Destroyers are light ships, focused on speed. Their guns are usually weak and they have far less health than cruisers, but carry powerful torpedoes.
A destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or battle group and defend them against smaller, more powerful, short-range attackers. The first ship named and classified as a destroyer was the Spanish warship Destructor (1886) designed by Fernando Villaamil.
In game, destroyers are the fastest and most fragile of the 3 Escort Ships. They have weak or mediocre but fast-firing cannons and devastating torpedoes. Their stats may vary per nation/faction. For example IJN destroyers tend to have weak firepower but powerful torpedoes, while USN destroyers tend to be more balanced.
The icon for this class is three torpedoes on a blue field, and their hull classification symbol is DD.