiser Warship – smaller, lighter and faster than a battleship – ranging in size from 7500 to 21,000 tonnes. After World War I, arms limitation treaties restricted its guns to 200mm (8in). Since World War II, cruisers have replaced battleships as the major warships of a modern navy.
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"cruiser." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "cruiser." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-cruiser.html "cruiser." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-cruiser.html |
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cruiser
cruiser ˈkrōōzər n. a relatively fast warship larger than a destroyer and less heavily armed than a battleship.
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Cite this article
"cruiser." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "cruiser." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-cruiser.html "cruiser." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-cruiser.html |
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cruiser
cruiser
•bowser, browser, carouser, dowser, espouser, Mauser, rouser, trouser, wowser
•rabble-rouser
•composer, discloser, dozer, exposer, Mendoza, mimosa, opposer, ponderosa, poser, proposer, proser, Rosa, Somoza, Spinoza
•bulldozer • Tannhäuser
•abuser, accuser, boozer, bruiser, chooser, cruiser, diffuser, infuser, lollapalooza, loser, Marcuse, medusa, mezuzah, misuser, peruser, refuser, snoozer, Sousa, user, yakuza
•battlecruiser • buzzer
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Cite this article
"cruiser." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "cruiser." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-cruiser.html "cruiser." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-cruiser.html |
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