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49-424: A ship with a well deck (docking well) can transfer cargo to landing craft in rougher seas far more easily than a ship which has to use cranes or a stern ramp. The U.S. Navy hull classification symbol for a ship with a well deck depends on its facilities for aircraft —a (modern) LSD has a helicopter deck , a landing platform dock also has a hangar, and a landing helicopter dock or landing helicopter assault has

98-599: A destroyer and smaller than a cruiser. In other navies, such a ship generally was referred to as a " flotilla leader ", 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 ", " ocean escort ", or "DE". The United States Navy 1975 ship reclassification of cruisers , frigates, and ocean escorts brought U.S. Navy classifications into line with other nations' classifications, at least cosmetically in terms of terminology, and eliminated

147-491: A hull classification symbol (sometimes called hull code or hull number ) to identify their ships by type and by individual ship within a type. The system is analogous to the pennant number system that the Royal Navy and other European and Commonwealth navies use. The U.S. Navy began to assign unique Naval Registry Identification Numbers to its ships in the 1890s. The system was a simple one in which each ship received

196-681: A capability for operations exceeding 48 hours on the high seas without support. This notably included Brown Water Navy /Riverine Forces during the Vietnam War. Few of these ships are in service today. 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 ships , which are built to cross oceans, and landing craft , which are designed to take troops from ship to shore in an invasion. The U.S. Navy hull classification symbol for

245-605: A component of the United States Department of Commerce , includes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps (or "NOAA Corps"), one of the eight uniformed services of the United States , 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

294-535: A full-length flight deck . The LSD ( U.S. Navy hull classification for landing ship, dock) came as a result of a British requirement during the Second World War for a vessel that could carry large landing craft across the seas at speed. The predecessor of all modern LSDs is Shinshū Maru of the Imperial Japanese Army , which could launch her infantry landing craft using an internal rail system and

343-660: A half hours for the dock to be flooded down and two and half to pump it out. When flooded they could also be used as docks for repairs to small craft. Smaller landing craft could be carried in the hold as could full-tracked and wheeled amphibious assault or support vehicles. In the U.S. Navy, two related groups of vessels classified as LSDs are in service as of 2023, the Whidbey Island and Harpers Ferry classes , mainly used to carry hovercraft ( LCACs ), operate helicopters, and carry Marines . The British Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) operates three Bay-class landing ships based on

392-811: 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 Indiana was USS Indiana (Battleship No. 1), the cruiser 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

441-450: A ship with a well deck depends on its facilities for aircraft : Ships Landing Craft Operated by Military Sealift Command, have ship prefix "USNS", hull code begins with "T-". Mine warfare ships are those ships whose primary function is mine warfare on the high seas. In 1955 all mine warfare vessels except for degaussing vessels had their hull codes changed to begin with "M". Coastal defense ships are those whose primary function

490-619: A ship's hull classification symbol begins with "W", it is a commissioned cutter of the United States Coast Guard . 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 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

539-601: A stern ramp. She entered service in 1935 and saw combat in China and during the initial phase of Japanese offenses during 1942. The first LSD of the Royal Navy came from a design by Sir Roland Baker who had designed the British landing craft tank . It was an answer to the problem of launching small craft rapidly. The landing ship stern chute, which was a converted train ferry ( Train Ferry No. 1 which had been built for British Army use in

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588-538: 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 Survey ' s system persisted after the creation of NOAA in 1970, when NOAA took control of the Survey ' s fleet, but NOAA later changed to its modern hull classification system. The Fish and Wildlife Service, created in 1940 and reorganized as

637-403: A unique identifying number. They eventually were renumbered under the modern NOAA hull number system. 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

686-414: A unique method of categorizing ships of all types: combatants, auxiliaries and district craft. Although 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

735-563: Is coastal patrol and interdiction. An auxiliary ship is designed to operate in any number of roles supporting combatant ships and other naval operations. Ships which have the capability to provide underway replenishment (UNREP) to fleet units. Mobile logistics ships have the capability to provide direct material support to other deployed units operating far from home ports. 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 Military Sealift Command and

784-430: 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 USS  Boston  (CA-69) was converted to a gun/missile cruiser, changing the hull number to CAG-1. Also,

833-522: 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 5030.8D. Warships are designed to participate in combat operations. The origin of the two-letter code derives from the need to distinguish various cruiser subtypes. Aircraft carriers are ships designed primarily for

882-564: The First World War ), was an early attempt. Thirteen landing craft mechanized (LCM) could be launched from these ships down the chute. The landing ship gantry was a converted tanker with a crane to transfer its cargo of landing craft from deck to sea—15 LCM in a little over half an hour. The design was developed and built in the U.S. for the U.S. Navy and the Royal Navy. The LSD could carry 36 LCM at 16 knots (30 km/h). It took one and

931-510: The Korean War , when it was determined that a sudden temporary need arose for a ship for which there was no official Navy designation. During World War II , 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 acquired by the U.S. Navy during the start of World War II might seem desirable to the Navy whose use for

980-776: The Maritime Administration ), 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. 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. Although aircraft, pre-World War II rigid airships were commissioned (no different from surface warships and submarines), flew

1029-595: The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in 1956, adopted a hull number system for its fisheries research ships and patrol vessels . 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 were assigned new hull numbers beginning with "FRV," for Fisheries Research Vessel, followed by

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1078-476: The "Section Patrol" designation was clearly inappropriate, and these were generally given "Identification" ("ID") numbers in the same series as the "SP"s. In addition, some vessels that were numbered with an "SP" prefix before 1918 later had that prefix changed to "ID". The registry, and the SP/ID number series, was continued at least into the early 1920s, with new numbers being assigned to ships completed or examined after

1127-505: The 20th century. During World War I , in 1916, the U.S. Navy began a registry of privately owned pleasure craft and yachts that were available for patrol service in the event the United States was drawn into the conflict. "Section Patrol" ("SP") numbers were assigned in a series beginning with SP-1 and ultimately extending to well over 4,000. As the registration process continued, other types of ships and craft were included for which

1176-702: The Dutch-Spanish Enforcer design in support of the Royal Navy's operations, while a fourth ship of the class—previously in RFA service—is now operated by the Royal Australian Navy . Former U.S. LSDs include the Ashland class , Casa Grande class , Thomaston class , and Anchorage class . Hull classification symbol The United States Navy , United States Coast Guard , and United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) use

1225-423: The NOAA fleet is divided into two broad categories, research ships and survey ships. The research ships, which include oceanographic and fisheries 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

1274-636: The Navy's modern hull classification system's introduction in 1920, which included Coast Guard ships and craft. Like the U.S. Navy, the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey – a uniformed seagoing service of the United States Government and a predecessor of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – adopted a hull number system for its fleet in the 20th century. Its largest vessels, "Category I" oceanographic survey ships , were classified as "ocean survey ships" and given

1323-455: 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

1372-414: The SP/ID numbers were used for record-keeping purposes and were often painted on the exterior of vessels (especially patrol types) to facilitate identification. [REDACTED]  This article incorporates public domain material from USN Ships -- by Hull Number: SP/ID -- World War I Era Patrol Vessels and other Acquired Ships and Craft . United States Navy . This United States Navy article

1421-484: The U.S. Navy for heavier-than-air craft and possibly comes from the French volplane . 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. Surface combatants are ships which are designed primarily to engage enemy forces on

1470-427: 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 NOAAS  Mount Mitchell  (S 222) , then assigned to NOAAS Thomas Jefferson (S 222), which entered NOAA service after Mount Mitchell was stricken. The U.S. Navy's system of alpha-numeric ship designators, and its associated hull numbers, have been for several decades

1519-500: The U.S. ensign from their stern and carried a United States Ship (USS) designation. Rigid airships: Lighter-than-air aircraft (e.g., blimps ) continued to fly the U.S. ensign from their stern but were registered as aircraft: 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, World War II or

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1568-622: The advent of new Air Independent Propulsion /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 . Patrol combatants are ships whose mission may extend beyond coastal duties and whose characteristics include adequate endurance and seakeeping, providing

1617-440: 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

1666-429: The end of World War I. The latter category included some ships that served in the Navy, without numbers, during 1917–1919. Strictly speaking, these SP/ID registry numbers were not U.S. Navy " hull numbers ", which would not be formally adopted until mid-1920. Many of the ships and craft so numbered had no Navy service, while others that were acquired and employed by the Navy received no numbers. However, like hull numbers,

1715-505: 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 initially retained the Coast and Geodetic Survey's hull-number designations for its survey ships and adopted hull numbers beginning with "FRV", for "Fisheries Research Vessel", for its fisheries research ships . It later adopted a new system of ship classification, which it still uses today. In its modern system,

1764-558: 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 "<type> 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, USS  Minnesota  (BB-22) would have been called "USS Minnesota , Battleship number 22" orally and "USS Minnesota , B-22" in writing. After 1920,

1813-836: The older system until the modern system was instituted on 17 July 1920. During World War I , the U.S. Navy acquired large numbers of privately owned and commercial ships and craft for use as patrol vessels , mine warfare vessels , and various types of naval auxiliary ships , 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 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

1862-534: The perceived "cruiser gap" with the Soviet Navy by redesignating the former "frigates" as "cruisers". If a U.S. Navy ship's hull classification symbol begins with "T-", it is part of the Military Sealift Command , has a primarily civilian crew, and is a United States Naval Ship (USNS) in non-commissioned service – as opposed to a commissioned United States Ship (USS) with an all-military crew. If

1911-428: 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

1960-400: 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. 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

2009-537: The ship's name would have been both written and pronounced "USS Minnesota (BB-22)". In generally decreasing size, the types are: 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

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2058-404: 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

2107-409: 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 USS  Langley and BB-1

2156-636: 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. The United States Revenue Cutter Service , which merged with the United States Lifesaving Service in January 1915 to form the modern United States Coast Guard , began following the Navy's lead in the 1890s, with its cutters having parenthetical numbers called Naval Registry Identification Numbers following their names, such as (Cutter No. 1), etc. This persisted until

2205-435: 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 minesweeper , patrol craft , submarine chaser , seaplane tender , tugboat , or other. Once their destiny, or capability, was found or determined, such vessels were reclassified with their actual designation. Prior to 1965, U.S. Coast Guard cutters used

2254-449: 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. 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

2303-432: The vessel, which NOAA assigns based on the ship's gross tonnage and horsepower , 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, NOAAS  Nancy Foster  (R 352) or NOAAS  Thomas Jefferson  (S 222) . Unlike in

2352-556: 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"

2401-403: Was the battleship USS  Indiana . 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 maintains an online database of U.S. Navy ships showing which symbols are presently in use. After World War II until 1975, the U.S. Navy defined a " frigate " as a type of surface warship larger than

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