[Thermodyne]

The descriptive terms used with cruisers do not refer directly to the size of the ship. The size reference is the size of the main armament, which was mirrored by the hull displacement in most but not all ships. Cruisers in general are long ranging self-sufficient ships. The original intent was to project the might of the British fleet into the far-flung reaches of the Empire. To do this, the ship needed to be able to operate for long periods without the company of a fuel reefer. And it needed to be gunned so as to be able to deal with the locals. They also tended to have good communications gear and many had luxury accommodations. Many U.S. flagships were cruisers. Light cruisers carried 4” or 5” main guns. Mediums were equipped with 6” guns for the most part and heavies carried 8” guns. Battle Cruisers were built with 10 to 15 inch guns just like battle ships but without the armor. The first battle cruisers were cost saving designs, the idea being that speed would negate the need for armor. Jutland disproved this, in large part because the cruisers were required to keep formation with the slower battlewagons. After WW I, the Washington Navy treaty killed off most of the BC’s then under construction. The US converted their unfinished hulls into carriers, which turned into a rather large stroke of blind luck. During WW II, cruisers tended to be built around secondary requirements. Some light cruisers displaced as much weight as large medium cruisers, the added mass being made up of cargo storage. Today, US cruisers are classified without the descriptive size. They displace the weight of an old medium cruiser, but have little armor and no large guns. This makes them appear to be very large. Today’s cruisers can reach out and hit very hard, but would be quickly disabled if they got into a gun only fight. It would be interesting to see a match up between an Aegis and an old battlewagon. Harpoons would be hard pressed against 10+ inch navel armor, but one 16-inch shell could break the back of an Aegis. The SLCM’s would probably be another story, they would probably be able to end the fight before the big guns came into range.