The 1880s and 1890s cruiser comparison divides ships into first, second and third classes. Second-class cruisers are described as the hardest to secure funding for. First-class ships offered top-end capability, while third-class ships could be understood as patrol vessels. The later World War I and interwar sloop is interpreted as inheriting that lower cruiser role.
Notable Point · 3:21:13-3:22:01
Cruiser classes and the later sloop role
Nineteenth-century third-class cruisers are connected with the patrol role of later sloops.