frigate

noun

1. a fast, medium-sized sailing warship of the 18th and early 19th cent., which carried from 24 to 60 guns
2. a Brit. warship between a corvette and a destroyer
3. 1. until 1975, a U.S. warship larger than a destroyer and smaller than a light cruiser
   2. since 1975, a U.S. warship smaller than a destroyer, used chiefly for escort duty