How the Archer class operated

Did Archer-class ships operate mainly as cruisers or as part of torpedo flotillas?

Mainly as cruisers, although pairs could concentrate enough power to act like a small flotilla.

The class operated primarily in the cruiser role rather than in a standing torpedo flotilla. An individual ship could provide the distant-station presence expected from a small cruiser. The Royal Navy could also operate them in pairs when a local problem required greater concentrated force. In that combination, their guns and torpedoes offered something closer to flotilla-level fighting power without changing their basic mission.