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Ships of the United States Navy

A - B - C - D - E - F - G H - I - J - K - L - M - N O - P - Q - R - S - T - U V - W - X - Y - Z

aircraft carriers

airships

amphibious assault ships

auxiliaries

battleships

cruisers

destroyers

destroyer escorts

escort carriers

frigates

patrol vessels

mine warfare vessels

monitors

sailing frigates

ships of the line

submarines

The names of commissioned ships of the U.S. Navy all start with USS, meaning 'United States Ship'. Non-commissioned, civilian-manned vessels of the U.S. Navy have names that begin with USNS, standing for 'United States Naval Ship'. A letter based hull classification symbol is used to designate a vessel's type. The names of ships are selected by the Secretary of the Navy. The names are that of the states, cities, towns, important persons, famous battles, fish, and ideals. Usually, different types of ships have names originated from different types of sources.

Modern aircraft carriers and submarines use nuclear reactors for power. See United States Naval reactor for information on classification schemes and the history of nuclear powered vessels.

See List of ships of the United States Navy for a more complete listing of ships past and present.

Contents 1 Aircraft carriers 2 Amphibious assault ships 3 Submarines 4 Cruisers 5 Destroyers

Aircraft carriers are the major strategic arm of the Navy. The U.S. Navy has the largest carrier fleet in the world. The carriers allow U.S. air power to reach most areas of the world. The US Navy has as many aircraft carriers as the rest of the world combined, and its carriers are much larger and more powerful than those of the rest of the world. Following below is a list of all carriers (and their homeports) on active duty or under construction as of January 21, 2004. For a list of all carriers see List of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy and List of escort aircraft carriers of the United States Navy.

• Kitty Hawk class (2 ships)
  • USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) — Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan
• USS Enterprise (CVN-65) — Norfolk, Virginia
• Nimitz class (9 ships, 1 under construction)
  • USS Nimitz (CVN-68) — San Diego, California
  • USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) — Norfolk, Virginia
  • USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) — Bremerton, Washington
  • USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) — Norfolk, Virginia
  • USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) — Everett, Washington
  • USS George Washington (CVN-73) —Norfolk, Virginia
  • USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) — Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, California
  • USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) — Norfolk, Virginia
  • USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) — Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, California
  • George H. W. Bush (CVN-77) — Under Construction

Amphibious assault ships carry Marines and are the platforms for Marine aircraft. They project power as aircraft carriers do.

• Wasp class (7 + 1 ships)
  • USS Wasp (LHD 1), Norfolk, Virginia
  • USS Essex (LHD 2), Sasebo, Japan
  • USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), Norfolk, Virginia
  • USS Boxer (LHD 4), San Diego, California
  • USS Bataan (LHD 5), Norfolk, Virginia
  • USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6), San Diego, California
  • USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7), Norfolk, Virginia
  • USS Makin Island (LHD 8) — Under Construction
• Tarawa class (5 ships)
  • USS Tarawa (LHA 1), San Diego, California
  • USS Saipan (LHA 2), Norfolk, Virginia
  • USS Belleau Wood (LHA 3), San Diego, California
  • USS Nassau (LHA 4), Norfolk, Virginia
  • USS Peleliu (LHA 5), San Diego, California

There are two major types of submarines, ballistic and attack. Ballistic submarines have the single strategic mission of nuclear deterrence by being hidden launching platforms for nuclear ICBMs. Attack submarines have tactical missions including controlling naval and shipping activity, serving as cruise missile-launching platforms, and intelligence gathering.

• Ohio class (18 in commission) — ballistic missile submarines, 4 to be converted into guided missile submarines
• Virginia class (2 in commission, 4 under construction) — attack submarines
• Seawolf class (3 in commission) — attack submarines
• Los Angeles Class (51 in commission) — attack submarines

Some other submarines, past and present.

• USS Argonaut — two submarines
• USS Tang — two submarines
• USS Nautilus — first nuclear submarine 1954
• USS Thresher — sunk in an accident in 1963
• USS Scorpion — lost in an accident in 1968
• USS Ohio — first boat in the Ohio class, launched 1979

• USS George Washington — first fleet ballistic missile submarine
• USS Glenard P. Lipscomb
• USS City of Corpus Christi
• Benjamin Franklin class
• Sturgeon class
• USS Tullibee
• USS Triton
• USS Halibut
• Trieste
• USS R-14
• USS R-19
• USS S-1

The current guided missile cruisers are versatile with capability for air warfare, surface warfare and undersea warfare.

• Ticonderoga class (22 in commission) — first ship class with the Aegis combat system

Some other cruisers, past and present.

• USS Ticonderoga — (first in the Ticonderoga class of cruisers), decommissioned in September 2004.
• USS Indianapolis — heavy cruiser, sunk by Japanese submarine
• USS Long Beach — first nuclear cruiser (1961)

Greyhounds of the Sea. The destroyer evolved from the need of navies to counter a new ship which made a devastating debut in the Chilean Civil War of 1891 and in the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894. This was the swift, small torpedo boat that could dash in close to the larger ships, loose their torpedoes and dash away. The world's navies recognized the need for a counter weapon and so the torpedo boat destroyer—later just "destroyer"—was born. From the first U.S. destroyer commissioned in 1902 to the famous ships of World War II to the Spruance class destroyer to the Arleigh Burke class, the U.S. Navy's destroyers have been evolving. And that evolution continues into the 21st century with the coming of the DD(X). (Credit: US Navy Introduction to Destroyers)

• Arleigh Burke class (49 in commission) — first ship class with comprehensive design for stealth technology.

Some other destroyers, past and present.

• USS Norfolk — first major warship built after World War II (1949)

• USS Cole — badly damaged by an attack in Aden, Yemen
• USS Somers
• USS Winston S. Churchill
• USS Stribling
• USS Spruance; first of the largest Cold War destroyer class.
• USS Arleigh Burke (first ship in the Arleigh Burke class of destroyer