The

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack subma ...

uses hull classification symbols to identify the types of its ships, which are similar to the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

hull classification symbol The United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) use a hull classification symbol (sometimes called hull code or hull number) to identify their ships by type and by ...

system. The

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

and some European and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

navies (19 in total) use a somewhat analogous system of

pennant number In the Royal Navy and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth of Nations, ships are identified by pennant number (an internationalisation of ''pendant number'', which it was called before 1948). Historically, naval ships flew a flag that iden ...

s. In a ship name such as the

ship prefix A ship prefix is a combination of letters, usually abbreviations, used in front of the name of a civilian or naval ship that has historically served numerous purposes, such as identifying the vessel's mode of propulsion, purpose, or ownership/n ...

HMCS for His or Her Majesty's Canadian Ship indicates the vessel is a warship in service to the

Monarch of Canada The monarchy of Canada is Canada's form of government embodied by the Canadian sovereign and head of state. It is at the core of Canada's constitutional federal structure and Westminster-style parliamentary democracy. The monarchy is the f ...

, while the proper name ''Algonquin'' may follow a naming convention for the class of vessel. The hull classification symbol in the example is the parenthetical suffix (DDG 283), where the hull classification type DDG indicates that the ''Algonquin'' is a

guided-missile destroyer A guided-missile destroyer (DDG) is a destroyer whose primary armament is guided missiles so they can provide anti-aircraft warfare screening for the fleet. The NATO standard designation for these vessels is DDG, while destroyers who have a prim ...

and the hull classification number 283 is unique within that type. Listed below are various hull classification types with some currently in use and others that are retired and no longer in use.

Auxiliary ships

* AGOR: Auxiliary General Oceanographic Research (retired), * AGSC: surveying vessel (retired) Example included: * AOR: Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment, * ARE: Auxiliary Replenishment Escort (retired). Examples * ASL: diving support vessel (retired from the Royal Canadian Navy) Included: * F: escort armed ships (retired pre World War II passenger ships that were converted to military roles during the war)Examples included: , , and * FHE: Fast Hydrofoil Escort (retired, prototype tested 1968–1971), * K:

sloop A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...

and submarine tender (also used for frigates and corvettes). Example included: * KC: sail training. Example includes: * PCT: Patrol Craft Training (supersedes YAG) Examples include: s * T: armed trawler (retired). Example included: , * YAG: Yard Auxiliary General (retired training vessels, superseded by PCT)

YAG training vessels YAG 300 (Yard Auxiliary, General) vessels were a series of ten wooden boats built between 1954 and 1955 that throughout their service acted as yard ferries (Blue Boats), training platforms and test beds for route survey equipment with the Royal C ...

CFAV ''Grizzly'' (YAG 306), CFAV ''Cougar'' (YAG 308) * YTB: Yard Tug. Examples include: * YTL: Yard Tug. Examples include: s ''Lawrenceville'' (YTL 590), CFAV ''Parksville'' (YTL 591) * YTM: Yard Tug. Example includes: * YTR: Yard Tractor tug fireboats. Examples include: s

Aircraft carriers

* CVL: light carrier (retired) Examples included: , , and * D: World War II escort carrier (retired) Examples included and s: * R: carrier World War II (retired, was also used for destroyers)

Corvettes

* K:

corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...

(retired, was also used for frigates and a

sloop-of-war In the 18th century and most of the 19th, a sloop-of-war in the Royal Navy was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. The rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above; thus, the term ''sloop-of-war'' en ...

). Examples included: s

Cruisers

* C: light cruiser (retired) Examples included

Destroyers

* D:

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed ...

- World War II era (retired) eg * DD: destroyer - World War II era (retired, DD was used by the United States Navy, I was used by the Royal Canadian Navy for US built DD destroyers) * DDE:

escort destroyer An escort destroyer with United States Navy hull classification symbol DDE was a destroyer (DD) modified for and assigned to a fleet escort role after World War II. These destroyers retained their original hull numbers. Later, in March 1950, ...

(retired) * DDH: air defence destroyer - helicopter, eg * DDG: area air defence - guided missile * G: destroyer - World War II era (retired, included and es) * H: escort destroyer - World War II era (retired, included and es) * I: destroyer - World War II era (retired)< Examples included: , , * R: destroyer (post World War II retired, was also used for a carrier) World War II destroyer examples included: - V class and -

Frigates

* F: frigate * FFE: escort frigate (post World War II; used for , retired) * FFH: multi-role patrol frigate - helicopter eg

Minesweepers

* J: minesweeper (retired, used for World War II era , , and s) * MCB: post World War II minesweeper (retired) used for * MSA: Mine Sweeper Auxiliary: (in use 1989–2000, retired) * MM: Mechanical Minesweeper - more recently known as coastal defence vessels such as

Submarines

*CC: World War I era gas powered submarines *CH: World War I era diesel-electric submarines * S: Submarine (retired Cold War era diesel electric: last used by s) * SS: Submarine (retired, used for US built (1961–1969) and (1968–1974)-class vessels) * SSK: Hunter-Killer Submarine or long range submarines. Eg ''Victoria''-class submarines

Patrol

* AOPV: Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hull Classification Symbol (Canada) Royal Canadian Navy Naval ships of Canada Ship identification numbers