æz mˈeɪdʒɚ nˈeɪvəl pˈaʊɚz ɹˈiːəlaɪzd ðə vˌʌlnɚɹəbˈɪlᵻɾi ʌv ðɛɹ ɛkspˈɛnsɪv bˈæɾəlʃˌɪps tʊ ˌɪnɛkspˈɛnsɪv toːɹpˈiːdoʊ bˈoʊts, ðeɪ stˈɑːɹɾᵻd bˈɪldɪŋ dᵻfˈɛnsɪv flətˈɪləz ʌv toːɹpˈiːdoʊ bˈoʊt dᵻstɹˈɔɪɚz ɔːɹ dᵻstɹˈɔɪɚz fɔːɹ ʃˈɔːɹt.
As major naval powers realized the vulnerability of their expensive battleships to inexpensive torpedo boats, they started building defensive flotillas of torpedo boat destroyers or destroyers for short.