The definitive line between what was a "destroyer" and what was a "cruiser" (or light from heavy cruisers) was established by the Washington Naval Treaty, and since then, has blurred to nothing. Nobody makes "cruisers" nowadays, but they make "destroyers" as large as cruisers used to be, and things that would be called a "destroyer" in the past is now called a "fast frigate". (The Sendai-class light cruisers were 5,600 tonnes. The new Akizuki-class destroyer is 6,800 tonnes. The Hyuuga-class helicopter destroyers have a displacement of 14,000 to 19,000 tonnes, depending upon load, and the new Kaga goes up to 27,000 tonnes, which approaches battleship territory. The Yorktown-class like Enterprise was about 20,000 to 25,000 tonnes, themselves. The original "built from a battleship hull" Kaga was still heavier at 38,000 tonnes, though.)
Don't do it any more!Gross!KagaaaanI melted.Who!?Midway!Nowakick!Gross!Somehow she got dissolved!Hurry, bring her to Akashi-san's arsenal!I melted.Akashi-san! Kaga-san got melted! Anything's fine as long you repair her!Helicopter Destroyer (DDH)
KagaIzumo-class helicopter destroyer, Kaga, here.
I'm not a carrier.She had to undergo a lot of remodelling and modernization afterwards?