Looking back on a century of destroyers and frigates, this compendium includes more than 500 photographs and quotations from the soldiers who knew them best. Specification boxes provide each vessel's country of origin, the company that built the ship, construction and completion dates, displacement, dimensions, armament, machinery, power and performance. The text also examines destroyer and frigate evolution, including such topics as the origins of the torpedo boat, frigates versus high-speed submarines, and how these ships have been adapted for the missile age.