Cruisers

Cruisers are the main escort ships. They are because they are heavily armed and can protect an aircraft carrier from almost anything.

Cruisers have a wide variety of weapons. Their weapons range from four and five inch guns to anti-submarine helicopters, but their main weapons are missiles. They also carry torpedoes and depth charges.

The four and five inch guns are for close range firing. They are used for firing at ships. Most cruisers have five inch guns, but some have four inch guns.

The missile is what cruisers mostly use. They can have many kinds, including: the Terrier Guided Missile, the Standard Surface-to-Air Missile, the Harpoon Surface-to-Surface Missile, the Tomahawk Cruise Missile, and the Anti-Submarine Rockets.

The torpedoes cruisers use are for fighting off submarines. They are shot at submarines that are at any depth. They can be carried by the anti-submarine helicopters.

The depth charges are dropped from the cruiser and they go straight down to hit a submarine that is under the cruiser. They look like barrels.

Anti-submarine helicopters can go and destroy submarines that are under the depth of the cruiser, but not under the cruiser.

There are three kinds of cruisers used today. The different kinds of cruisers are really called classes. The three classes of cruisers used today are the Virginia Class, the Aegis Class, and the Belknap Class.

The Virginia Class has two nuclear reactors. These make it very fast. It can be used for engaging enemy ships ahead of the aircraft carrier it is protecting. The cruisers in this class are the USS Virginia, the USS Texas, the USS Mississippi, and the USS Arkansas.

The Aegis Class has one of the best radar systems. It uses its radar to spot approaching enemy aircraft. When it finds approaching enemy aircraft it uses its missiles to destroy them. It also contacts other escort ships so they can use their missiles to help destroy the approaching enemy aircraft. One of the cruisers in this class is the USS Ticonderoga.The Aegis class cruisers spot approaching enemy aircraft the best because they have the best radar. After they spot approaching enemy aircraft they destroy them with their surface-to-air missiles.

The Belknap Class cruisers are designed as screening ships. They make a screen around an circraft carrier with other escort ships. If an enemy ship comes and tries to come straight to the aircraft carrier, the Belknap class cruisers and some other escort ships block the course of it. Its speed is up to 33 knots. One ship in this class is the USS Jouett.