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Ascout cruiser was a type of warship of the early 20th century, which was smaller, faster, more lightly armed and armoured thanprotected cruisers orlight cruisers, but larger than contemporarydestroyers. Intended for fleet scouting duties and acting as aflotilla leader, a scout cruiser was typically armed with six to ten destroyer-type guns of 3-inch (76 mm) to 4.7-inch (120 mm)calibre, plus two to fourtorpedo tubes.

The British were the first to operate scout cruisers, when theRoyal Navy acquired 15 ships divided into two distinct groups: eight vessels ordered under the 1903 Programme, and seven heavier-armed vessels ordered under the 1907–1910 Programmes. All these ships served inWorld War I, although the advent of better machinery and larger, faster destroyers and light cruisers had already made them obsolete.

The other major operator of scout cruisers was theKingdom of Italy. With no conventional protected cruisers or light cruisers planned between 1900 and 1928, theItalian Royal Navy (Italian:Regia Marina) instead operated a number of scout cruisers (esploratori) from 1912 onwards. Ranging in size from enlarged destroyers to substantial, light-cruiser-like ships, theseesploratori were also given secondary capabilities as fastminelayers. Lateresploratori, such as theLeone class, carried extremely heavy armament for their modest size, capable of outgunning any destroyer of the early 1920s. By 1938 the survivingesploratori were re-rated as destroyers.

• Admiral Spaun^[1]
• Novara class^[2]

• Bahia class^[3]

• Spähkreuzer – Translates to 'scout cruiser' in English; developed from late 1930s Zerstörer 1938A/Ac large ocean-going destroyer design concept intended for oceanic escort.

• Almirante Grau class

Note: this list includes all vessels rated as scouts (esploratori) by Italy.

• Agordat class – protected cruisers, rated asesploratori from 1914 to 1921
• Quarto
• Nino Bixio class
• Alessandro Poerio class - includedCesare Rossarol
• Mirabello class
• Aquila class
• Leone class
• Capitani Romani class - originally classifiedesploratori oceanici (ocean scouts), then re-rated light cruisers

• Aquila class

• Sentinel class
• Adventure class
• Forward class
• Pathfinder class
• Boadicea class
• Blonde class
• Active class

• List of cruisers of the United States Navy § Scout cruisers (SCR, SC, CS)
  • Chester class – later re-classified as light cruisers (CL)
  • The first threeOmaha-class ships were also designated "scout cruisers" (CS) when ordered, but in 1920, before any were launched, the Navy revised its classification system and they - and theChesters - became light cruisers (CL).

• Destroyer leader
• Flotilla leader

• Ship types
• Cruisers

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