A destroyer tender is a ship designed to provide maintenance support to a flotilla of destroyers or other small warships. The use of this class has faded from its peak in the first half of the 20th century as the roles of small combatants have evolved (in conjunction with technological advances in propulsion reliability and efficiency). Due to the increased size and automation of modern destroyers, tenders are no longer as necessary as they once were. In the United States Navy, the last destroyer tender class was the Yellowstone-class Destroyer Tender.