Type 055 class: Is this class a destroyer or cruiser?

In today’s episode, we are going to take a look at Chinese Navy’s Type 055-class Is this class a destroyer or cruiser? If you eager to know more, don’t go anywhere and stay tuned.
The People Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) Type 055 guided-missile destroyer Nanchang was commissioned at a naval base in the city of Qingdao, located in the eastern China’s Shandong Province on 12 January 2021. With the NATO designated name of Renhai-class, Nanchang was the first new warship to enter service with the Navy in 2020. Due to its dimensions and range of capabilities, the ship was classified as a cruiser by the United States. In addition, as the United States Navy defines a large multi-mission surface combatant with flagship as a cruiser, it can be concluded that the U.S. expects Type 055 to have a similar role as the Ticonderoga-class cruiser.
Given its superiority, the Renhai-class is arguably more than a destroyer. It has the potential to outperform its predecessors, the Luyang-class destroyers, in terms of strategic air defense, anti-surface, and subsurface capability. It outperforms any of China's neighbors' surface combatants of a similar class, particularly the South Korean Sejong-class destroyer and the Japanese Atago-class destroyer. The warship is definitely a great addition to strengthen China’s blue-water combat capacity. At the same time, the cruiser-like destroyer will also affect the balance in the region.

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[sebastijanglozinic]

I have to admit, i find the Type 052D and Type 055-class ships to be absolutely gorgeous. With that sleek, low RCS hull shape and the bright grey paint scheme.

[NeMayful]

One of if not the most beautifully designed ship in global water indeed.
Man just look at this thing at 1:04. Clean AF.

[lxjilyfe]

doesn't matter if it's a destroyer or a cruiser, as long as it looks good.

[hx]

relax everyone it's a fishing boat.

[GreatMasterGaming]

that prounciation of Qingdao made my brain slightly hurt xd

[yuluoxianjun]

The most dangerous thing is always very beautiful

[ethanmac]

Destroyer = air-defense for
carrier strike group(s)
& offensive attack
role vs surface ships
Cruiser = ABM shield & land
attack role & secondary
role of air-defense when
needed for CSG
Frigate = Anti-submarine role in
CSG's & light secondary
roles of air-defense and
offensive attack vs
surface ships

[lzyJ]

Although the Type 055 destroyer are big step of Chinese Navy, but the Type 003 aircraft carrier which like little Hawks but more advanced are much more attractive to whole world, closest to US.

[dasasda]

best part is it costs $900mil, a us destroyer costs 1.8 billion

[alancranford]

Cruisers are capital ships and often are command centers for fleets and expeditions. If there's no separate flag bridge for commanding a fleet, it's a "destroyer." Cruisers need but don't always have facilities to run an entire expedition.

[zhli]

Obviously, this can affect Japan’s reactions. To ensure Type 055 will not start a new naval arms race, China classifies it as destroyer. The argument is supported by Type 055 roles will be carrier group defense not a flagship. Japan and South Korea read American faces for own plans. Zumwalt is bigger and classified as destroyer.

[iqbang]

Why does Japan call the 26, 000-ton helicopter carrier Izumo a frigate? not even a destroyer or a cruiser.

[ryank]

Not sure about it’s true battle capabilities, but it does looks good.

[pratyushojha]

It is what the PLAN says it is. Because they are the ones who have designed it. They are the ones who decide the employment doctrine.

So they are the ones who decide exactly what this ship is.

[stc]

Zumwalt is a destroyer, Type055 is a fishing boat!

[bg]

Destroyers are beefed up version of torpedo speed boats.
Cruisers are gun platform.
Battleships are bigger but slower protected gun platform.
Modern ships are missile based. Doesn’t fit, does it?

[kw]

Considering the type 055 role in the PLAN navy's carrier battle group, it could potentially be called a cruiser in western standards (again, there are still ridiculous examples like germans designating their 8000 tonned F125 ships as frigates). However, unlike the Ticonderoga class, the ship is not know to serve any dedicated roles in the battlegroup and preforms very similar antiship and air defence roles like it's predecessors. Thus, it is usually known to most chinese military analysts as an enlarged version of type 052D, which up to date is still in mass production, forming a high low combination of primary surface combatants for the PLAN navy.

[Kane-ibsn]

Ticonderoga class, for example is not a Cruiser. Sure, it may be designated a Cruiser, and have the 'functions' of a Cruiser, but it is not.
it's either a Super-Frigate or a Super Heavy Frigate - since Destroyers had a specific offensive task in WWII, while also including an escort task for major capital warships...or a convoy.
Cruisers on the other hand, in WWII often joined up with other capital warships for offensive tasks, primarily - surface raiding, or hunting down other capital warships. they were used as more solitary units by themselves - because they had more stores, greater range.
lastly, Cruisers had armament and more armor; which basically says that they are meant for surface warfare almost exclusively, but had air and anti-sub defenses just in case.
the only remaining Cruisers in existence is the Kirov-class.

whatever cruiser or fishing boat, looks great, and it's great

[kevinyu-itlc]

I like it cuz it just looks badass AF, haven't seen any boat cooler than this nowadays.