About a year later, nine older protected cruisers (eight of which had been briefly classified as "Gunboats" during 1920-21) were added to the CL number series. When the Navy formally implemented its hull number system in July 1920, it redesignated thirteen scout cruisers (three completed in 1908, plus ten new ships which were still under construction) as "Light Cruisers" (CL), numbered in accordance with the previous scout cruiser number series. At the same time, several larger protected cruisers were also given new numbers in the same series. When the Navy formally implemented its hull number system in 1920, the surviving units were given CA series numbers which corresponded to their original numbers. In accordance with contemporary practice, these were grouped serially in an "Armored Cruiser" number series (informally abbreviated "ACR") that ultimately encompassed thirteen ships. This continued to be the meaning until after the Second World War - a fast, long-range, lightly armored ship, although by then more powerful than a destroyer.Īrmored cruisers were among the earliest new ships built for the "steel navy" of the later 1880s and the 1890s. Their survivability depended on speed, not armor.
Cruisers were lightly armored, heavily armed, fast ships designed to screen formations and to scout out enemy fleets. They served as protective screens against surface and air attacks and also provide gunfire support for land operations. They had a large cruising range and are capable of high speeds (over 30 knots).
By the mid-20th Century, cruisers were medium-sized, general-utility ships.
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