torpedo-boat destroyer

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A large, heavily armed torpedo boat used in combat especially against other torpedo boats until the early part of the 20th century.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. A larger, swifter, and more powerful armed type of torpedo boat, originally intended principally for the destruction of torpedo boats, but later used also as a more formidable torpedo boat.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. small destroyer that was the forerunner of modern destroyers; designed to destroy torpedo boats