# List of World War II vessel types of the United States

This is a List of World War II vessel types of the United States using during World War II. This list includes submarines, battleships, minelayers, oilers, barges, pontoon rafts and other types of water craft, boats and ships. As of 2014 this list is not complete.

## Army

Under the Army organization of 1940, the Army Quartermaster was charged with the responsibility of providing the Army with all water transport services except those specifically authorized; for the Corps of Engineers in river and harbor work, for the Coast Artillery Corps in mine planting, and for the Signal Corps in cable laying (the Army had no communication ships at this time). In March 1942, most of the transportation functions of the Army Quartermaster were consolidated into the Transportation Division of the newly created Services of Supply and later that same year, on 31 July, the Transportation Corps was established.

### Coast Artillery Corps Mine Planter Service

The Army Mine Planter Service was responsible for the minefields of the Coast Artillery Corps' coast defenses. The largest vessels of the service were the U.S. Army Mine Planter (USAMP), which was equipped to install mines and associated control cables. Smaller vessels known as "junior mine planters" or "pup planters", were occasionally employed as mine planters, but they mostly served as freight and passenger boats for river and harbor duty with the Harbor Boat Service. In addition to the mine planters, there were distribution box boats, used for servicing the mine-cable distribution boxes and rugged utility boats called motor mine yawls.

#### Mine ships

| L | Distribution Box Boat |
| M | Motor Mine Yawl |
| MP | Mine Planter |
| JMP | Junior Mine Planter |
One example is:
* Wallace F. Randolph (MP-7) (ex FS-70)

### Signal Corps
#### Cable ships

| BSP | Barge, self-propelled |
One example is:
* USASPB Col. William. A. Glassford (BSP-2098)

#### Communication ships

Army communications ships in the South West Pacific theater of World War II provided radio relay services and acted as command posts for forward elements ashore.
| CS | Communications ship |
| CSM | Maintenance ship, a CS ship additionally equipped to perform radio repair |
| CSN | News ship, was used by civilian journalist |
| CSQ | Quarters ship, a floating dormitory |
| PCER | Patrol Craft, Escort, Rescue |
Surviving examples include:
* PCER-848
* PS Weeroona (1910) (S-195, CSQ-1)

##### Schooners

* Argosy Lemal (S-6)
* Harold (S-58, CS-3)
* Geoanna (IX-61, TP-249, S-382, CS-1)
* Volador (IX-59, TP-248, S-385, CSM-1)

### Transportation Corps - Water Division
#### South West Pacific Area (SWPA) - Services of Supply (USASOS)

Operated in the Southwest Pacific Area.

##### Small Ships Section

As there was a need for a fleet of shallow-draft vessels that could navigate among coral reefs, use primitive landing places far up the coast of New Guinea, and land along the outlying islands. An "S" fleet under Army control was created using local Australian vessels crewed largely by civilian Australians and New Zealanders. It was a miscellaneous collection of luggers, rusty trawlers, old schooners, launches, ketches, yawls, and yachts.

#### Water Branch - Army Transport Service (ATS)

The Army Transport Service (ATS), originating with the Quartermaster Corps in 1898 and continuing into Transportation Corps as a division, operated the Army's large ships, most of which were transports, but ATS also manned the Army's large cable ships.

##### Troop ships

Troop ships included the following.
Surviving examples include:
* USAT Agwileon
* USAT George Washington
* USAT Orizaba

##### Sunk

* USAT Cynthia Olsen (sunk 7 December 1941)
* USAT Meigs
* USAT Liberty
* USAT General John McE. Hyde

##### Cargo ships over 1,000 tons

Cargo ships moved freight around the world.

#### Harbor Branch - Harbor Boat Service (HBS)

FM 55-130 Small Boats and Harbor Craft

##### Harbor Vessels

The Harbor Craft Company is organized for the purpose of ferrying to shore cargo from freighters and transports arriving in theaters of operation. The vessels may either be riding offshore at anchor in the open sea or more likely, anchored in a harbor. Cargo from the ships is loaded by Transportation Corps port company personnel onto barges. Then tugs, tow boats, or marine tractors propel the barges to the shore for unloading. Any cargo too heavy for the vessel's gear to lift is handled by a 60-ton floating crane.
* B Barge or Lorcha
* BB Balloon Barge
* BBP Balloon Barrage Leader
* BC Cargo Barge (Med. 110'-130')
* BCS Cargo Barge (Sm. 45' - 60')
* BCL Cargo Barge (Large - 210' or more)
* BD Derrick and Crane Barges
* BDP Pontoon Derrick Barge
* BK Knocked-down barge
* BG Gasoline Barge
* BSP Self-propelled Barge
* BW Water Barge
* BTL Truck Lighter
* C Navy Type Launch (Obsolete designation)
* CL Landing Boat
* D Dory and Dinghie
* G Marine Tractor
* HA Hoisting or Retrieving Vessel
* JR Radio Controlled Boat
* J Launch up to 50'
* MT Motor Towboat (Sm. 26')
* MTL Motor Towboat (Large, over 26')
* OB Outboard Launch - Detachable Motor
* OBM Outboard Motor - Stationary Motor
* Q Launch, more than 60'
* R Rowboat
* TKL Tank Lighter
* V Speed Boat
* Y Tanker - 176'

##### Cargo ships under 1,000 tons

Coastwise and inter-island cargo ships, sometimes known as coastal freighters.

##### Small Boat Company

The small boat company provided regular coastal and island service to bases in the Aleutian and Pacific Islands to supply food and equipment transported by small coastal and inter-island vessels and water craft that were under 200 feet or under 1,000 gross tons of the following vessel types.
* Ferry
* Tanker
* Water Boat
* Motor Launch
* Seagoing Tug
* Freight-Passenger Vessel
| T | tender lighter towing vessel transport boat | Vessel 65' Wood |
| TP | tug, passenger | Utility Vessel 96' Wood (Design 333) - Harbor Tug |
| TP | trawler tow boat purse seiner sailing schooner | Freight & Passenger Vessel (Small) - under 100' (plus private vessels refitted for wartime service) |
| F | | Cargo Vessel 99' Steel |
| FT | | Vessel 115' Wood |
| FP | | Freight & Passenger Vessel (Large) - over 100' (plus private vessels refitted for wartime service) |
| FS | small, 99' and under | Freight and Supply Vessel (F, FT & FP were reclassified FS early in World War II) |
| FS | medium, 100' to 139' | Freight and Supply Vessel (F, FT & FP were reclassified FS early in World War II) |
| FS | large, 140' and over | Freight and Supply Vessel (F, FT & FP were reclassified FS early in World War II) |
FS-80 to FS-90 were merchant vessels refitted for wartime operation
Built during World War II:
* F-76
* FS-64
* FS-206
* FS-240
* FS-244
* FS-246
* FS-263
* FS-344
* FS-391
* T-57
* T-89
* T-147
* TP-225
| QS | Quick Supply Boat: Design 235-C (Boat, Supply, High Speed, Gasoline, Wood, 104'), see P type |
| ST | Small Tug, under 100' |
| LT | Large Tug, over 100' |
Surviving examples include:
* LT-5 the only surviving Army vessel that participated in the D-Day Normandy landing.
* LT-152
* LT-638

### Air Corps - Quartermaster Corps (QMC) boat service

Late in 1943 all rescue-boat activities were reassigned to the Army Air Forces.
Unit Designation Chronology
   * Air Corps Marine Rescue Service
   * Quartermaster Boat Company, Avn. (note; Avn=Aviation)
   * AAF Emergency Rescue Boat Squadron (ERBS)

#### Rescue Boats

Rescue boats included the following.
| SG | Swamp Glider |
| P | Rescue Boat, various sizes (42', 63', 85', 104'). Also referred too as a Crash Boat or Crash Rescue Boat. Design 235 (Boat, Rescue, Gasoline, Wood, 104'), see QS type |

### Corps of Engineers
#### Rivers & Harbors Division

Reorganized 6 June 1942 as Construction Division - Engineering and Operations branches.
| towboat | a powerful small boat designed to pull or push larger vessels |
| dredge | a vessel equipped for digging out the bed of a water way |
| snagboat | a vessel equipped for removing obstructions in a water way |
Surviving examples include:
* Sergeant Floyd (towboat)
* William M. Black (dredge)
* Montgomery (snagboat)
* WT Preston

#### Troops Division

The 1943 Engineer Field Manual described a table of organization and equipment for specialized types of engineering units. These included:
* Engineer Units, Combat, with Army Ground Forces
* Engineer Units, Service, with Army Ground Forces
* Engineer Units with Army Air Forces
* Engineer Units with Army Service Forces
* Port Repair Ship
* Port Construction and Repair group
* Engineer Amphibian Brigades

##### Port & Harbor Rehabilitation

The engineer Engineer Port Repair ship is equipped with repair facilities that include a heavy crane and a machine shop and maintains channels and ship berths by removing sunken ships and other obstructions. It also maintains channel markings and other aids for pilots. It does needed work on docks and wharves in conjunction with engineer port construction and repair groups.

##### Port Construction and Repair Group

The primary mission of the engineer port construction and repair group is to make ready for use the facilities of ports of debarkation in a theater of operations. and to perform work involved in improvement or expansion of such ports, exclusive of harbors. Its work is performed in conjunction with engineer port repair ship operations offshore.
The construction platoon consists of a divers' section under the supervision of an officer, as master diver. Enlisted personnel consists of marine divers and divers' attendants. This section does underwater work incident to construction of quay walls, wharves, piers, etc.
| Militarized Dredge | 3-inch gun turrets (fore and aft), 20-millimeter gun turrets (midship) |
| Port Repair Ship | workshops, cranes, machine shops, U.S Army divers' complement |
Surviving examples include:
* Junior N. Van Noy, only one of the ten Port Repair Ships that was not a Maritime Commission type N3-M-A1 type conversion.

##### Near-short units

The Engineer Amphibian Brigade, redesignated in 1943 as Engineer Special Brigade provided personnel and equipment for transporting combat troops from a friendly near shore to a hostile far shore when the distance is not over 100 miles. The brigade resupplies these troops during the early stages of establishing a beachhead. The brigade can transport one division when reinforced by naval LCT boats.
| LCM | Landing Craft Mechanized |
| P | Command Boat (Crash boat 63') |
* 2+1/2-ton amphibian trucks,
* command and navigation boats
* tank lighters
* patrol boats
* surf-landing boats

##### River crossing units

| Reconnaissance Boat | small two-man inflatable rubber boat |
| M-2 Assault Boat | 10 man plywood boat that could also be used for infantry support rafts or used in the assembly of an expedient assault boat bridge |
| Storm Boat | 8 man (6+2 crew) hi speed powerboat with a 55 HP Outboard Motor, designed to beach at speed, thus allowing the soldiers on board to "Storm the Shore" |
| DUKW | A six-wheel-drive amphibious truck |
| Landing Vehicle Tracked (LVT) | amphibious vehicle |
| Treadway Bridge | steel treadway laid on pneumatic floats |
| Ponton bridge | heavy ponton (25 ton) and light ponton (10 ton) |
| ponton-raft | |

##### Treadway bridge company

A Treadway bridge company is attached to an armored division in river-crossing operations to provide a bridge for heavy vehicles. Equipment included a steel-treadway bridge M1, providing a floating bridge about 1,080 feet long, or a steel-treadway bridge M2, providing a floating bridge about 864 feet long.

##### Light ponton company

The company is attached to a division in river-crossing operations to provide bridges and rafts. Equipment included two units of M3 pneumatic bridge equipage or two units of M1938 10-ton ponton bridge equipment.
Their stream-crossing equipment included:
    One unit of footbridge, M1938
    Four ferry set, No. 1, Infantry Support
    Twelve raft, set No. 1, Infantry Support
    Seventy assault boats, M2

##### Heavy ponton battalion

The Heavy ponton battalion was attached to a corps in river-crossing operations to provide bridges and rafts capable of supporting heavier loads. Bridges and rafts are constructed of four units of 25-ton heavy ponton equipment, M1940.
* Airborne Engineer Battalion (pneumatic reconnaissance boats)
* Combat Engineer Battalion
   * 15 boat, reconnaissance, pneumatic, canvas, 2-man
   * 14 boat, assault, M-2, with paddles and canvas bag

## Maritime Commission vessels

Vessels operated by the Maritime Commission included Liberty and Victory Ships.

### Liberty ship

Surviving examples include:
* SS John W. Brown
* SS Jeremiah O'Brien, the only surviving Merchant Marine ship which was in the D-Day armada.

### Victory ship

Surviving examples include:
* SS Kingsport Victory
* SS Simmons Victory (end USS Liberty (AGTR-5))
* SS Lane Victory

## Navy
### Amphibious warfare type

Amphibious warfare vessels include all ships with 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. Some vessels called "landing ships" did not have the capability to off-load troops and supplies onto beaches; they were just transports or command-and-control vessels.

### Ships

* AGC: Amphibious Force Flagship
   * class anewed (1969) too, LCC—Amphibious Command Ship
* AKA: Attack Cargo Ship
* APA: Attack Transport
* APD: High speed transport
* LSD: Landing Ship, Dock
* LSM: Landing Ship, Medium
   * LSMR or LSM(R)—Landing Ship, Medium (Rocket)
* LST: Landing Ship, Tank
   * LSTH or LST(H)—Landing Ship, Tank (Hospital)
* LSV: Landing Ship, Vehicle

#### Landing Craft

* LCC: Landing Craft, Control
* LCFF, LC(FF): Flotilla Flagship
* LCI, LCIL or LCI(L): Landing Craft, Infantry (Large)
   * class anewed (1949) too, LSI—Landing Ship, Infantry
   * LCI(G)(M)(R)—Landing Craft, Infantry (Gunboat) (Mortar) (Rocket)
* LCM : Landing Craft, Mechanized
* LCP, LCPL, or LCP(L): Landing Craft, Personnel (Large)
* LCR, LCRS or LCR(S): Landing Craft, Rubber (Small)
* LCR, LCRL or LCR(L): Landing Craft, Rubber (Large)
* LCSS, LCS(S) : Landing Craft, Support (Small), an LCP(L) conversion, fitted with heavy machine guns
* LCS, LCSL or LCS(L): Landing Craft, Support (Large)
   * class anewed (1949) too, LSSL—Landing Ship, Support (Large)
* LCT: Landing Craft, Tank
   * class anewed (1949) too, LSU—Landing Ship, Utility
   * class anewed (1956) too, LCU—Landing Craft, Utility
* LCV: Landing Craft, Vehicle
   * LCVP or LCV(P): Landing Craft, Vehicle (Personnel)
      * an LCV, fitted with 1/4 inch armor
      * LCA—Landing Craft, Assault (British term for LCVP)

### Other types

Aircraft Carriers
    Fleet Aircraft Carriers CV
    Light Aircraft Carriers CVL
    Escort Carriers CVE
Battleships
    Battleships BB
Cruisers
    Large Cruisers CB
    Heavy Cruisers CA
    Light Cruisers CL
Destroyers
    Destroyers DD
    Destroyer Escorts DE
Submarines
    Submarines SS
Minesweepers
    Minelayers & Coastal Minelayers CM
    Light Minelayers DM
    Auxiliary Minelayers ACM
    Minesweepers AM
    Coastal Minesweepers AMc
    Fast Minesweepers DMS
    Motor Minesweepers YMS
Patrol Craft
    Gunboats PG
    Converted Yachts PG
    Frigates PF
    River Gunboats PR
    Smaller Converted Yachts PY
    Coastal Yachts PYc
    Escort Patrol Craft PCE
    Eagle Boats PE
    Patrol Craft, Sweepers PCS
    Motor Gunboats PGM
Submarine Chasers
    Submarine Chasers (Steel Hull) PC
    Submarine Chasers (Wooden Hull) SC
Motor Torpedo Boats
    Motor Torpedo Boats PT
    Motor Boat Submarine Chasers PTC
Auxiliaries
    Crane Ship AB
    Advanced Base Section Dock ABSD
    Advanced Base Dock ABD
    Destroyer Tenders AD
    Ammunition Ships AE
    Provision Store Ships AF
    Auxiliary Floating Dock AFD
    Large Auxiliary Floating Dock (non-self-propelled) AFDB
    Small Auxiliary Floating Dock (non-self-propelled) AFDL
    Medium Auxiliary Floating Dock (non-self-propelled) AFDM
    Miscellaneous Auxiliaries AG
    Amphibious Force Command Ships AGC
    MTB Tenders AGP
    Surveying Ships AGS
Hospital Ships
    Hospital Ships AH
Cargo Ships
    Cargo Ships AK
    Attack Cargo Ships AKA
    Net Cargo Ships AKN
    General Stores Issue Ships AKS
    Cargo Ships and Aircraft Ferries AKV
Net-Laying Ships AN Oilers & Tankers
    Oilers AO
    Gasoline Tankers AOG
Transports
    Transports AP
    Attack Transports APA
    Self-Propelled Barracks Ships APB
    Coastal Transports APc
    High-Speed Transports APD
    Evacuation Transports APH
    Barracks Ships APL
    Mechanized Artillery Transport APM
    Transport Submarine APS
    Aircraft Ferries APV
Repair Ships
    Repair Ships AR
    Battle-Damage Repair Ships ARB
    Auxiliary Repair Dock (Concrete) ARDC
    Internal Combustion Engine Repair Ships ARG
    Heavy Hull Repair Ships ARH
    Landing Craft Repair Ships ARL
    Salvage Vessels ARS
    Salvage Craft Tenders ARS(T)
    Aircraft Repair Ships (Aircraft) ARV(A)
    Aircraft Repair Ships (Engine) ARV(E)
Submarine Tenders & Rescue Vessels
    Submarine Tenders AS
    Submarine Rescue Vessels ASR
Tugboats
    Auxiliary Tugs ATA
    Fleet Ocean Tugs ATF
    Old Ocean Tugs ATO
    Rescue Tugs ATR
Seaplane Tenders & Aviation Supply Ships
    Seaplane Tenders AV
    Catapult Lighter AVC
    Seaplane Tenders (Destroyers) AVD
    Small Seaplane Tenders AVP
    Aviation's Supply Ships AVS
Distilling Ships
    Distilling Ships AW
Unclassified Vessels
    Unclassified Vessels IX
Yard and District Craft Coast Guard Cutters
    Cruising Cutters WPG
    Weather Patrol Ships WIX
    Weather Patrol Cutters WPC
    Icebreakers WAG