What is "cruiser"

Cruiser \Cruis"er\ (kr?"z?r), n. One who, or a vessel that, cruises; Specif.: (Nav.) A man-of-war less heavily armed and armored than a battle ship, having great speed, and generally of from two thousand to twelve thousand tons displacement.

1670s, agent noun from cruise (v.), or, probably, borrowed from similar words in neighboring languages (such as Dutch kruiser, French croiseur), originally a warship built to cruise and protect commerce or chase hostile ships (but in 18c. often applied to privateers).\n\nLike the frigate of olden days the cruiser relies primarily on her speed; and is employed to protect the trade-routes, to glean intelligence, and to act as the 'eyes of the fleet'.

[Sir Geoffrey Callender, "Sea Passages," 1943]

n. 1 (context nautical in the days of sail English) A frigate or other vessel, detached from the fleet, to cruise independently in search of the enemy or its merchant ships. 2 (context nautical English) A class of fast warships of medium tonnage, having a long cruising range but less armour and firepower than a battleship. 3 (context nautical English) A miniature aircraft carrier carrying VTOL aircraft. 4 (context nautical English) A passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are considered an essential part of the experience; also cruise ship. 5 (context nautical English) Any of several yachts designed for cruising. 6 (context US law enforcement English) A police patrol vehicle. 7 One who attends cruises.

1. n. a car in which policemen cruise the streets; equipped with radiotelephonic communications to headquarters [syn: police cruiser, patrol car, police car, prowl car, squad car]

2. a large fast warship; smaller than a battleship and larger than a destroyer

3. a large motorboat that has a cabin and plumbing and other conveniences necessary for living on board [syn: cabin cruiser, pleasure boat, pleasure craft]

A cruiser is a type of naval warship.

Cruiser may also refer to:

"Cruiser" is a song by American new wave band The Cars, from their 1981 album Shake It Up.

A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundred years, and has had different meanings throughout this period. During the Age of Sail, the term cruising referred to certain kinds of missions – independent scouting, raiding or commerce protection – fulfilled by a frigate or sloop, which were the cruising warships of a fleet.

In the middle of the 19th century, cruiser came to be a classification for the ships intended for cruising distant waters, commerce raiding, and scouting for the battle fleet. Cruisers came in a wide variety of sizes, from the medium-sized protected cruiser to large armored cruisers that were nearly as big (although not as powerful or as well-armored) as a pre-dreadnought battleship. With the advent of the dreadnought battleship before World War I, the armored cruiser evolved into a vessel of similar scale known as the battlecruiser. The very large battlecruisers of the World War I era that succeeded armored cruisers were now classified, along with dreadnought battleships, as capital ships.

By the early 20th century after World War I, the direct successors to protected cruisers could be placed on a consistent scale of warship size, smaller than a battleship but larger than a destroyer. In 1922, the Washington Naval Treaty placed a formal limit on these cruisers, which were defined as warships of up to 10,000 tons displacement carrying guns no larger than 8 inches in calibre; heavy cruisers had 8 inch guns while those with 6-inch or 5-inch guns were light cruisers, which shaped cruiser design until the end of World War II. Some variations on the Treaty cruiser design included the German "pocket battleships" which had heavier armament at the expense of speed compared to standard heavy cruisers, and the US which was a scaled-up heavy cruiser design designated as a "cruiser-killer".

In the later 20th century, the obsolescence of the battleship left the cruiser as the largest and most powerful surface combatant after the aircraft carrier. The role of the cruiser varied according to ship and navy, often including air defense and shore bombardment. During the Cold War, the Soviet Navy's cruisers had heavy anti-ship missile armament designed to sink NATO carrier task forces via saturation attack. The U.S. Navy built guided-missile cruisers upon destroyer-style hulls (some called " destroyer leaders" or " frigates" prior to the 1975 reclassification) primarily designed to provide air defense while often adding anti-submarine capabilities, being larger and having longer-range surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) than early Charles F. Adams guided-missile destroyers tasked with the short-range air defense role. By the end of the Cold War, the line between cruisers and destroyers had blurred, with the cruiser using the hull of the destroyer but receiving the cruiser designation due to their enhanced mission and combat systems. Indeed, the newest U.S. Navy destroyers (for instance the and ) are more heavily-armed than some of the cruisers that they succeeded.

Currently only three nations operate cruisers: the United States, Russia, and Peru. ( is still in service with the Peruvian Navy, and is the last gun cruiser currently in service in any navy).

A cruiser is a motorcycle in the style of American machines from the 1930s to the early 1960s, including those made by Harley-Davidson, Indian, Excelsior and Henderson. The riding position usually places the feet forward and the hands up, with the spine erect or leaning back slightly. Typical cruiser engines emphasize easy rideability and shifting, with plenty of low-end torque but not necessarily large amounts of horsepower, traditionally V-twins but inline engines have become more common. Cruisers with greater performance than usual, including more horsepower, stronger brakes and better suspension, are often called power cruisers.

Japanese companies began producing models evocative of the early cruisers in the mid-1980s, and by 1997 the market had grown to nearly 60 percent of the US market, such that a number of motorcycle manufacturers including BMW, Honda, Moto Guzzi, Yamaha, Suzuki, Triumph and Victory have currently or have had important models evocative of the American cruiser.

Harley-Davidsons and other cruisers with extensive luggage for touring have been called, sometimes disparagingly or jocularly, baggers, or full baggers, as well as dressers, full dressers, or full dress tourers. These terms are no longer limited to cruisers, but may be used to refer to any touring motorcycle.

Cruisers are often the basis for custom motorcycle projects that result in a bike modified to suit the owner's ideals, and as such are a source of pride and accomplishment.

Many power cruisers and Japanese cruisers of the 1980s have more neutral riding positions. While typical cruisers have limited performance and turning ability due to a low-slung design, power cruisers or similar performance-oriented cruisers can be leaned farther for better cornering. Otherwise, customization can increase the bike's lean angle to enable cornering at higher speeds.