Naval Ship Abbreviations
23 abbreviations · part of Military Abbreviations
Ship name prefixes and hull classification symbols used by the US Navy, US Coast Guard and Commonwealth navies. A prefix such as USS or HMS shows which navy a ship belongs to and whether it is commissioned, while a hull symbol such as DDG or SSN, followed by a hull number, identifies the ship's type, as in USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51). US hull symbols are assigned by the secretary of the Navy and combine letters for the basic type with modifiers such as G for guided missile and N for nuclear power.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | Description |
|---|---|---|
| BB | Battleship | Hull symbol for US battleships, the large, heavily armored gun ships that dominated navies until World War II. |
| CG | Guided-missile cruiser | Classification of the Navy's guided-missile cruisers, now the Ticonderoga class, the first ships built with the Aegis combat system, serving as air defense commanders… |
| CVN | Aircraft carrier, nuclear-powered | Hull classification for the US Navy's nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, including the Nimitz class and the newer Gerald R. |
| DDG | Guided-missile destroyer | Destroyers armed with guided missiles carry this symbol, chiefly the Arleigh Burke class, the backbone of the surface fleet, which carries the Aegis combat system and… |
| ESB | Expeditionary Sea Base | Large, flexible US Navy ships built on a tanker hull that serve as floating bases for helicopters, special operations forces and mine countermeasures in places such as… |
| FFG | Guided-missile frigate | Frigates armed with guided missiles carry this US Navy designation; they are smaller and less expensive than destroyers and used for escort and anti-submarine missions. |
| HMAS | His Majesty's Australian Ship | Australian equivalent of HMS, used for commissioned ships of the Royal Australian Navy, as in HMAS Canberra. |
| HMCS | His Majesty's Canadian Ship | Canadian naval prefix placed before the names of commissioned Royal Canadian Navy vessels, as in HMCS Halifax. |
| HMS | His Majesty's Ship | Prefix for ships of the British Royal Navy, as in HMS Queen Elizabeth. |
| LCAC | Landing Craft, Air Cushion | Hovercraft used by the US Navy to carry Marines, vehicles and cargo from amphibious ships to shore at high speed, riding over water, beaches and marshes on a cushion of… |
| LCS | Littoral combat ship | Class of small, fast US Navy surface ships designed to operate in coastal waters, built in two versions: the steel monohull Freedom class and the aluminum trimaran… |
| LHA | Amphibious assault ship (general purpose) | Classification for big-deck amphibious assault ships of the America class and the earlier Tarawa class. |
| LHD | Amphibious assault ship (multipurpose) | Designation of the Wasp-class amphibious assault ships, which carry Marines, helicopters, MV-22 Ospreys and F-35B jets and have a well deck for landing craft and… |
| LPD | Amphibious transport dock | US Navy amphibious ships with a well deck and flight deck that carry Marines, vehicles and landing craft, currently the San Antonio class, which also supports… |
| LSD | Dock landing ship | Older US amphibious ships designed mainly to carry and launch landing craft from a large well deck, such as the Whidbey Island and Harpers Ferry classes. |
| PT | Patrol torpedo boat | Small, fast US Navy torpedo boat of World War II, typically 70 to 80 feet long, used to attack enemy ships and barges, especially in the Pacific. |
| SSBN | Ballistic missile submarine, nuclear-powered | Symbol for US nuclear-powered submarines that carry submarine-launched ballistic missiles, currently the Ohio class with Trident II D5 missiles, which provide the most… |
| SSGN | Guided-missile submarine, nuclear-powered | Classification for nuclear submarines armed mainly with cruise missiles. |
| SSK | Diesel-electric attack submarine | NATO and naval classification for conventionally powered attack submarines that run on diesel engines and batteries. |
| SSN | Nuclear-powered attack submarine | US Navy hull symbol for nuclear-powered attack submarines, which hunt submarines and ships, fire Tomahawk missiles and gather intelligence. |
| USCGC | United States Coast Guard Cutter | Prefix for US Coast Guard vessels 65 feet or longer with permanent crews, ranging from patrol boats to polar icebreakers. |
| USNS | United States Naval Ship | Prefix for noncommissioned ships owned by the US Navy and operated by Military Sealift Command, usually with civilian merchant mariner crews. |
| USS | United States Ship | Prefix for commissioned ships of the US Navy, placed before the ship's name, as in USS Gerald R. |
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