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 ...

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, m ...

, and United States

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditi ...

(NOAA) use a hull classification symbol (sometimes called hull code or

hull number Hull number is a serial identification number given to a boat or ship. For the military, a lower number implies an older vessel. For civilian use, the HIN is used to trace the boat's history. The precise usage varies by country and type. United ...

) to identify their ships by type and by individual ship within a type. The system is analogous to the

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 ...

system that 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 other 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 use.

History

United States Navy

The U.S. Navy began to assign unique

Naval Registry Identification Number A Naval Registry Identification Number is a unique identifier that the U.S. Navy used for privately owned and naval vessels in the first half of the 20th century. Overview During World War I, in 1916, the U.S. Navy began a registry of privately ...

s to its ships in the 1890s. The system was a simple one in which each ship received a number which was appended to its ship type, fully spelled out, and added parenthetically after the ship's name when deemed necessary to avoid confusion between ships. Under this system, for example, the

battleship A battleship is a large armour, armored warship with a main artillery battery, battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1 ...

''Indiana'' was USS ''Indiana'' (Battleship No. 1), the

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several ...

''Olympia'' was USS ''Olympia'' (Cruiser No. 6), and so on. Beginning in 1907, some ships also were referred to alternatively by single-letter or three-letter codes—for example, USS ''Indiana'' (Battleship No. 1) could be referred to as USS ''Indiana'' (B-1) and USS ''Olympia'' (Cruiser No. 6) could also be referred to as USS ''Olympia'' (C-6), while USS ''Pennsylvania'' (Armored Cruiser No. 4) could be referred to as USS ''Pennsylvania'' (ACR-4). However, rather than replacing it, these codes coexisted and were used interchangeably with the older system until the modern system was instituted on 17 July 1920. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, the U.S. Navy acquired large numbers of privately owned and commercial ships and craft for use as

patrol vessel A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and the ...

s, mine warfare vessels, and various types of naval

auxiliary ship An auxiliary ship is a naval ship designed to support combatant ships and other naval operations. Auxiliary ships are not primary combatant vessels, though they may have some limited combat capacity, usually for purposes of self-defense. Auxil ...

s, some of them with identical names. To keep track of them all, the Navy assigned unique identifying numbers to them. Those deemed appropriate for patrol work received

section patrol A Section Patrol Craft was a civilian vessel registered by the United States Navy for potential wartime service before, during, and shortly after World War I. Historical overview The SP/ID registration system In 1916, with World War I raging a ...

numbers (SP), while those intended for other purposes received "identification numbers", generally abbreviated "Id. No." or "ID;" some ships and craft changed from an SP to an ID number or vice versa during their careers, without their unique numbers themselves changing, and some ships and craft assigned numbers in anticipation of naval service were never acquired by the Navy. The SP/ID numbering sequence was unified and continuous, with no SP number repeated in the ID series or vice versa so that there could not be, for example, both an "SP-435" and an "Id. No. 435". The SP and ID numbers were used parenthetically after each boat's or ship's name to identify it; although this system pre-dated the modern hull classification system and its numbers were not referred to at the time as "hull codes" or "hull numbers," it was used in a similar manner to today's system and can be considered its precursor.

United States Revenue Cutter Service and United States Coast Guard

The

United States Revenue Cutter Service ) , colors= , colors_label= , march= , mascot= , equipment= , equipment_label= , battles= , anniversaries=4 August , decorations= , battle_honours= , battle_honours_label= , disbanded=28 January 1915 , flying_hours= , website= , commander1= , co ...

, which merged with the

United States Lifesaving Service The United States Life-Saving ServiceDespite the lack of hyphen in its insignia, the agency itself is hyphenated in government documents including: and was a United States government agency that grew out of private and local humanitarian effort ...

in January 1915 to form the modern

, began following the Navy's lead in the 1890s, with its cutters having parenthetical numbers called

s following their names, such as (Cutter No. 1), etc. This persisted until the Navy's modern hull classification system's introduction in 1920, which included Coast Guard ships and craft.

United States Coast and Geodetic Survey

Like the U.S. Navy, the

United States Coast and Geodetic Survey The United States Coast and Geodetic Survey (abbreviated USC&GS), known from 1807 to 1836 as the Survey of the Coast and from 1836 until 1878 as the United States Coast Survey, was the first scientific agency of the United States Government. It ...

– a uniformed seagoing service of the

United States Government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a feder ...

and a predecessor of the

(NOAA) – adopted a hull number system for its fleet in the 20th century. Its largest vessels, "Category I"

oceanographic Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamic ...

survey ship A survey vessel is any type of ship or boat that is used for underwater surveys, usually to collect data for mapping or planning underwater construction or mineral extraction. It is a type of research vessel, and may be designed for the pur ...

s, were classified as "ocean survey ships" and given the designation "OSS". Intermediate-sized "Category II" oceanographic survey ships received the designation "MSS" for "medium survey ship," and smaller "Category III" oceanographic survey ships were given the classification "CSS" for "coastal survey ship." A fourth designation, "ASV" for "auxiliary survey vessel," included even smaller vessels. In each case, a particular ship received a unique designation based on its classification and a unique hull number separated by a space rather than a hyphen; for example, the third Coast and Geodetic Survey ship named ''Pioneer'' was an ocean survey ship officially known as USC&GS ''Pioneer'' (OSS 31). The Coast and Geodetic Surveys system persisted after the creation of NOAA in 1970, when NOAA took control of the Surveys fleet, but NOAA later changed to its modern hull classification system.

United States Fish and Wildlife Service

The Fish and Wildlife Service, created in 1940 and reorganized as the

United States Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...

(USFWS) in 1956, adopted a hull number system for its

fisheries Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life; or more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a. fishing ground). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, ...

research ship A research vessel (RV or R/V) is a ship or boat designed, modified, or equipped to carry out research at sea. Research vessels carry out a number of roles. Some of these roles can be combined into a single vessel but others require a dedicated ...

s and

s. It consisted of "FWS" followed by a unique identifying number. In 1970, NOAA took control of the seagoing ships of the USFWS′s Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, and as part of the NOAA fleet they eventually were renumbered under the NOAA hull number system.

The modern hull classification system

United States Navy

The U.S. Navy instituted its modern hull classification system on 17 July 1920, doing away with section patrol numbers, "identification numbers", and the other numbering systems described above. In the new system, all hull classification symbols are at least two letters; for basic types the symbol is the first letter of the type name, doubled, except for aircraft carriers. The combination of symbol and hull number identifies a modern Navy ship uniquely. A heavily modified or re-purposed ship may receive a new symbol, and either retain the hull number or receive a new one. For example, the heavy gun cruiser was converted to a gun/missile cruiser, changing the hull number to CAG-1. Also, the system of symbols has changed a number of times both since it was introduced in 1907 and since the modern system was instituted in 1920, so ships' symbols sometimes change without anything being done to the physical ship. Hull numbers are assigned by classification. Duplication between, but not within, classifications is permitted. Hence, CV-1 was the

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

and BB-1 was the battleship . Ship types and classifications have come and gone over the years, and many of the symbols listed below are not presently in use. The

Naval Vessel Register The ''Naval Vessel Register'' (NVR) is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from t ...

maintains an online database of U.S. Navy ships showing which symbols are presently in use. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

until 1975, the U.S. Navy defined a "

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed an ...

" as a type of surface warship larger than a

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 ...

and smaller than a cruiser. In other navies, such a ship generally was referred to as a "

flotilla leader A flotilla leader was a warship of late 19th century and early 20th century navies suitable for commanding a flotilla of destroyers or other small warships, typically a small cruiser or a large destroyer (known as a destroyer leader). The flotil ...

", or "destroyer leader". Hence the U.S. Navy's use of "DL" for "frigate" prior to 1975, while "frigates" in other navies were smaller than destroyers and more like what the U.S. Navy termed a "

destroyer escort Destroyer escort (DE) was the United States Navy mid-20th-century classification for a warship designed with the endurance necessary to escort mid-ocean convoys of merchant marine ships. Development of the destroyer escort was promoted by th ...

", "

ocean escort Ocean escort was a type of United States Navy warship. They were an evolution of the World War II destroyer escort types. The ocean escorts were intended as convoy escorts and were designed for mobilization production in wartime or low-cost mas ...

", or "DE". The

United States Navy 1975 ship reclassification The United States Navy reclassified many of its surface vessels in 1975, changing terminology and hull classification symbols for cruisers, frigates, and ocean escorts. Classification prior to 1975 From the 1950s to 1975, the US Navy had three ...

s, frigates, and ocean escorts brought U.S. Navy classifications into line with other nations' classifications, at least cosmetically in terms of terminology, and eliminated the perceived "cruiser gap" with the Soviet Navy by redesignating the former "frigates" as "cruisers".

Military Sealift Command

If a U.S. Navy ship's hull classification symbol begins with "T-", it is part of the

Military Sealift Command Military Sealift Command (MSC) is an organization that controls the replenishment and military transport ships of the United States Navy. Military Sealift Command has the responsibility for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all US ...

, has a primarily civilian crew, and is a

United States Naval Ship United States Naval Ship (USNS) is the prefix designation given to non- commissioned ships that are property of the United States Navy (USN). Definition United States Naval Ships are unarmed auxiliary support vessels owned by the U.S. Navy ...

(USNS) in non-commissioned service – as opposed to a commissioned United States Ship (USS) with an all-military crew.

United States Coast Guard

If a ship's hull classification symbol begins with "W", it is a commissioned cutter of the

. Until 1965, the Coast Guard used U.S. Navy hull classification codes, prepending a "W" to their beginning. In 1965, it retired some of the less mission-appropriate Navy-based classifications and developed new ones of its own, most notably WHEC for " high endurance cutter" and WMEC for "

medium endurance cutter The Medium Endurance Cutter or WMEC is a type of United States Coast Guard Cutter mainly consisting of the Famous- and ''Reliance''-class cutters. These larger cutters are under control of Area Commands (Atlantic Area or Pacific Area). These cut ...

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The

(NOAA), a component of the

United States Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce is an executive department of the U.S. federal government concerned with creating the conditions for economic growth and opportunity. Among its tasks are gathering economic and demographic data for bus ...

, includes the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps, known informally as the NOAA Corps, is one of eight federal uniformed services of the United States, and operates under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administ ...

(or "NOAA Corps"), one of the eight

uniformed services of the United States The United States has eight federal uniformed services that commission officers as defined by Title 10 and subsequently structured and organized by Titles 10, 14, 32, 33 and 42 of the U.S. Code. Uniformed services The uniformed services ...

, and operates a fleet of seagoing research and survey ships. The NOAA fleet also uses a hull classification symbol system, which it also calls "hull numbers," for its ships. After NOAA took over the former fleets of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Bureau of Commercial Fisheries in 1970, it adopted a new system of ship classification. In its system, the NOAA fleet is divided into two broad categories,

s and

s. The research ships, which include

and

research vessels, are given hull numbers beginning with "R", while the survey ships, generally hydrographic survey vessels, receive hull numbers beginning with "S". The letter is followed by a three-digit number; the first digit indicates the NOAA "class" (i.e., size) of the vessel, which NOAA assigns based on the ship's gross tonnage and

horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are t ...

, while the next two digits combine with the first digit to create a unique three-digit identifying number for the ship. Generally, each NOAA hull number is written with a space between the letter and the three-digit number, as in, for example, or . Unlike in the U.S. Navy system, once an older NOAA ship leaves service, a newer one can be given the same hull number; for example, "S 222" was assigned to , then assigned to NOAAS ''Thomas Jefferson'' (S 222), which entered NOAA service after ''Mount Mitchell'' was stricken.

United States Navy hull classification codes

The U.S. Navy's system of alpha-numeric ship designators, and its associated hull numbers, have been for several decades a unique method of categorizing ships of all types: combatants, auxiliaries and district craft. Though considerably changed in detail and expanded over the years, this system remains essentially the same as when formally implemented in 1920. It is a very useful tool for organizing and keeping track of naval vessels, and also provides the basis for the identification numbers painted on the bows (and frequently the sterns) of most U.S. Navy ships. The ship designator and hull number system's roots extend back to the late 1880s when ship type serial numbers were assigned to most of the new-construction warships of the emerging "Steel Navy". During the course of the next thirty years, these same numbers were combined with filing codes used by the Navy's clerks to create an informal version of the system that was put in place in 1920. Limited usage of ship numbers goes back even earlier, most notably to the "Jeffersonian Gunboats" of the early 1800s and the "Tinclad" river gunboats of the Civil War Mississippi Squadron. It is important to understand that hull number-letter prefixes are not acronyms, and should not be carelessly treated as abbreviations of ship type classifications. Thus, "DD" does not stand for anything more than "Destroyer". "SS" simply means "Submarine". And "FF" is the post-1975 type code for "Frigate." The hull classification codes for ships in active duty in the United States Navy are governed under Secretary of the Navy Instruction 5030.8B.

Warships

Warships are designed to participate in combat operations. The origin of the two-letter code derives from the need to distinguish various cruiser subtypes.Derdall and DiGiulian, (section: ''Cruisers'')

Aircraft carrier type

Aircraft carriers are ships designed primarily for the purpose of conducting combat operations by aircraft which engage in attacks against airborne, surface, sub-surface and shore targets. Contrary to popular belief, the "CV" hull classification symbol does not stand for "carrier vessel". "CV" derives from the cruiser designation, with one popular theory that the V comes from French ''voler'', "to fly", but this has never been definitively proven. The V has long been used by the U.S. Navy for heavier-than-air craft and possibly comes from the French

volplane Gliding flight is heavier-than-air flight without the use of thrust; the term volplaning also refers to this mode of flight in animals. It is employed by gliding animals and by aircraft such as gliders. This mode of flight involves flying a ...

. Aircraft carriers are designated in two sequences: the first sequence runs from CV-1 USS '' Langley'' to the very latest ships, and the second sequence, "CVE" for escort carriers, ran from CVE-1 ''Long Island'' to CVE-127 ''Okinawa'' before being discontinued. * AV: Heavier-than-air aircraft tender, later

Seaplane tender A seaplane tender is a boat or ship that supports the operation of seaplanes. Some of these vessels, known as seaplane carriers, could not only carry seaplanes but also provided all the facilities needed for their operation; these ships are rega ...

(retired) * AVD: Seaplane tender destroyer (retired) * AVP: Seaplane tender, Small (retired) * AZ: Lighter-than-air aircraft tender (retired) (1920-23)See . * AVG: General-purpose aircraft tender (repurposed

escort carrier The escort carrier or escort aircraft carrier (U.S. hull classification symbol CVE), also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the United States Navy (USN) or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slow type of aircraft ...

) (1941–42) * AVT (i) Auxiliary aircraft transport (retired) * AVT (ii) Auxiliary training carrier (retired) * ACV: Auxiliary aircraft carrier (escort carrier, replaced by CVE) (1942) * CV:

Fleet aircraft carrier A fleet carrier is an aircraft carrier designed to operate with the main fleet of a nation's navy. The term was developed during World War II, to distinguish it from the escort carrier and other less capable types. In addition to many medium-si ...

(1921–1975), multi-purpose

(1975–present) * CVA: Aircraft carrier, attack (category merged into CV, 30 June 1975) * CV(N): Aircraft carrier, night (deck equipped with lighting and pilots trained for nighttime fights) (1944) (retired) * CVAN: Aircraft carrier, attack, nuclear-powered (category merged into CVN, 30 June 1975) * CVB: Aircraft carrier, large (original USS ''Midway'' class, category merged into CVA, 1952) * CVE: Aircraft carrier, escort (retired) (1943–retirement of type) * CVHA: Aircraft carrier, helicopter assault (retired in favor of several LH-series

amphibious assault ship An amphibious assault ship is a type of amphibious warfare ship employed to land and support ground forces on enemy territory by an amphibious assault. The design evolved from aircraft carriers converted for use as helicopter carriers (and, a ...

hull codes) * CVHE: Aircraft carrier, helicopter, escort (retired) * CVL:

Light aircraft carrier A light aircraft carrier, or light fleet carrier, is an aircraft carrier that is smaller than the standard carriers of a navy. The precise definition of the type varies by country; light carriers typically have a complement of aircraft only one- ...

or aircraft carrier, small (retired) * CVN: Aircraft carrier, nuclear-powered * CVS:

Antisubmarine aircraft carrier An anti-submarine warfare carrier (ASW carrier) (US hull classification symbol CVS) is a type of small aircraft carrier whose primary role is as the nucleus of an anti-submarine warfare hunter-killer group. This type of ship came into existenc ...

(retired) * CVT: Aircraft carrier, training (changed to AVT (auxiliary)) * CVU: Aircraft carrier, utility (retired) * CVG: Aircraft carrier, guided missile (retired) * CF: Flight deck cruiser (1930s, retired unused) * CVV: Aircraft carrier, vari-purpose, medium (retired unused)

Surface combatant type

Surface combatants are ships which are designed primarily to engage enemy forces on the high seas. The primary surface combatants are battleships, cruisers and destroyers. Battleships are very heavily armed and armored; cruisers moderately so; destroyers and smaller warships, less so. Before 1920, ships were called " no. X", with the type fully pronounced. The types were commonly abbreviated in ship lists to "B-X", "C-X", "D-X" et cetera—for example, before 1920, would have been called "USS ''Minnesota'', Battleship number 22" orally and "USS ''Minnesota'', B-22" in writing. After 1920, the ship's name would have been both written and pronounced "USS ''Minnesota'' (BB-22)". In generally decreasing size, the types are: * ACR:

Armored cruiser The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was designed like other types of cruisers to operate as a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a battleship and fast eno ...

(pre-1920) * AFSB: Afloat forward staging base (also AFSB(I) for "interim", changed to MLP ( Mobile Landing Platform, then ESD and ESB) * B: Battleship (pre-1920) * BB:

Battleship A battleship is a large armour, armored warship with a main artillery battery, battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1 ...

* BBG: Battleship, guided missile or

arsenal ship An arsenal ship is a concept for a floating missile platform intended to have as many as five hundred vertical launch bays for mid-sized missiles, most likely cruise missiles. In current U.S. naval thinking, such a ship would initially be cont ...

(never used operationally)See . * BM:

Monitor Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, West ...

(1920–retirement) * C:

Cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several ...

(pre-1920 protected cruisers and peace cruisers) * CA: (first series) Cruiser, armored (retired, comprised all surviving pre-1920 armored and protected cruisers) * CA: (second series)

Heavy cruiser The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 inches) in caliber, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval T ...

, category later renamed gun cruiser (retired) * CAG: Cruiser, heavy, guided missile (retired) * CB:

Large cruiser The ''Alaska'' class were six very large cruisers ordered before World War II for the United States Navy, of which only two were completed and saw service late in the war. The US Navy designation for the ships of this class was 'large cruis ...

(retired)See . * CBC: Large command cruiser (never used operationally)See . * CC: (first usage)

Battlecruiser The battlecruiser (also written as battle cruiser or battle-cruiser) was a type of capital ship of the first half of the 20th century. These were similar in displacement, armament and cost to battleships, but differed in form and balance of attr ...

(never used operationally)See . * CC: (second usage) Command cruiser (retired) * CLC: Command cruiser, light (retired)See . * CG: Cruiser, guided missile * CGN: Cruiser, guided missile, nuclear-powered: and * CL: Cruiser, light (retired) * CLAA: Cruiser, light, anti-aircraft (retired) * CLD: Cruiser-destroyer, light (never used operationally) * CLG: Cruiser, light, guided missile (retired) * CLGN: Cruiser, light, guided missile, nuclear-powered (never used operationally) * CLK: Cruiser, hunter–killer (never used operationally)see . * CM: Cruiser–minelayer (retired) * CS:

Scout cruiser A scout cruiser was a type of warship of the early 20th century, which were smaller, faster, more lightly armed and armoured than protected cruisers or light cruisers, but larger than contemporary destroyers. Intended for fleet scouting duties a ...

(retired) * CSGN: Cruiser, strike, guided missile, nuclear-powered (never used operationally) * D: Destroyer (pre-1920) * DD:

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 ...

* DDC: Corvette (briefly proposed in the mid-1950s) * 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, ...

, a destroyer (DD) converted for

antisubmarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are ty ...

– category abolished 1962. (''not to be confused with destroyer escort DE'') * DDG: Destroyer, guided missile * DDK: Hunter–killer destroyer (category merged into DDE, 4 March 1950) * DDR: Destroyer, radar picket (retired) * DE:

Destroyer escort Destroyer escort (DE) was the United States Navy mid-20th-century classification for a warship designed with the endurance necessary to escort mid-ocean convoys of merchant marine ships. Development of the destroyer escort was promoted by th ...

(World War II, later became

Ocean escort Ocean escort was a type of United States Navy warship. They were an evolution of the World War II destroyer escort types. The ocean escorts were intended as convoy escorts and were designed for mobilization production in wartime or low-cost mas ...

) * DE:

(abolished 30 June 1975) * DEG: Guided missile ocean escort (abolished 30 June 1975) * DER: Destroyer escort, radar picket (abolished 30 June 1975) There were two distinct breeds of DER, the DEs which were converted to DERs during World War II and the more numerous postwar DER conversions. * DL: Destroyer leader (later frigate) (retired) * DLG: Destroyer leader, guided missile (later frigate) (abolished 30 June 1975) * DLGN: Destroyer leader, guided missile, nuclear-propulsion (later frigate) (abolished 30 June 1975) The DL category was established in 1951 with the abolition of the CLK category. CLK 1 became DL 1 and DD 927–930 became DL 2–5. By the mid-1950s the term destroyer leader had been dropped in favor of frigate. Most DLGs and DLGNs were reclassified as CGs and CGNs, 30 June 1975. However, DLG 6–15 became DDG 37–46. The old DLs were already gone by that time. Only applied to . * DM: Destroyer, minelayer (retired) * DMS: Destroyer, minesweeper (retired) * FF:

Frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed an ...

* PF: Patrol frigate (retired) * FFG: Frigate, guided missile * FFH: Frigate with assigned helicopter * FFL: Frigate, light * FFR: Frigate, radar picket (retired) * FFT: Frigate (reserve training) (retired) The FF, FFG, and FFR designations were established 30 June 1975 as new type symbols for ex-DEs, DEGs, and DERs. The first new-built ships to carry the FF/FFG designation were the s. * PG: Patrol gunboat (retired) * PCH: Patrol craft, hydrofoil (retired) * PHM: Patrol, hydrofoil, missile (retired) * 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) * LCS:

Littoral combat ship The littoral combat ship (LCS) is either of two classes of relatively small surface vessels designed for operations near shore by the United States Navy. It was "envisioned to be a networked, agile, stealthy surface combatant capable of defeat ...

In January 2015, the Navy announced that the up-gunned LCS will be reclassified as a frigate, since the requirements of the SSC Task Force was to upgrade the ships with frigate-like capabilities. The Navy is hoping to start retrofitting technological upgrades onto existing and under construction LCSs before 2019. * LSES: Large Surface Effect Ship * M:

(1880s–1920) * SES:

Surface Effect Ship A Surface Effect Ship (SES) or Sidewall Hovercraft is a watercraft that has both an air cushion, like a hovercraft, and twin hulls, like a catamaran. When the air cushion is in use, a small portion of the twin hulls remains in the water. When the ...

* TB:

Torpedo boat A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of ...

Submarine type

Submarines are all self-propelled submersible types (usually started with SS) regardless of whether employed as combatant, auxiliary, or research and development vehicles which have at least a residual combat capability. While some classes, including all diesel-electric submarines, are retired from USN service, non-U.S. navies continue to employ SS, SSA, SSAN, SSB, SSC, SSG, SSM, and SST types. With the advent of new

Air Independent Propulsion Air-independent propulsion (AIP), or air-independent power, is any marine propulsion technology that allows a non-nuclear submarine to operate without access to atmospheric oxygen (by surfacing or using a snorkel). AIP can augment or replace the ...

/Power (AIP) systems, both SSI and SSP are used to distinguish the types within the USN, but SSP has been declared the preferred term. SSK, retired by the USN, continues to be used colloquially and interchangeably with SS for diesel-electric attack/patrol submarines within the USN, and, more formally, by the Royal Navy and British firms such as

Jane's Information Group Jane's Information Group, now styled Janes, is a global open-source intelligence company specialising in military, national security, aerospace and transport topics, whose name derives from British author Fred T. Jane. History Jane's Informat ...

. * SC: Cruiser Submarine (retired) * SF: Fleet

Submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

(retired) * SM: Submarine Minelayer (retired) * SS: Submarine,

Attack Submarine An attack submarine or hunter-killer submarine is a submarine specifically designed for the purpose of attacking and sinking other submarines, surface combatants and merchant vessels. In the Soviet and Russian navies they were and are called ...

* SSA: Submarine Auxiliary, Auxiliary/Cargo Submarine * SSAN: Submarine Auxiliary Nuclear, Auxiliary/Cargo Submarine, Nuclear-powered * SSB: Submarine Ballistic,

Ballistic Missile Submarine A ballistic missile submarine is a submarine capable of deploying submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) with nuclear warheads. The United States Navy's hull classification symbols for ballistic missile submarines are SSB and SSBN � ...

* SSBN: Submarine Ballistic Nuclear,

, Nuclear-powered * SSC: Coastal Submarine, over 150 tons * SSG:

Guided Missile Submarine A cruise missile submarine is a submarine that carries and launches cruise missiles (SLCMs and anti-ship missiles) as its primary armament. Missiles greatly enhance a vessel's ability to attack surface combatants and strike land targets, and alt ...

* SSGN: Guided Missile Submarine, Nuclear-poweredSee . * SSI: Attack Submarine (Diesel Air-Independent Propulsion) * SSK:

Hunter-Killer Hunter-killer may refer to: Military terminology * Hunter-killer team, a team that separates the tasks of "hunting" and "killing" to two or more individuals * Hunter-killer armored-vehicle team, scout vehicles and tanks operating in concert as "hu ...

/ASW Submarine (retired) *

SSKN SSK was the United States Navy hull classification symbol for a diesel-electric submarine specialized for anti-submarine duties. SS indicated that the vessel was a submarine, and the K suffix that it was a hunter-killer. The United States Navy does ...

: Hunter-Killer/ASW Submarine, Nuclear-powered (retired) * SSM: Midget Submarine, under 150 tons * SSN:

, Nuclear-powered * SSNR: Special Attack Submarine This odd entry is not recognized by the U.S. Naval Vessel Register, and appears only in MIL-STD-2525A: ''Common Warfighting Symbology'' (15 December 1996) and later editions (MIL-STD-2525B: ''Common Warfighting Symbology'' (30 January 1999) and MIL-STD-2525C: ''Common Warfighting Symbology'' (17 November 2008)). It seems to refer to some kind of nuclear-powered submarine used by Special Operations Forces. * SSO: Submarine Oiler (retired)See . * SSP: Attack Submarine (Diesel Air-Independent Power) (alternate use), formerly Submarine Transport * SSQ: Auxiliary Submarine, Communications (retired) * SSQN: Auxiliary Submarine, Communications, Nuclear-powered (retired) * SSR: Radar Picket Submarine (retired) * SSRN: Radar Picket Submarine, Nuclear-powered (retired)See . * SST: Training Submarine * X:

Midget submarine A midget submarine (also called a mini submarine) is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to six or nine, with little or no on-board living accommodation. They normally work with mother ships, ...

See

X-1 submarine ''X-1'' (or SS X-1) was one of the United States Navy's only Midget Submarines (but see the NR-1 Deep Submergence Craft). She was designed under project SCB 65; laid down on 8 June 1954, at Deer Park, Long Island, New York, by the Engine Divisi ...

. * IXSS: Unclassified Miscellaneous Submarine * MTS: Moored Training Ship (

Naval Nuclear Power School Nuclear Power School (NPS) is a technical school operated by the U.S. Navy in Goose Creek, South Carolina as a central part of a program that trains enlisted sailors, officers, KAPL civilians and Bettis civilians for shipboard nuclear power ...

Training Platform; reconditioned SSBNs and SSNs)

Patrol combatant type

Patrol combatants are ships whose mission may extend beyond coastal duties and whose characteristics include adequate endurance and seakeeping, providing a capability for operations exceeding 48 hours on the high seas without support. This notably included

Brown Water Navy The term brown-water navy or riverine navy refers in its broadest sense to any naval force capable of military operations in littoral zone waters. The term originated in the United States Navy during the American Civil War, when it referred t ...

/Riverine Forces during the Vietnam War. Few of these ships are in service today. * PBR:

Patrol Boat, River Patrol Boat, Riverine, or PBR, is the United States Navy designation for a small rigid-hulled patrol boat used in the Vietnam War from March 1966 until 1975. They were deployed in a force that grew to 250 boats, the most common craft in the ...

, Brown Water Navy (Pibber or PBR-Vietnam) * PC: Coastal Patrol, originally Sub Chaser * PCF:

Patrol Craft, Fast Patrol Craft Fast (PCF), also known as Swift Boats, were all-aluminum, long, shallow-Draft (hull), draft vessels operated by the United States Navy, initially to patrol the coastal areas and later for work in the interior waterways as part of ...

; Swift Boat, Brown Water Navy (Vietnam) * PE:

Eagle Boat Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, jus ...

* PF: World War II Frigate, based on British . ** PFG: Original designation of * PG: WWII-era

Gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-ste ...

s, later Patrol combatant, with ability to operate in rivers; what is generally known as

River gunboat A river gunboat is a type of gunboat adapted for river operations. River gunboats required shallow draft for river navigation. They would be armed with relatively small caliber cannons, or a mix of cannons and machine guns. If they carried mor ...

s * PGH: Patrol Combatant, Hydrofoil () * PHM: Patrol,

Hydrofoil A hydrofoil is a lifting surface, or foil, that operates in water. They are similar in appearance and purpose to aerofoils used by aeroplanes. Boats that use hydrofoil technology are also simply termed hydrofoils. As a hydrofoil craft gains s ...

Missile () * PR: Patrol, River, such as the * PT:

Patrol Torpedo Boat A PT boat (short for patrol torpedo boat) was a motor torpedo boat used by the United States Navy in World War II. It was small, fast, and inexpensive to build, valued for its maneuverability and speed but hampered at the beginning of the w ...

, the U.S. take on the Motor Torpedo Boat (World War II) * PTF: Patrol Torpedo Fast, Brown Water Navy (Vietnam) * PTG/PTGB: Patrol Torpedo Gunboat *

: Heavily gunned riverine boat, Brown Water Navy (Vietnam and prior). Named for * ASPB: Assault Support Patrol Boat, "Alpha Boat", Brown Water Navy; also used as riverine minesweeper (Vietnam) * PACV:

Patrol Air Cushion Vehicle The Patrol Air Cushion Vehicle (PACV), also known as the Air Cushion Vehicle (ACV) in Army and Coast Guard service, was a United States Navy and Army hovercraft used as a patrol boat in marshy and riverine areas during the Vietnam War between ...

hovercraft A hovercraft, also known as an air-cushion vehicle or ACV, is an amphibious craft capable of travelling over land, water, mud, ice, and other surfaces. Hovercraft use blowers to produce a large volume of air below the hull, or air cushion, ...

that was part of the Brown Water Navy (Vietnam) * SP:

Section Patrol A Section Patrol Craft was a civilian vessel registered by the United States Navy for potential wartime service before, during, and shortly after World War I. Historical overview The SP/ID registration system In 1916, with World War I raging a ...

, used indiscriminately for

s, mine warfare vessels, and some other types (World War I; retired 1920)

Amphibious warfare type

Amphibious warfare vessels include all ships having an organic capability for amphibious warfare and which have characteristics enabling long duration operations on the high seas. There are two classifications of craft:

amphibious warfare ship An amphibious warfare ship (or amphib) is an amphibious vehicle warship employed to land and support ground forces, such as marines, on enemy territory during an amphibious assault. Specialized shipping can be divided into two types, most cr ...

s, which are built to cross oceans, and

landing craft Landing craft are small and medium seagoing watercraft, such as boats and barges, used to convey a landing force (infantry and vehicles) from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. The term excludes landing ships, which are larger. ...

, which are designed to take troops from ship to shore in an invasion. The U.S. Navy hull classification symbol for a ship with a

well deck In traditional nautical use, well decks were decks lower than decks fore and aft, usually at the main deck level, so that breaks appear in the main deck profile, as opposed to a flush deck profile. The term goes back to the days of sail. Late-20 ...

depends on its facilities for aircraft: * An

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...

has a

helicopter deck A helicopter deck (or helo deck) is a helicopter pad on the deck of a ship, usually located on the stern and always clear of obstacles that would prove hazardous to a helicopter landing. In the United States Navy, it is commonly and properly ...

. * An LPD has a hangar in addition to the helicopter deck. * An LHD or LHA has a full-length flight deck. Ships * AKA:

Attack Cargo Ship Attack may refer to: Warfare and combat * Offensive (military) * Charge (warfare) * Attack (fencing) * Strike (attack) * Attack (computing) * Attack aircraft Books and publishing * ''The Attack'' (novel), a book * ''Attack No. 1'', comic ...

(To LKA, 1969) * APA:

Attack Transport Attack transport is a United States Navy ship classification for a variant of ocean-going troopship adapted to transporting invasion forces ashore. Unlike standard troopships – often drafted from the merchant fleet – that rely on ...

(To LPA, 1969) * APD: High speed transport (Converted Destroyer or Destroyer Escort) (To LPR, 1969) * APM: Mechanized Artillery Transports (To LSD) * AGC: Amphibious Force Flagship (To LCC, 1969) * LCC: (second usage)

Amphibious Command Ship An amphibious command ship (LCC) of the United States Navy is a large, special-purpose ship, originally designed to command large amphibious invasions. However, as amphibious invasions have become unlikely, they are now used as general comma ...

* LHA: General-Purpose Amphibious Assault Ship, also known as Landing ship, Helicopter, Assault * LHD: Multi-Purpose Amphibious Assault Ship, also known as Landing ship, Helicopter, Dock * LKA:

Amphibious Cargo Ship Amphibious cargo ships were U.S. Navy ships designed specifically to carry troops, heavy equipment and supplies in support of amphibious assaults, and to provide naval gunfire support during those assaults. A total of 108 of these ships were buil ...

(out of commission) * LPA: Amphibious Transport * LPD:

Amphibious transport dock An amphibious transport dock, also called a landing platform dock (LPD), is an amphibious warfare ship, a warship that embarks, transports, and lands elements of a landing force for expeditionary warfare missions. Several navies currently operat ...

, also known as Landing ship, Personnel, Dock * LPH: Landing ship, Personnel, Helicopter * LPR: High speed transport * LSD:

Landing Ship, Dock A dock landing ship (also called landing ship, dock or LSD) is an amphibious warfare ship with a well dock to transport and launch landing craft and amphibious vehicles. Some ships with well decks, such as the Soviet Ivan Rogov class, also have ...

* LSH: Landing Ship, Heavy * LSIL: Landing Ship, Infantry (Large) (formerly LCIL) * LSL: Landing Ship, Logistics * LSM: Landing Ship, Medium ** LSM(R): Landing Ship, Medium (Rocket) * LSSL: Landing Ship, Support (Large) (formerly LCSL) * LST:

Landing Ship, Tank Landing Ship, Tank (LST), or tank landing ship, is the naval designation for ships first developed during World War II (1939–1945) to support amphibious operations by carrying tanks, vehicles, cargo, and landing troops directly onto shore with ...

** LST(H):

Landing Ship, Tank (Hospital) Landing Ship, Tank (Hospital) (LSTH) was a conversion of a LST designed to act as a hospital ship, but because they retained armament were not officially designated as such. The Tank Landing Ship (LST) was a vessel designed to beach itself and unlo ...

* LSV: Landing Ship, Vehicle Landing Craft * LCA: Landing Craft, Assault * LCAC:

Landing Craft Air Cushion The Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) is a class of air-cushioned landing craft (hovercraft) used by the United States Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). They transport weapons systems, equipment, cargo and personnel from sh ...

* LCC: (first usage) Landing Craft, Control * LCFF: (Flotilla Flagship) * LCH: Landing Craft, Heavy * LCI:

Landing Craft, Infantry The Landing Craft Infantry (LCI) were several classes of landing craft used to land large numbers of infantry directly onto beaches during the Second World War. They were developed in response to a British request for seagoing amphibious assault s ...

, World War II-era classification further modified by ** (G) – Gunboat ** (L) – Large ** (M) – Mortar ** (R) –

Rocket A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entir ...

* LCL: Landing Craft, Logistics (UK) * LCM: Landing Craft, Mechanized * LCP: Landing Craft, Personnel * LCP(L): Landing Craft, Personnel, Large * LCP(R): Landing Craft, Personnel, Ramped * LCPA: Landing Craft, Personnel, Air-Cushioned * LCS(L): Landing Craft, Support (Large) changed to LSSL in 1949 * LCT:

Landing Craft, Tank The Landing Craft, Tank (LCT) (or Tank Landing Craft TLC) was an amphibious assault craft for landing tanks on beachheads. They were initially developed by the Royal Navy and later by the United States Navy during World War II in a series of ver ...

(World War II era) * LCU: Landing Craft, Utility * LCVP: Landing Craft, Vehicle and Personnel * LSH:

Landing Ship Heavy HMAS ''Tobruk'' (L 50) was a Landing Ship Heavy (LSH) of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), based on the design of the Round Table-class landing ship logistics, Round Table-class of the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Planning for the ship began in ...

(Royal Australian Navy)

Expeditionary support

Operated by Military Sealift Command, have ship prefix "USNS", hull code begins with "T-". * ESD: Expeditionary Transfer Dock * ESB: Expeditionary Mobile Base (a variant of ESD, formerly AFSB) * EPF:

Expeditionary fast transport The ''Spearhead''-class expeditionary fast transport (EPF) is a United States Navy–led shipbuilding program to provide a high-speed, shallow draft vessel intended for rapid intra-theater transport of medium-sized cargo payloads. The EPFs can r ...

* MLP: Mobile landing platform (changed to ESD) * JHSV: Joint high-speed vessel (changed to EPF) * HST:

High-speed transport High-speed transports were converted destroyers and destroyer escorts used in US Navy amphibious operations in World War II and afterward. They received the US Hull classification symbol APD; "AP" for transport and "D" for destroyer. In 1969, t ...

(similar to JHSV, not to be confused with WWII-era

(APD)) * HSV: High-speed vessel

Mine warfare type

Mine warfare ships are those ships whose primary function is

mine warfare Mine warfare refers to the use of different types of explosive devices: *Land mine, a weight-triggered explosive device intended to maim or kill people or to disable or destroy vehicles *Minelaying, deployment of explosive mines at sea **Naval mine ...

on the high seas. * ADG: Degaussing ship * AM:

Minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

* AMb: Harbor minesweeper * AMc: Coastal minesweeper * AMCU: Underwater mine locater * AMS: Motor minesweeper * CM: Cruiser (i.e., large) minelayer * CMc: Coastal minelayer * DM: High-speed minelayer (converted destroyer) * DMS: High-speed minesweeper (converted-destroyer) * MCM:

Mine countermeasures ship A mine countermeasures vessel or MCMV is a type of naval ship designed for the location of and destruction of naval mines which combines the role of a minesweeper and minehunter A minehunter is a naval vessel that seeks, detects, and destro ...

* MCS: Mine countermeasures support ship * MH(C)(I)(O)(S):

Minehunter A minehunter is a naval vessel that seeks, detects, and destroys individual naval mines. Minesweepers, on the other hand, clear mined areas as a whole, without prior detection of mines. A vessel that combines both of these roles is known a ...

, (coastal) (inshore) (ocean) (hunter and sweeper, general) * MLC: Coastal minelayer * MSC: Minesweeper, coastal * MSF: Minesweeper, steel hulled * MSO: Minesweeper, ocean * PCS: Submarine chasers (wooden) fitted for minesweeping * YDG: District degaussing vessel

Coastal defense type

Coastal defense ships are those whose primary function is coastal patrol and interdiction. * FS:

* PB:

Patrol boat A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and the ...

* PBR:

, river * PC:

Patrol A patrol is commonly a group of personnel, such as law enforcement officers, military personnel, or security personnel, that are assigned to monitor or secure a specific geographic area. Etymology From French ''patrouiller'', from Old Fren ...

, coastal * PCE: Patrol craft, escort * PCF: Patrol craft, fast, (swift boat) * PCS: Patrol craft, sweeper (modified-motor minesweepers meant for anti-submarine warfare) * PF:

, in a role similar to World War II Commonwealth

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 ...

* PG: Patrol

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-ste ...

* PGM: Motor gunboat (To PG, 1967) * PR: Patrol,

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...

* SP:

Section patrol A Section Patrol Craft was a civilian vessel registered by the United States Navy for potential wartime service before, during, and shortly after World War I. Historical overview The SP/ID registration system In 1916, with World War I raging a ...

Auxiliaries

An auxiliary ship is designed to operate in any number of roles supporting combatant ships and other naval operations.

Combat logistics type

Ships which have the capability to provide

underway replenishment Replenishment at sea (RAS) ( North Atlantic Treaty Organization/Commonwealth of Nations) or underway replenishment (UNREP) ( U.S. Navy) is a method of transferring fuel, munitions, and stores from one ship to another while under way. First devel ...

(UNREP) to fleet units. * AE:

Ammunition ship An ammunition ship is an auxiliary ship specially configured to carry ammunition, usually for naval ships and aircraft. An ammunition ship's cargo handling systems, designed with extreme safety in mind, include ammunition hoists with airlocks bet ...

* AF:

Stores ship Store may refer to: Enterprises * Retail store, a shop where merchandise is sold, usually products and usually on a retail basis, and where wares are often kept ** App store, an online retail store where apps are sold, included in many mobile op ...

(retired) * AFS:

Combat stores ship Combat stores ships, or storeships, were originally a designation given to ships in the Age of Sail and immediately afterward that navies used to stow supplies and other goods for naval purposes. Today, the United States Navy and the Royal Navy ...

* AK:

Dry cargo ship A bulk carrier or bulker is a merchant ship specially designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo — such as grains, coal, ore, steel coils, and cement — in its cargo holds. Since the first specialized bulk carrier was built in 1852, econom ...

* AKE: Advanced dry cargo ship * AKS: General stores ship * AO:

Fleet Oiler A replenishment oiler or replenishment tanker is a naval auxiliary ship with fuel tanks and dry cargo holds which can supply both fuel and dry stores during underway replenishment (UNREP) at sea. Many countries have used replenishment oilers. The ...

* AOE: Fast combat support ship * AOR:

Replenishment oiler A replenishment oiler or replenishment tanker is a naval auxiliary ship with fuel tanks and dry cargo holds which can supply both fuel and dry stores during underway replenishment (UNREP) at sea. Many countries have used replenishment oilers. Th ...

* AVS: Aviation Stores Issue Ship (retired)

Mobile logistics type

Mobile logistics ships have the capability to provide direct material support to other deployed units operating far from home ports. * AC: Collier (retired) * AD:

Destroyer tender A destroyer tender or destroyer depot ship is a type of depot ship: an auxiliary 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 ...

* AGP: Patrol craft tender * AR:

Repair ship A repair ship is a naval auxiliary ship designed to provide maintenance support to warships. Repair ships provide similar services to destroyer, submarine and seaplane tenders or depot ships, but may offer a broader range of repair capability incl ...

* ARB: Repair ship, battle damage * ARC: Repair ship, cable * ARG: Repair ship, internal combustion engine * ARH: Repair ship, heavy-hullSee . * ARL: Repair ship, landing craft * ARV: Repair ship, aircraft * ARVH: Repair ship, aircraft, helicopter * AS:

Submarine tender A submarine tender is a type of depot ship that supplies and supports submarines. Development Submarines are small compared to most oceangoing vessels, and generally do not have the ability to carry large amounts of food, fuel, torpedoes, and ...

* AW: Distilling ship (retired)

Support ships

Support ships are not designed to participate in combat and are generally not armed. For ships with civilian crews (owned by and/or operated for

and the

Maritime Administration Maritime administrations, or flag state administrations, are the executive arms/state bodies of each government responsible for carrying out the shipping responsibilities of the state, and are tasked to administer national shipping and boating issue ...

), the prefix T- is placed at the front of the hull classification. Support ships are designed to operate in the open ocean in a variety of sea states to provide general support to either combatant forces or shore-based establishments. They include smaller auxiliaries which, by the nature of their duties, leave inshore waters. * AB: Auxiliary Crane Ship (1920-41) See USS Crane Ship No. 1 * ACS: Auxiliary Crane Ship * AG:

Miscellaneous Auxiliary 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 ind ...

* AGB:

Icebreaker An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...

* AGDE: Testing Ocean Escort See * AGDS: Deep Submergence Support Ship * AGEH: Hydrofoil, experimental See * AGER: (i): Miscellaneous Auxiliary, Electronic Reconnaissance * AGER: (ii):

Environmental Research Ship Technical research ships were used by the United States Navy during the 1960s to gather intelligence by monitoring, recording and analyzing wireless electronic communications of nations in various parts of the world. At the time these ships were a ...

* AGF: Miscellaneous Command Ship * AGFF: Testing Frigate See * AGHS: Patrol combatant support ship—ocean or inshore * AGL: Auxiliary vessel, lighthouse tender * AGM:

Missile Range Instrumentation Ship A tracking ship, also called a missile range instrumentation ship or range ship, is a ship equipped with antennas and electronics to support the launching and tracking of missiles and rockets. Since many missile ranges launch over ocean areas for ...

* AGMR: Major Communications Relay Ship * AGOR:

Oceanographic Research Ship Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamic ...

* AGOS:

Ocean Surveillance Ship ''Stalwart''-class auxiliary general ocean surveillance ships ( T-AGOS) were a class of United States Naval Ship United States Naval Ship (USNS) is the prefix designation given to non- commissioned ships that are property of the United Stat ...

* AGR:

Radar picket ship A radar picket is a radar-equipped station, ship, submarine, aircraft, or vehicle used to increase the radar detection range around a nation or military (including naval) force to protect it from surprise attack, typically air attack, or from cr ...

* AGS: Surveying Ship * AGSC: Coastal Survey Ships * AGSE: Submarine and Special Warfare Support * AGTR:

Technical research ship Technical research ships were used by the United States Navy during the 1960s to gather intelligence by monitoring, recording and analyzing wireless electronic communications of nations in various parts of the world. At the time these ships were a ...

* AH:

Hospital ship A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital. Most are operated by the military forces (mostly navies) of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones. I ...

* AKD: Cargo Ship, Dock See * AKL: Cargo Ship, Small * AKN: Cargo Ship, Net * AKR: Cargo Ship, Vehicle * AKV: Cargo Ship, Aircraft * AN: Net laying ship * AOG: Gasoline tanker * AOT:

Transport Oiler Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, ...

* AP:

Transport Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land ( rail and road), water, cable, pipelin ...

* APB: Self-propelled Barracks Ship * APC: Coastal Transport * APc: Coastal Transport, Small * APH: Evacuation Transport * APL: Barracks Craft * ARS: Rescue and Salvage Ship * ARSD: Salvage Lifting Vessels * ASR:

Submarine Rescue Ship A submarine rescue ship is a surface support ship for submarine rescue and deep-sea salvage operations. Methods employed include the McCann Rescue Chamber, deep-submergence rescue vehicles (DSRV's) and diving operations. List of active su ...

* AT: Fleet Tug * ATA: Auxiliary Ocean Tug * ATF:

Fleet Ocean Tug A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

* ATLS: Drone Launch Ship * ATO: Fleet Tug, Old * ATR:

Rescue Tug Rescue comprises responsive operations that usually involve the saving of life, or the urgent treatment of injuries after an accident or a dangerous situation. Tools used might include search and rescue dogs, mounted search and rescue ...

* ATS:

Salvage and Rescue Ship Rescue and salvage ships (hull classification symbol ARS) are a type of military salvage tug. They are tasked with coming to the aid of stricken vessels. Their general mission capabilities include combat salvage, lifting, towing, retraction of gro ...

* AVB(i): Aviation Logistics Support Ship * AVB(ii): Advance Aviation Base Ship * AVM: Guided Missile Ship See * AVT(i): Auxiliary Aircraft Transport * AVT(ii): Auxiliary Aircraft Landing Training Ship * EPCER: Experimental – Patrol Craft Escort – Rescue * PCER: Patrol Craft Escort – Rescue * SBX: Sea-based X-band Radar – a mobile

active electronically scanned array An active electronically scanned array (AESA) is a type of phased array antenna, which is a computer-controlled array antenna in which the beam of radio waves can be electronically steered to point in different directions without moving the an ...

early-warning radar An early-warning radar is any radar system used primarily for the long-range detection of its targets, i.e., allowing defences to be alerted as ''early'' as possible before the intruder reaches its target, giving the air defences the maximum t ...

station.

Service type craft

Service craft are navy-subordinated craft (including non-self-propelled) designed to provide general support to either combatant forces or shore-based establishments. The suffix "N" refers to non-self-propelled variants. * AFDB: Large Auxiliary Floating

Dry Dock A dry dock (sometimes drydock or dry-dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Dry docks are used for the construction, maintenance, ...

* AFD/AFDL:

Small Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock An auxiliary floating drydock is a type of US Navy floating dry dock. Floating dry docks are able to submerge underwater and to be placed under a ship in need of repair below the water line. Water is then pumped out of the floating dry dock, ...

* AFDM: Medium Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock * ARD: Auxiliary Repair Dry Dock * ARDM: Medium Auxiliary Repair Dry Dock * JUB/JB : Jack Up Barge

Submersibles

* DSRV:

Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle A deep-submergence rescue vehicle (DSRV) is a type of deep-submergence vehicle used for rescue of downed submarines and clandestine missions. While DSRV is the term most often used by the United States Navy, other nations have different designa ...

* DSV: Deep Submergence Vehicle * NR: Submersible Research VehicleSee Deep Submergence Vessel NR-1.

Yard and district craft

* YC:

Open Lighter The Type B ship is a United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) designation for World War II barges. Barges are very low cost to build, operate and move. Barges were needed to move large bulky cargo. A tug boat, some classed as Type V ships, co ...

* YCF:

Car Float A railroad car float or rail barge is a specialised form of lighter with railway tracks mounted on its deck used to move rolling stock across water obstacles, or to locations they could not otherwise go. An unpowered barge, it is towed by a t ...

* YCV: Aircraft Transportation Lighter * YD: Floating Crane * YDT: Diving Tender * YF:

Covered Lighter The Type B ship is a United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) designation for World War II barges. Barges are very low cost to build, operate and move. Barges were needed to move large bulky cargo. A tug boat, some classed as Type V ships, cou ...

* YFB:

Ferry Boat A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water tax ...

or Launch * YFD: Yard Floating Dry Dock * YFN: Covered Lighter (non-self propelled) * YFNB: Large Covered Lighter (non-self propelled) * YFND: Dry Dock Companion Craft (non-self propelled) * YFNX: Lighter (Special purpose) (non-self propelled) * YFP: Floating Power Barge * YFR: Refrigerated Cover Lighter * YFRN: Refrigerated Covered Lighter (non-self propelled) * YFRT:

Range Tender USNS ''Range Recoverer'' (T-AG-161/T-AGM-2/YFRT-524) was a missile range instrumentation ship responsible for providing radar and/or telemetry track data on missiles launched from American launch sites. She was built during World War II as U.S. ...

USNS ''Range Recoverer'' (T-AG-161) * YFU: Harbor Utility Craft * YG: Garbage Lighter * YGN: Garbage Lighter (non-self propelled) * YH: Ambulance boat/small medical support vessel * YLC: Salvage Lift Craft * YM:

Dredge Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing da ...

* YMN:

(non-self propelled) * YNG: Net Gate Craft * YN: Yard Net Tender * YNT:

Net Tender A net laying ship, also known as a net layer, net tender, gate ship or boom defence vessel was a type of naval auxiliary ship. A net layer's primary function was to lay and maintain steel anti-torpedo or anti-submarine nets. Nets could be laid ...

* YO:

Fuel Oil Fuel oil is any of various fractions obtained from the distillation of petroleum (crude oil). Such oils include distillates (the lighter fractions) and residues (the heavier fractions). Fuel oils include heavy fuel oil, marine fuel oil (MFO), b ...

Barge Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels. ...

* YOG: Gasoline Barge * YOGN: Gasoline Barge (non-self propelled) * YON: Fuel Oil Barge (non-self propelled) * YOS: Oil Storage Barge * YP: Patrol Craft, Training * YPD: Floating Pile Driver * YR: Floating Workshop * YRB: Repair and Berthing Barge * YRBM: Repair, Berthing and Messing Barge * YRDH: Floating Dry Dock Workshop (Hull) * YRDM: Floating Dry Dock Workshop (Machine) * YRR: Radiological Repair Barge nuclear ships and submarines service * YRST: Salvage Craft Tender * YSD: Seaplane Wrecking Derrick - Yard Seaplane Derrick * YSR: Sludge Removal Barge * YT:

Harbor Tug A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

(craft later assigned YTB, YTL, or YTM classifications) * YTB:

Large Large means of great size. Large may also refer to: Mathematics * Arbitrarily large, a phrase in mathematics * Large cardinal, a property of certain transfinite numbers * Large category, a category with a proper class of objects and morphisms ...

Harbor tug A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

* YTL: Small Harbor Tug * YTM: Medium Harbor Tug * YTT: Torpedo trials craft * YW: Water Barge * YWN: Water Barge (non-self propelled)

Miscellaneous ships and craft

* ID or Id. No.: Civilian ship taken into service for auxiliary duties, used indiscriminately for large ocean-going ships of all kinds and coastal and yard craft (World War I; retired 1920) * IX: Unclassified Miscellaneous Unit * "none": To honor her unique historical status, USS ''Constitution'', formerly IX 21, was reclassified to "none", effective 1 September 1975.

Airships

Although technically aircraft, pre-World War II rigid airships were treated like commissioned surface warships and submarines, flew the U.S. ensign from their stern and carried a United States Ship (USS) designation. Lighter-than-air aircraft (e.g.,

blimp A blimp, or non-rigid airship, is an airship (dirigible) without an internal structural framework or a keel. Unlike semi-rigid and rigid airships (e.g. Zeppelins), blimps rely on the pressure of the lifting gas (usually helium, rather than hy ...

s) continued to fly the U.S. ensign from their stern but were always considered to be primarily aircraft. Rigid airships: * ZR:

Rigid airship A rigid airship is a type of airship (or dirigible) in which the envelope is supported by an internal framework rather than by being kept in shape by the pressure of the lifting gas within the envelope, as in blimps (also called pressure air ...

* ZRS: Rigid airship scout See

Akron-class airship The ''Akron''-class airships were a class of two rigid airships constructed for the United States Navy, US Navy in the early 1930s. Designed as scouting and reconnaissance platforms, the intention for their use was to act as "eyes for the fleet", ...

. *

ZRCV The ZRCV was a large Flying aircraft carrier#Dirigible aircraft carriers, dirigible aircraft carrier proposed by the Lighter-than-Air Bureau of the United States Department of the Navy, Navy Department and the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation. It wou ...

: Rigid airship aircraft carrier, proposed, not built Lighter-than-air aircraft: * ZMC: Metal clad aircraft * ZNN-G:

G-class blimp The ''G''-Class Blimps were a series of non-rigid airships (blimps) used by the United States Navy. In 1935, instead of developing a new design airship, the Navy purchased the Goodyear Blimp ''Defender'' for use as a trainer and utility airshi ...

* ZNN-J: J-class blimp * ZNN-L:

L-class blimp The L-class blimps were training airships operated by the United States Navy during World War II. In the mid-1930s, the Goodyear Aircraft Company built a family of small non-rigid airships that the company used for advertising the Goodyear nam ...

* ZNP-K:

K-class blimp The ''K''-class blimp was a class of blimps (non-rigid airship) built by the Goodyear Aircraft Company of Akron, Ohio for the United States Navy. These blimps were powered by two Pratt & Whitney ''Wasp'' nine-cylinder radial air-cooled engin ...

* ZNP-M: M-class blimp * ZNP-N:

N-class blimp The N-Class, or as popularly known, the "Nan ship", was a line of non-rigid airships built by the Goodyear Aircraft Company of Akron, Ohio for the US Navy. This line of airships was developed through many versions and assigned various designa ...

* ZPG-3W: surveillance patrol blimp

Temporary designations

United States Navy Designations (Temporary) are a form of U.S. Navy ship designation, intended for temporary identification use. Such designations usually occur during periods of sudden mobilization, such as that which occurred prior to, and during,

or the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

, when it was determined that a sudden temporary need arose for a ship for which there was no official Navy designation. During

, for example, a number of commercial vessels were requisitioned, or acquired, by the U.S. Navy to meet the sudden requirements of war. A

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

acquired by the U.S. Navy during the start of World War II might seem desirable to the Navy whose use for the vessel might not be fully developed or explored at the time of acquisition. On the other hand, a U.S. Navy vessel, such as the yacht in the example above, already in commission or service, might be desired, or found useful, for another need or purpose for which there is no official designation. * IX: Unclassified Miscellaneous Auxiliary Ship, for example, yacht ''Chanco'' acquired by the U.S. Navy on 1 October 1940. It was classified as a

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

, but instead, mainly used as a

patrol craft A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and the ...

along the

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

coast. When another assignment came, and it could not be determined how to classify the vessel, it was redesignated IX-175 on 10 July 1944. * IXSS: Unclassified Miscellaneous Submarines, such as the , the and the . * YAG: Miscellaneous Auxiliary Service Craft, such as the , and which, curiously, was earlier known as . Numerous other U.S. Navy vessels were launched with a temporary, or nominal, designation, such as YMS or PC, since it could not be determined, at the time of construction, what they should be used for. Many of these were vessels in the 150 to 200 feet length class with powerful engines, whose function could be that of a

submarine chaser A submarine chaser or subchaser is a small naval vessel that is specifically intended for anti-submarine warfare. Many of the American submarine chasers used in World War I found their way to Allied nations by way of Lend-Lease in World War I ...

seaplane tender A seaplane tender is a boat or ship that supports the operation of seaplanes. Some of these vessels, known as seaplane carriers, could not only carry seaplanes but also provided all the facilities needed for their operation; these ships are rega ...

tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, su ...

, or other. Once their destiny, or capability, was found or determined, such vessels were reclassified with their actual designation.

United States Coast Guard vessels

Prior to 1965, U.S. Coast Guard cutters used the same designation as naval ships but preceded by a "W" to indicate Coast Guard commission. The U.S. Coast Guard considers any ship over 65 feet in length with a permanently assigned crew, a cutter.

Current USCG cutter classes and types

Historic USCG cutter classes and types

USCG classification symbols definitions

* CG: all Coast Guard ships in the 1920s (retired) * WAGB: Coast Guard * WAGL: Auxiliary vessel, lighthouse tender (retired 1960's) * WAVP: seagoing Coast Guard seaplane tenders (retired 1960s) * WDE: seagoing Coast Guard destroyer escorts (retired 1960s) * WHEC: Coast Guard high endurance cutters * WIX: Coast Guard barque * WLB: Coast Guard buoy tenders * WLBB: Coast Guard seagoing buoy tenders/ice breaker * WLI: Coast Guard inland buoy tenders * WLIC: Coast Guard inland construction tenders * WLM: Coast Guard coastal buoy tenders * WLR: Coast Guard river buoy tenders * WMEC: Coast Guard medium endurance cutters * WMSL: Coast Guard maritime security cutter, large (referred to as national security cutters) * WPB: Coast Guard patrol boats * WPC: Coast Guard patrol craft—later reclassed under WHEC, symbol reused for Coast Guard patrol cutter (referred to as fast response cutters) * WPG: seagoing Coast Guard gunboats (retired 1960s) * WTGB: Coast Guard tug boat (140' icebreakers) * WYTL: Small harbor tug

USCG classification symbols for small craft and boats

* MLB: Motor Life Boat (52', 47', and 44' variants) * UTB: Utility Boat * DPB: Deployable Pursuit Boat * ANB:

Aids to Navigation Boat The United States Coast Guard maintains roughly 145 Aids to Navigation Boats. These boats were designed primarily to serve within the inland waters of the United States. These vessels include TANB/ BUSL/ATON/ANB ranging from 16 to 55 feet ...

s * TPSB:

Transportable Port Security Boat The 25 ft (8 m) Transportable Port Security Boat (TPSB): (AKA The Guardian) is a twin outboard motor, open deck, all weather, high performance, moderately-armed platform capable of operating in inner harbor/near shore environments in lig ...

* RHIB: Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats * SRB: Surf Rescue Boat (30')

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hull codes

* R: Research ships, including oceanographic and fisheries research ships * S: Survey ships, including hydrographic survey ships The letter is paired with a three-digit number. The first digit of the number is determined by the ships "power tonnage," defined as the sum of its

shaft horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are the ...

and gross international tonnage, as follows: * If the power tonnage is 5,501 through 9,000, the first digit is "1". * If the power tonnage 3,501 through 5,500, the first digit is "2." * If the power tonnage is 2,001 through 3,500, the first digit is "3." * If the power tonnage is 1,001 through 2,000, the first digit is "4." * If the power tonnage is 501 through 1,000, the first digit is "5." * If the power tonnage is 500 or less and the ship is at least 65 feet (19.8 meters) long, the first digit is "6." The second and third digits are assigned to create a unique three-digit hull number.

Notes

Explanatory notes

Wikilink footnotes

Citations

General and cited references

* * ''United States Naval Aviation 1910–1995, Appendix 16: U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Squadron Designations and Abbreviations''. U.S. Navy, c. 1995. Quoted in Derdall and DiGiulian, ''op cit''. *
USCG Designations

* Wertheim, Eric. ''The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World, 15th Edition: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2007. . .

External links

U.S. Naval Vessels Registry (Ships)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hull Classification Symbol Ships of the United States Navy Ship identification numbers Hull classifications

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Service vessels of the United States

History

United States Navy

United States Revenue Cutter Service and United States Coast Guard

United States Coast and Geodetic Survey

United States Fish and Wildlife Service

The modern hull classification system

United States Navy

Military Sealift Command

United States Coast Guard

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

United States Navy hull classification codes

Warships

Aircraft carrier type

Surface combatant type

Submarine type

Patrol combatant type

Amphibious warfare type

Expeditionary support

Mine warfare type

Coastal defense type

Auxiliaries

Combat logistics type

Mobile logistics type

Support ships

Service type craft

Submersibles

Yard and district craft

Miscellaneous ships and craft

Airships

Temporary designations

United States Coast Guard vessels

Current USCG cutter classes and types

Historic USCG cutter classes and types

USCG classification symbols definitions

USCG classification symbols for small craft and boats

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hull codes

See also

Notes

Explanatory notes

Wikilink footnotes

Citations

General and cited references

Further reading

External links