Destroyer (Red Alert 2)

The destroyer is an Allied anti-ship vessel in Red Alert 2 and Yuri's Revenge. It carries an Osprey for attacking enemy submerged units.

Background
The Destroyer was the main Allied warship and was widely deployed on every Allied naval base. It was not too expensive, decently armored and could be deployed in large groups. Their cannon was effective against other ships, like Dreadnoughts, and the Ospreys were effective against submarines. They were excellent in defending Aircraft carriers against Soviet and Yuri submarines, and they were also effective in attacking coast-based enemies, clearing the way for Amphibious transports.

However, they also had a number of weaknesses: firstly, Soviet submarines in numbers could take out Destroyers because they had a faster reload time. Ospreys were also very vulnerable to Sea Scorpions that could take them out in seconds, leaving Destroyers vulnerable against submarines. Finally, they weren't able to use their cannon on submarines even if these emerged from underwater, while units such as the Grizzly tank were able to attack emerged submarines. However, Allied commanders could always force-fire the destroyer's cannon near submerged submarines, greatly damaging them.

Important operations in which Destroyers took part included the defense of the coasts of Florida, where however the Allied navy was defeated by the Soviets, the liberation of Chicago, and a number of other operations.

Game unit
Allied Destroyer cannons are effective against both ships, vehicles, infantry and buildings, but have a short range. If an Osprey is lost, it is automatically replaced at no cost after a period of time. If the Destroyer is lost, its child Osprey will be lost as well; an airborne Osprey will crash even if a nearby destroyer needs a replacement.

When Elite, the Destroyer's cannon would have improved dramatically, to the point the ship could destroy structures from safe distances very quickly with its cannon. Its armor has improved and it gains the ability to self-heal, essentially becoming a small battleship.

Aftermath
It is not known to operate after the events of the Psychic Dominator Disaster. After Cherdenko's to 1927, the Destroyer was replaced by assault destroyers in the Third World War's third iteration.

When selected

 * Allied ship reporting.
 * Navigation systems ready.
 * Captain on the bridge!
 * Standing by.

When moving

 * Speed to full.
 * Main engines engaged.
 * Rudder set for new heading.
 * Aye, commander.
 * Steady as she goes.

When ordered to attack

 * Enemy spotted.
 * Attacking
 * Battle stations!

Behind the scenes
The destroyer is voiced by Gregg Berger, who also voiced the Harrier and the installer voiceover.

Trivia

 * The model resembles the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.
 * The ship in the icon is actually a stock model of Italian cruiser Pola with a slightly tweaked dock.
 * If the destroyer is sunk while the Osprey is still on board, the Osprey will vanish.
 * In the original Red Alert 2, the destroyer's quotes are used by most Allied naval units (same goes for the dreadnought in the Soviets' case).
 * Strangely, the main gun does not feature a rotating animation. Instead, the entire unit must turn to face the direction of its targets, whereas all of the Allied naval units in Red Alert feature a rotating turret animation. It is possible that this could have been the result of graphic engine limitations or simply a developer oversight.
 * In the Soviet campaign mission Sub-Divide, it is possible to encounter green Coast Guard Boats, which are essentially destroyers sporting a slightly different model. They are also faster than regular destroyers.

Cameos
In order: English/French, German, Korean, Chinese.