Destroyers cross from boats to ships

Whether to call these vessels boats or ships was unsettled in contemporary usage. Destroyers had evolved from torpedo boats, and for a time the Royal Navy tried to reserve "ship" for flotilla leaders while treating ordinary destroyers as boats. The terminology remained unsettled during the First World War as the type grew. Command could still go to a lieutenant, although lieutenant commander was more typical. Substantial fighting capability and responsibility therefore rested with officers junior to many of their counterparts in larger ships.