The table below is a list of United States Navy ships named after US states. The practice of naming commissioned ships for US states and territories dates back to the Continental Navy during the time of the American Revolution. The conventions for naming ships of the US Navy were made law in 1862;
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." - sec. 1531 (Title Thirteen, Chapter Six, of the U.S. Code)
A large majority of the ships named for states are battleships (BB), followed by submarines (SSN, SSBN & SSGN). The remainder are cruisers (ACR & CGN), monitors (BM) and patrol craft (SP) and an amphibious transport dock (LPD).
As of March 2021, thirty-seven ships currently in commission are named after US states and one is named after a territory. Eleven states and one territory have been announced as names for ships that are under construction or authorized. Two state names (Kansas and South Carolina) and four populated territories (American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the US Virgin Islands) are not currently planned for use.
The Virginia-class, which envisions a class size of 66 attack submarines, is the most recent class to use state names, with 28 of the active and announced boats being named after US states, though that convention appears to have changed. The Ohio-class of ballistic missile submarines has 17 boats with state names, and the Seawolf-class (attack subs), the Columbia-class (missile subs) and the San Antonio-class of amphibious transport docks use one name each, for a total of 48.
| Territory | Currently Commissioned | Formerly Commissioned | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Populated territories | |||
 American Samoa | CB-6 cancelled before construction | ||
 District of Columbia | SSBN-826 under construction. SSN-771, CL-56, AG-9, & C-12 were named after American cities also named Columbia | ||
 Guam | PG-43, CB-2, LPH-9, T-HST-1 | ||
 Northern Mariana Islands | USS Saipan (CVL-48) and (LHA-2), both named for the Battle of Saipan, which took place on the island of Saipan, the largest and most populous island and the capital of CNMI | ||
 Puerto Rico | T-EPF-11 | HST-2 | CB-5 cancelled before construction |
 United States Virgin Islands | USS Saint Croix (APA-231) was most likely named for St. Croix County, Wisconsin, as opposed to the USV Island of Saint Croix | ||
| Minor territories | |||
 Midway Atoll | AG-41, CVE-63, CV-41 | Technically named after the Battle of Midway | |
| Palmyra Atoll | ARST-3 | ||
| Wake Island | PR-3, CVE-65 | ||
| Former territories | |||
 Philippines | CB-4 cancelled before construction. | ||
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.
A naval ship is a military ship that is used by a navy. Naval ships are differentiated from civilian ships by construction and purpose. Generally, naval ships are damage resilient and armed with weapon systems, though armament on troop transports is light or non-existent.
A ship class is a group of ships of a similar design. This is distinct from a ship type, which might reflect a similarity of tonnage or intended use. For example, USS Carl Vinson is a nuclear aircraft carrier of the Nimitz class.
A warship or combatant ship is a ship that is used for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the navy branch of the armed forces of a nation, though they have also been operated by individuals, cooperatives and corporations. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are typically faster and more maneuverable than merchant ships. Unlike a merchant ship, which carries cargo, a warship typically carries only weapons, ammunition and supplies for its crew.
The Finnish Navy is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. The navy employs 2,300 people and about 4,300 conscripts are trained each year. Finnish Navy vessels are given the ship prefix "FNS", short for "Finnish Navy ship", but this is not used in Finnish-language contexts. The Finnish Navy also includes coastal forces and coastal artillery.
The Italian Navy is one of the four branches of Italian Armed Forces and was formed in 1946 from what remained of the Regia Marina after World War II. As of August 2014, the Italian Navy had a strength of 30,923 active personnel, with approximately 184 vessels in service, including minor auxiliary vessels. It is considered a multiregional and a blue-water 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.
The Republic of China Navy is the maritime branch of the Republic of China Armed Forces (ROCAF).
The Philippine Navy (PN) is the naval warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It has an estimated strength of 24,500 active service personnel, including the 10,300-strong Philippine Marine Corps. It operates 90 combat vessels, 16 auxiliary vessels, 25 manned aircraft and 8 unmanned aerial vehicles. Tracing its roots from the Philippine Revolutionary Navy on May 20, 1898, while its modern foundations were created during the creation of the Offshore Patrol on February 9, 1939, the PN is currently responsible for naval warfare operations and maritime patrol missions within the Philippine Waters, as well as ensuring the protection of the Philippine's maritime interests, including the South China Sea and Benham Rise.
A stealth ship is a ship that employs stealth technology construction techniques in an effort to make it harder to detect by one or more of radar, visual, sonar, and infrared methods.
The 3-inch/50-caliber gun in United States naval gun terminology indicates the gun fired a projectile 3 inches (76 mm) in diameter, and the barrel was 50 calibers long. Different guns of this caliber were used by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard from 1900 through to 1990 on a variety of combatant and transport ship classes.
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.
An amphibious warfare ship is an amphibious vehicle warship employed to land and support ground forces, such as marines, on enemy territory during an amphibious assault.
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the world's most powerful navy and the largest by tonnage, at 4.5 million tons in 2021 and in 2009 an estimated battle fleet tonnage that exceeded the next 13 navies combined. It has the world's largest aircraft carrier fleet, with 11 in service, one undergoing trials, two new carriers under construction, and six other carriers planned as of 2024. With 336,978 personnel on active duty and 101,583 in the Ready Reserve, the U.S. Navy is the third largest of the United States military service branches in terms of personnel. It has 299 deployable combat vessels and about 4,012 operational aircraft as of July 18, 2023.
The Korean People's Army Navy (KPANF; Korean: 조선인민군 해군; Hanja: 朝鮮人民軍 海軍; MR: Chosŏn-inmingun Haegun; lit. Korean People's Military Navy; or the Korean People's Navy, is the naval component of the Korean People's Army, the North Korean armed forces.
