CHINA will send navy ships to Somalian waters to combat pirates, the Foreign Ministry announced last week. The news came hours after nine pirates attacked a Chinese cargo ship with 30 crewmen in Somalian waters last Wednesday.

　　The crew used water cannons, self-made fire bombs and beer bottles to battle the pirates before they were rescued by the Malaysian army.

　　Two destroyers and a large supply ship will be part of the fleet that is being deployed to the Somalian waters. The ships will leave Sanya, Hainan province, after Christmas on a three-month mission.

　　The media described the tour as China's biggest naval expedition since the 15th century. In recent years, China's navy has only left the Pacific region for goodwill tours.

　　What is a destroyer?

　　A destroyer is a fast warship. It was originally designed to escort larger vessels in a fleet and defend them against smaller but powerful attackers.

　　Before World War II, destroyers were not very important to a fleet. They were usually light vessels without endurance for unattended ocean operations. At that time, cruisers, which have bigger tonnage and longer endurance, were often chosen for longer, independent missions. Destroyers were just escorts.

　　But during and after WWII, larger and more powerful destroyers capable of independent operation were built. At the end of the Cold War, destroyers gradually took the place of cruisers. Today, destroyers are the heaviest surface-combat ships in general use.

　　US

　　Arleigh Burke class destroyer

　　Namesake: a US navy leader from World War II

　　Launched: 1989 Tonage: 6,794 ton

　　Speed: 56km/h

　　With the motto "Fast and Feared", the Arleigh Burke destroyer is among the largest and most powerful ever built. It was made entirely of steel, rather than having just a steel hull and aluminum superstructure. An aluminum mast is used to reduce weight. It was the first US warship designed with an air-filtration system to defend against nuclear, biological and chemical warfare.

　　Japan

　　Kongo class destroyer

　　Namesake: a mountain Launched: 1991

　　Tonage: 7,500 tons Speed: 56km/h

　　The Kongo class of destroyers serves as the core of the Japanese military's escort fleet. The destroyer is armed with surface-to-air missiles, anti-submarine rockets and anti-ship missiles. The ship also has stealth features to reduce radar detection. It has become a part of pop culture.

　　China

　　Type 052B destroyer (Guangzhou 168)

　　Namesake: city's names Launched: 2003

　　Tonage: 6,500 tons Speed: 54km/h

　　The vessel's hull design incorporates strong radar reduction features, such as sloped sides. The hull surface is coated in radar-absorbent paint. The ship carries a total of 48 missiles. It also has four anti-ship cruise missile launchers.

　　Naming a warship

　　The US navy names its destroyers after famous naval personnel of the past. While Japanese prefer to use the names of natural things, such as mountains, weather features and trees.

　　China uses city names for its destroyers – for example, Wuhan 168. But when you read reports from the Western media, you will not find "Wuhan 168". Instead, you'll see "Luyang Class I" – a name given by NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). It refers to the factory where the destroyer was made, or the place where the ship was detected.

　　Once a ship has been named, its name is almost never changed. This is a tradition that originated in Britain. The ship's name was said to be its "soul", and changing the name was thought to bring bad luck. The major exceptions were changing the names of captured or acquired foreign-built ships.

　　英语词汇解析

　　acquire 获得

　　cannon 大炮

　　cargo ship 货船

　　cruiser 巡洋舰

　　destroyer 驱逐舰

　　displacement 排水量

　　escort 护卫

　　filtration 过滤

　　fleet 舰队

　　guided missile 导弹

　　incorporate 合并, 混合

　　maritime 海事的

　　namesake 同名物

　　pirate 海盗

　　tonnage 吨位, 排水量

　　vessel 船

　　BONUS

　　Espression

　　Expressions from the navy:

　　flagship

　　舰队里的旗舰，比喻主打产品及项目

　　I visited the company's flagship store over the weekend. It's huge!

　　周末，我去逛了公司的旗舰店，真大啊!

　　unfathomable

　　深不可测的, 难解的。fathom是航海中测量深度的单位，浔，大概是6英尺

　　The news of her death is unfathomable. I simply can't believe it.

　　她去世的消息很另人费解，我不敢相信。