Editing Cruiser (section)

==Steel cruisers==
{{main|Protected cruiser}}[[File:Cruiser_Aurora.jpg|thumb|The Russian protected cruiser {{ship|Russian cruiser|Aurora||2}}]]In the 1880s, naval engineers began to use [[steel]] as a material for construction and armament. A steel cruiser could be lighter and faster than one built of iron or wood. The ''[[Jeune Ecole]]'' school of naval doctrine suggested that a fleet of fast unprotected steel cruisers were ideal for [[commerce raiding]], while the [[torpedo boat]] would be able to destroy an enemy battleship fleet.

Steel also offered the cruiser a way of acquiring the protection needed to survive in combat. Steel armor was considerably stronger, for the same weight, than iron. By putting a relatively thin layer of steel armor above the vital parts of the ship, and by placing the coal bunkers where they might stop shellfire, a useful degree of protection could be achieved without slowing the ship too much. Protected cruisers generally had an armored deck with sloped sides, providing similar protection to a light armored belt at less weight and expense.

The first protected cruiser was the Chilean ship [[Chilean cruiser Esmeralda (1883)|''Esmeralda'']], launched in 1883. Produced by a shipyard at [[Elswick, Tyne and Wear|Elswick]], in Britain, owned by [[Armstrong Whitworth|Armstrong]], she inspired a group of protected cruisers produced in the same yard and known as the "Elswick cruisers". Her [[forecastle]], [[poop deck]] and the wooden board deck had been removed, replaced with an armored deck.

''Esmeralda''{{'}}s armament consisted of fore and aft 10-inch (25.4&nbsp;cm) guns and 6-inch (15.2&nbsp;cm) guns in the midships positions. It could reach a speed of {{convert|18|kn|km/h|0}}, and was propelled by steam alone. It also had a displacement of less than 3,000 tons. During the two following decades, this cruiser type came to be the inspiration for combining heavy artillery, high speed and low displacement.

===Torpedo cruisers===
{{main|Torpedo cruiser}}
The torpedo cruiser (known in the Royal Navy as the [[torpedo gunboat]]) was a smaller unarmored cruiser, which emerged in the 1880s–1890s. These ships could reach speeds up to {{convert|20|kn|km/h|0}} and were armed with medium to small calibre guns as well as torpedoes. These ships were tasked with guard and reconnaissance duties, to repeat signals and all other fleet duties for which smaller vessels were suited. These ships could also function as flagships of torpedo boat flotillas. After the 1900s, these ships were usually traded for faster ships with better sea going qualities.

===Pre-dreadnought armored cruisers===
{{main|Armored cruiser}}
Steel also affected the construction and role of armored cruisers. Steel meant that new designs of battleship, later known as [[pre-dreadnought battleship]]s, would be able to combine firepower and armor with better endurance and speed than ever before. The armored cruisers of the 1890s and early 1900s greatly resembled the battleships of the day; they tended to carry slightly smaller main armament ({{convert|7.5|to|10|in|mm|adj=on}} rather than 12-inch) and have somewhat thinner armor in exchange for a faster speed (perhaps {{convert|21|to|23|kn|km/h}} rather than 18). Because of their similarity, the lines between battleships and armored cruisers became blurred.