Ship Types
Some of the battleships currently available in Europe and all over the world are:
Torpedo-boat These ships have been misrepresented in Empire. They were
designed to kill large ships by swarming them and launching
torpedoes. In fact, they were projected to be so effective
that the French 'Jeune Ecole' (Young School) of naval officers
advocated abandoning battleships entirely, saying that they
would be helpless in the face of the torpedo-boat. In reality,
the torpedo boat was limited by it's short range, deficient
sea-keeping ability, and the battleship's quick acquisition of
numerous light quick-firing guns and machine guns. They were
effective when used in large numbers, but tended to die a lot.

Destroyer These include three kinds of ships. First is the 1880-1910
destroyers, originally 'torpedo-boat destroyers', and meant to
be cheap ships to screen the battleships. Second is the
1910-1950 version, meant to kill submarines with sonar and
depth-charges. Lastly is the 1950-1965 destroyer, an all around
ship, with ASW and ASuW (anti-surface armament). After that,
they type mostly died out, as it had gotten too large.

Frigate Originally, these were ships of about 200-400t, with a crew
of 200-500, armed with from 30-50 large cannon plus numerous
small cannon. They were intended to scout for ships of the
line, and protect/destroy commerce. After about 1860, the type
died out entirely, and was replaced by light cruisers. In the
1960's, the type was resurrected for a new class of ASW (anti
submarine warfare) ships of small-medium size.

Light cruiser The class came into existence in the 1860-1905 period to provide
fast ships suitable for extended deployment in far-away places.
They were intended to out-class local defense boats, and not
much else. Much was sacrificed to give them long-term speed
end endurance. They were not intended to have a role in a major
battle.

Heavy cruiser This class has a dual rol