The United States Navy has approximately 475 ships in both active service and the reserve fleet; of these approximately 50 ships are proposed or scheduled for retirement by 2028, while approximately 85 new ships are in either the planning and ordering stages or under construction, according to the Naval Vessel Register and published reports. This list includes ships that are owned and leased by the US Navy; ships that are formally commissioned, by way of ceremony, and non-commissioned. Ships denoted with the prefix "USS" are commissioned ships. Prior to commissioning, ships may be described as a pre-commissioning unit or PCU, but are officially referred to by name with no prefix. [1] US Navy support ships are often non-commissioned ships organized and operated by Military Sealift Command. Among these support ships, those denoted "USNS" are owned by the US Navy. [1] Those denoted by "MV" or "SS" are chartered.
Current ships include commissioned warships that are in active service, as well as ships that are part of Military Sealift Command, the support component and the Ready Reserve Force, that while non-commissioned, are still part of the effective force of the US Navy. Future ships listed are those that are in the planning stages, or are currently under construction, from having the keel laid to fitting out and final sea trials.
There exist a number of former US Navy ships which are museum ships (not listed here), some of which may be US government-owned. One of these, USS Constitution, a three-masted tall ship, is one of the original six frigates of the United States Navy. She is the oldest naval vessel afloat, and still retains her commission (and hence is listed here), as a special commemoration for that ship alone.
Note
Ready Reserve Force ships are maintained by the United States Maritime Administration and are part of the United States Navy ship inventory. If activated, these ships would be operated by Military Sealift Command.
Ship name | Hull number | Class | Type | Berth [449] | Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Anzio | CG-68 | Ticonderoga | Cruiser | Philadelphia, PA | Decommissioned on 22 September 2022, and placed in reserve [450] [8] |
Bunker Hill | CG-52 | Ticonderoga | Cruiser | Bremerton, WA | Decommissioned on 22 September 2023, awaiting disposition [451] [58] [8] [17] |
Coronado | LCS-4 | Independence | Littoral combat ship | Bremerton, WA | Decommissioned on 14 September 2022, and placed in reserve [452] |
Detroit | LCS-7 | Freedom | Littoral combat ship | Philadelphia, PA | Decommissioned 29 September 2023, on hold for potential foreign military sale [453] [454] [17] |
Fort McHenry | LSD-43 | Whidbey Island | Dock landing ship | Philadelphia, PA | Decommissioned on 27 March 2021, and placed in reserve [455] |
Grapple | T-ARS-53 | Safeguard | Salvage ship | Philadelphia, PA | [456] |
Hué City | CG-66 | Ticonderoga | Cruiser | Philadelphia, PA | Decommissioned on 23 September 2022, and placed in reserve [457] [8] |
Invincible | T-AGM-24 | Stalwart | Instrumentation ship | Inactived in 2021 [458] | |
Lake Champlain | CG-57 | Ticonderoga | Cruiser | Bremerton, WA | Decommissioned on 1 September 2023, and placed in reserve [459] [8] |
Little Rock | LCS-9 | Freedom | Littoral combat ship | Philadelphia, PA | Decommissioned 29 September 2023, on hold for potential foreign military sale [460] [461] |
McKee | AS-41 | Emory S. Land | Submarine tender | Portsmouth, VA | Stricken 2006, awaiting disposal at NISMF, Portsmouth, Virginia |
Milwaukee | LCS-5 | Freedom | Littoral combat ship | Decommissioned on 8 September 2023, and awaiting transfer to reserve fleet [462] [8] | |
Mobile Bay | CG-53 | Ticonderoga | Cruiser | San Diego, CA | Decommissioned on 10 August 2023, and placed in reserve [463] [8] |
Monterey | CG-61 | Ticonderoga | Cruiser | Philadelphia, PA | Decommissioned on 16 September 2022, and placed in reserve [464] [8] |
Peleliu | LHA-5 | Tarawa | Amphibious assault ship | Pearl Harbor, HI | [465] |
Port Royal | CG-73 | Ticonderoga | Cruiser | Pearl Harbor, HI | Decommissioned on 29 September 2022, and placed in reserve [466] [8] |
Resolute | AFDM-10 | AFDM-3 | Dry dock | Bremerton, WA | Inactive, [467] currently leased to Todd Pacific [468] |
Safeguard | T-ARS-50 | Safeguard | Salvage ship | Pearl Harbor, HI | [469] |
San Jacinto | CG-56 | Ticonderoga | Cruiser | Philadelphia, PA | Decommissioned on 15 September 2023, and placed in reserve [470] [8] |
Sioux City | LCS-11 | Freedom | Littoral combat ship | Decommissioned on 14 August 2023, and placed in reserve [471] | |
Tarawa | LHA-1 | Tarawa | Amphibious assault ship | Pearl Harbor, HI | [472] |
Vella Gulf | CG-72 | Ticonderoga | Cruiser | Philadelphia, PA | Decommissioned on 4 August 2022, and placed in reserve [473] [8] |
Walter S. Diehl | T-AO-193 | Henry J. Kaiser | Replenishment oiler | Out of service, in reserve since 1 October 2022 [474] | |
Whidbey Island | LSD-41 | Whidbey Island | Dock landing ship | [475] Decommissioned on 22 July 2022 [476] | |
Note: Ships listed here may be referred to as "pre-commissioning unit" or "PCU" in various sources including US Navy webpages. [477] While 'PCU' might be used informally as a prefix in some sources, it is not an official ship prefix. [1] Ships listed here may be delivered to United States Navy but are not actively commissioned
The following ships have been ordered but have not yet had their keel laid down, and therefore have not reached 'under construction' status.
Commissioned (USS) – 239
Non-commissioned (USNS) – 90
Support (MV, RV – or no prefix) – 66
Ready Reserve Force ships (MV, SS, GTS) – 54
Reserve Fleet ships (USS, USNS) – 24
Under construction – 50
On order – 36
Expected to retire – 52
Totals
Commissioned: | 239 |
Non-commissioned: | 90 |
Support: | 66 |
Ready Reserve Force ships: | 54 |
Reserve fleet: | 24 |
Grand total: | 473 |
Commissioned
Non-commissioned
Support
Ready Reserve Force ships
Reserve fleet
Under construction
On order
The United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) use a hull classification symbol 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 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 military services as well as for other government agencies. It first came into existence on 9 July 1949 when the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) became solely responsible for the Department of Defense's ocean transport needs. The MSTS was renamed the Military Sealift Command in 1970.
USNS Yukon (T-AO-202) is a Henry J. Kaiser-class underway replenishment oiler operated by the Military Sealift Command to support ships of the United States Navy.
The names of commissioned ships of the United States Navy all start with USS, for United States Ship. Non-commissioned, primarily civilian-crewed vessels of the U.S. Navy under the Military Sealift Command 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 those of states, cities, towns, important persons, important locations, famous battles, fish, and ideals. Usually, different types of ships have names originated from different types of sources.
A joint support ship (JSS) is a multi-role naval vessel capable of launching and supporting joint amphibious and airlift operations. It can also provide command and control, sealift and seabasing, underway replenishment, disaster relief and logistics capabilities for combined land and sea operations.
United States ship naming conventions for the U.S. Navy were established by congressional action at least as early as 1862. Title 13, section 1531, of the U.S. Code, enacted in that year, reads, in part,
The vessels of the Navy shall be named by the Secretary of the Navy under direction of the President according to the following rule: Sailing-vessels of the first class shall be named after the States of the Union, those of the second class after the rivers, those of the third class after the principal cities and towns and those of the fourth class as the President may direct.
MV Charles L. Gilliland, formerly USNS Gilliland (T-AKR-298), is a Gordon-class roll on roll off vehicle cargo ship of the United States Navy. She was originally built as a merchant vessel but later acquired and converted by the Navy, and assigned to the United States Department of Defense's Military Sealift Command. Gilliland was built in 1972 as MV Selandia. After some time spent in commercial service she was lengthened by Hyundai Heavy Industries in 1984, and later went on to be acquired by the US Navy under a long term charter. She was converted to a US Navy Vehicle Roll-on/Roll-off Ship at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Newport News, Virginia, in a contract dated 23 May 1997 and on completion was assigned to the Military Sealift Command under the name USNS Gilliland, after Medal of Honor recipient Corporal Charles L. Gilliland. Gilliland is one of 28 Strategic Sealift Ships operated by the Military Sealift Command. She was assigned to the MSC Atlantic surge force, and is maintained in Ready Operational Status 4.
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 reach speeds of 35–45 knots, and allow the rapid transit and deployment of conventional or special forces, equipment and supplies.
An Expeditionary Transfer Dock (ESD), formerly the Mobile Landing Platform (MLP), is designed to be a semi-submersible, flexible, modular platform providing the US Navy with the capability to perform large-scale logistics movements such as the transfer of vehicles and equipment from sea to shore. These ships significantly reduce the dependency on foreign ports and provide support in the absence of port availability. The class also houses a sub-class variant called the Expeditionary Mobile Base (ESB), formerly the Afloat Forward Staging Base (AFSB).
USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB-3), is the first purpose-built expeditionary mobile base vessel for the United States Navy, and the second ship to be named in honor of Chesty Puller. The lead ship in her class of expeditionary mobile bases, she is also a sub-variant of the Montford Point-class expeditionary transfer docks. Lewis B. Puller replaced USS Ponce with the U.S. Fifth Fleet in the Persian Gulf in late 2017.
USS Hershel "Woody" Williams (ESB-4) is a Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary mobile base (ESB), currently in service with the United States Navy. The ship is also a sub-variant of the Montford Point-class expeditionary transfer dock (ESD). The ESDs are operated by the Navy's Military Sealift Command with predominantly civilian crews, while the ESBs, owing to the nature of their operations, have been commissioned and commanded directly by the U.S. Navy. The ship was named in honor of Hershel W. "Woody" Williams in an announcement by then-Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, on 14 January 2016. Williams was a Marine who was awarded the Medal of Honor in the Battle of Iwo Jima, during World War II.
The John Lewis class is a class of fleet replenishment oilers which began construction in September 2018. The class will comprise twenty oilers which will be operated by Military Sealift Command to provide underway replenishment of fuel and limited amounts of dry cargo to United States Navy carrier strike groups, amphibious ready groups, and other surface forces, to allow them to operate worldwide.
USS John L. Canley (ESB-6) is the fourth Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary mobile base (ESB) of the United States Navy, and the first ship to be named for Medal of Honor recipient John L. Canley. John L. Canley was constructed in San Diego, California by the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO). Like her sister ships, she is also a sub-variant of the Montford Point-class expeditionary transfer dock (ESD). The ESDs are operated by the Navy's Military Sealift Command with predominantly civilian crews, while the ESBs, owing to the nature of their operations, have been commissioned and are operated directly by the Navy with military personnel.
The James River Reserve Fleet (JRRF) is located on the James River in the U.S. state of Virginia at near Fort Eustis. James River Reserve Fleet, a "ghost fleet", is part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet. The Reserve Fleet ships in storage, called "mothballed", that can be ready for use if needed. Many are awaiting scrapping due to the age or condition of the ship. Some ships are used for target practice or as artificial reefs. A few ships became museum ships and other sold to private companies. Ships can be readied for use in 20 to 120 days during national emergencies or natural disaster. The U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) provides oversight of the James River Reserve Fleet. For the United States Navy ships the United States Navy reserve fleets stored these ships and submarines.
The prefix "USS," meaning "United States Ship," is used in official documents to identify a commissioned ship of the Navy. It applies to a ship while she is in commission. Before commissioning, or after decommissioning, she is referred to by name, with no prefix.