Gunboat ponderings

[Colt556]

Way I see gunboats is the way Corvettes are used in scifi. Simply not meant to engage bigger ships, but the absolute bane of fighter craft. A cruiser will almost always win against a gunboat, short of massive skill gaps. But the a gunboat will almost always win against fighters/bombers, short of massive skill gaps. That way, in fleet formations, gunboats would be picket ships with the sole purpose of protecting the big ships from bombers. That way the cruisers and battleships can freely deal with one another without pesky bombers harassing them.

But are cruisers/BS vulnerable enough to bombers to justify having a ship class with the sole purpose of protecting them from such? I don't know, haven't played enough.