Throughout naval history, it was used for some of the largest and most common warships in a given fleet, but alternate designations like Star Cruiser was also applied, like in the navy of the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance. Ships that were designated with other names were also often referred to as cruisers. With a variety of different ship classifications in use, some of these used the "cruiser" definition for diminutive patrol ships like the Guardian-class customs vessel.