Complex sentence: Destroyers, originally called torpedo boat destroyers, evolved from the response of navies to the threat posed by the torpedo boat, first appearing as a distinct class of warship around 1885.
Split into simpler sentences: Destroyers, originally called torpedo boat destroyers, evolved from the response of navies to the threat posed by the torpedo boat. Growing from earlier defensive developments, the destroyer first appeared as a distinct class of warship around 1885.