The List of ships of the Second World War contains major military vessels of the war, arranged alphabetically and by type. The list includes armed vessels that served during the war and in the immediate aftermath, inclusive of localized ongoing combat operations, garrison surrenders, post-surrender occupation, colony re-occupation, troop and prisoner repatriation, to the end of 1945. For smaller vessels, see also list of World War II ships of less than 1000 tons. Some uncompleted Axis ships are included, out of historic interest. Ships are designated to the country under which they operated for the longest period of the Second World War, regardless of where they were built or previous service history. Submarines show submerged displacement. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Click on headers to sort column alphabetically.
Ship | Country or organization | Class | Type | Displacement (tons) | First commissioned | Fate |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
L23 | Royal Navy | L | submarine | 1,106 | 31 October 1924 | paid off May 1946 |
L26 | L | submarine | 1,106 | 11 October 1926 | sunk as target 1 November 1946 | |
L27 | L | training submarine | 1,106 | scrapped 1944 | ||
La Argentina | Argentine Navy | training light cruiser | 6,500 | April 1939 | discarded 1974 | |
La Bastiaise | French Navy | Flower | corvette | 925 | 22 June 1940 | sunk 22 June 1940 |
La Galissonnière | La Galissonnière | light cruiser | 7,600 | 1 January 1936 | scuttled 27 November 1942 | |
La Hulloise | Royal Canadian Navy | River | frigate | 1,445 | 6 December 1945 | paid off 16 July 1965 |
La Malbaie | Flower | corvette | 925 | 28 April 1942 | paid off 28 June 1945 | |
La Malouine | Royal Navy | Flower | corvette | 925 | 29 July 1940 | |
La Rioja | Argentine Navy | Mendoza | destroyer | 1,570 | 23 July 1929 | 30 April 1962 |
Lachute | Royal Canadian Navy | Flower modified | corvette | 1,015 | 26 October 1944 | 10 July 1945 |
Laffey (I) | United States Navy | Benson | destroyer | 1,620 | 31 March 1942 | sunk 13 November 1942 |
Laffey (II) | Sumner | destroyer | 2,200 | 8 February 1944 | decommissioned 1975, memorial at Charleston, SC | |
Laforey | Royal Navy | L | destroyer | 1,920 | 26 August 1941 | sunk 30 March 1944 by U-223 |
Lagos | Battle | destroyer | 2,325 | 2 November 1945 [5] | paid off 1960, scrapped 1967 | |
Lahore | Royal Indian Navy | Basset | minesweeper | 529 | 1941–1944 | 1941–1944 |
Lake Champlain | United States Navy | Ticonderoga | aircraft carrier | 27,100 | 3 June 1945 | decommissioned 2 May 1966, scrapped 1972 |
Lamberton | Wickes | minesweeper destroyer | 1,090 | 22 August 1918 | scrapped 9 May 1947 | |
Lambridge | Royal Navy | Special Service Ship | 5,119 | paid off March 1941 | ||
Lamerton | Hunt | destroyer | 1,000 | 16 August 1941 | scrapped 1975 | |
Lamotte-Piquet | French Navy | Duguay-Trouin | light cruiser | 7,249 | 5 March 1927 | sunk 12 January 1945 |
Lamson | United States Navy | Mahan | destroyer | 1,450 | 21 October 1936 | sunk in A-bomb test, 1946 |
Lanark | Royal Canadian Navy | River | frigate | 1,445 | 6 July 1944 | paid off 19 March 1965 |
Lance | Royal Navy | L | destroyer | 1,920 | 13 May 1941 | constructive loss and scrapped April 1942 |
Lang | United States Navy | Benham | destroyer | 1,500 | 30 March 1939 | scrapped 1947 |
Langley | Seaplane carrier | 11,500 | 7 April 1913 | sunk 27 February 1942 | ||
Langley | Independence | light aircraft carrier | 11,000 | 31 August 1943 | decommissioned 11 February 1947, scrapped 1964 | |
Lansdale | Benson | destroyer | 1,620 | 17 September 1940 | sunk 20 April 1944 | |
Lansdowne | Gleaves | destroyer | 1,630 | 29 April 1942 | to Turkey 1949, scrapped 1973 | |
Lardner | Gleaves | destroyer | 1,630 | 13 May 1942 | to Turkey 1949, sunk as target 1982 | |
Larkspur | Royal Navy United States Navy | Flower | corvette | 925 | 4 June 1940 | to USA as Fury 17 March 1942, to UK on 22 August 1945 |
Lasalle | Royal Canadian Navy | River | frigate | 1,445 | 29 June 1944 | paid off 17 December 1945 |
Latona | Royal Navy | Abdiel | minelayer | 2,650 | 4 May 1941 | lost 25 October 1941 |
Laub | United States Navy | Benson | destroyer | 1,620 | 24 October 1942 | decommissioned 1946, scrapped 1975 |
Lauderdale | Royal Navy | Hunt | destroyer | 1,050 | August 1942 | paid off 1946, scrapped 1960 |
Lauzon | Royal Canadian Navy | River | frigate | 1,445 | 30 August 1944 | paid off 24 May 1963 |
Lavender | Royal Navy | Flower | corvette | 925 | 16 May 1941 | |
Lawford | Captain | frigate | 1,140 | 3 November 1943 | sunk 8 June 1944 | |
Lawrence | Royal Indian Navy | sloop | 1,245 | 27 December 1919 | 1947 | |
Leamington | Royal Navy Royal Canadian Navy Soviet Navy | Town | destroyer | 1,327 | 23 October 1940 | to Canada October 1942, to USSR 16 July 1944 |
Leander | Royal New Zealand Navy | Leander | light cruiser | 6,985 | 23 July 1931 | former HMS Leander, to NZ April 1937, returned to UK May 1944, scrapped 1950 |
Ledbury | Royal Navy | Hunt | destroyer | 1,050 | scrapped April 1958 | |
Leeds | Town | destroyer | 1,125 | 12 January 1918 | paid off April 1945 | |
Legion | L | destroyer | 1,920 | 19 December 1940 | sunk 26 March 1942 | |
Leipzig | Kriegsmarine | Leipzig | light cruiser | 6,515 | 8 October 1931 | scuttled 11 July 1946 |
Leningrad | Soviet Navy | Leningrad | destroyer | 2,150 | December 1936 | scrapped in 1960 |
Leon | Hellenic Navy | Aetos | destroyer | 1,030 | 19 October 1912 | sunk 15 May 1941 |
Leopard | Kriegsmarine | Raubtier | torpedo boat | 1,320 | 1 June 1928 | sunk on 30 April 1940 |
Léopard | Free French Naval Forces | Chacal | destroyer | 2,126 | 31 August 1940 | sunk 27 May 1943 |
Lethbridge | Royal Canadian Navy | Flower | corvette | 925 | 25 June 1941 | paid off 23 July 1945 |
Levis (I) | Flower | corvette | 925 | 16 May 1941 | sunk 19 September 1941 by U-74 | |
Levis (II) | River | frigate | 1,445 | 21 July 1944 | paid off 21 February 1946 | |
Lewes | Royal Navy | Town | destroyer | 1,125 | 23 October 1940 | scuttled 25 May 1946 |
Lexington (I) | United States Navy | Lexington | aircraft carrier | 33,000 | 14 December 1927 | sunk 8 May 1942 |
Lexington (II) | Essex | aircraft carrier | 27,100 | 17 February 1943 | decommissioned 8 November 1991; museum ship | |
ARA Libertad | Argentine Navy | Libertad | riverine battleship | 2,336 | 26 November 1892 | paid off 1947 |
Liddesdale | Royal Navy | Hunt | destroyer | 1,000 | 28 February 1941 | Scrapped 1948 |
Lightning | L | destroyer | 1,920 | 28 May 1941 | sunk 12 March 1943 | |
Limbourne | Hunt | destroyer | 1,050 | 24 October 1942 | sunk 23 October 1943 | |
Linaria | Flower modified | corvette | 1,015 | 19 June 1943 | paid off 15 January 1948 | |
Lincoln | Royal Navy Royal Norwegian Navy Royal Canadian Navy Soviet Navy | Town | destroyer | 1,190 | 20 October 1940 | to Norway February 1942, Canada July 1942-December 1943, Soviet Union August 1944, scrapped 1952 |
Lindsay | Royal Canadian Navy | Flower modified | corvette | 1,015 | 15 November 1943 | 18 July 1945 |
Ling | Royal Navy | Flower | corvette | 925 | cancelled 23 January 1941 | |
Liscome Bay | United States Navy | Casablanca | escort carrier | 7,800 | 7 August 1943 | lost in action 24 November 1943 |
Littorio | Regia Marina | Littorio | battleship | 43,835 | 6 May 1940 | renamed Italia, scrapped 1948 |
Lively | Royal Navy | L | destroyer | 1,920 | 20 July 1941 | sunk 11 May 1942 |
Livermore | United States Navy | Gleaves | destroyer | 1,630 | 7 October 1940 | Sold 3 March 1961 for scrapping |
Lobelia | Free French Naval Forces | Flower | corvette | 925 | 16 July 1941 | April 1947 |
Loch Achanalt | Royal Canadian Navy | Loch | frigate | 1,435 | 31 July 1944 | paid off July 1945, transferred to the Royal New Zealand Navy in 1945, scrapped in 1965 |
Loch Alvie | Loch | frigate | 1,435 | 10 August 1944 | paid off June 1945, transferred to the Royal Navy in 1945, scrapped in 1965 | |
Loch Insh | Royal Navy | Loch | frigate | 1,435 | 20 October 1944 | scrapped in 1977 |
Loch Morlich | Royal Canadian Navy | Loch | frigate | 1,435 | 17 July 1944 | paid off June 1945, scrapped in 1966 |
London | Royal Navy | County | heavy cruiser | 9,850 | 31 January 1929 | scrapped 1950 |
Long Branch | Royal Canadian Navy | Flower modified | corvette | 1,015 | 5 January 1944 | 17 June 1945 |
Long Island | United States Navy | Long Island | escort carrier | 13,500 | 2 June 1941 | decommissioned 26 March 1946 |
Longueuil | Royal Canadian Navy | River | frigate | 1,445 | 18 May 1944 | paid off 31 December 1946 |
Looe | Royal Navy | Special Service Ship | 1,030 | paid off March 1941 | ||
Lookout | L | destroyer | 1,920 | 30 January 1942 | paid off 19 October 1945, scrapped February 1948 | |
Loosestrife | Flower | corvette | 925 | 25 November 1941 | Sold, 7 October 1946 | |
Lorelei | Kriegsmarine | patrol boat | 1,640 | 25 April 1943 | former Artevelde (Belgium), later K4, scrapped 1954 | |
Lorraine | French Navy Free French Naval Forces | Bretagne | super dreadnought | 22,200 | 27 July 1916 | Decommissioned 17 February 1953 |
Los Angeles | United States Navy | Baltimore | heavy cruiser | 17,200 | 22 July 1945 | scrapped 1974 |
Lothringen | Kriegsmarine | minelayer | 1,975 | December 1941 | sold to merchant service post-war | |
Lotus | Royal Navy | Flower | corvette | 925 | 23 May 1942 | |
Louisburg (I) | Royal Canadian Navy | Flower | corvette | 925 | 2 October 1941 | sunk on 6 February 1943 by Luftwaffe aircraft |
Louisburg (II) | Royal Canadian Navy | Flower modified | corvette | 1,015 | 13 December 1943 | 25 June 1945 |
Louisville | United States Navy | Northampton | heavy cruiser | 9,200 | 15 January 1931 | scrapped 1959 |
Loyal | Royal Navy | L | destroyer | 1,920 | 31 October 1942 | constructive loss 12 October 1944, scrapped 1948 |
Luchs | Kriegsmarine | Raubtier | torpedo boat | 1,320 | 15 April 1929 | sunk 26 July 1940 |
Lucknow | Royal Indian Navy | Basset | minesweeper | 529 | 1941–1944 | 1941–1944 |
Ludlow | United States Navy | Gleaves | destroyer | 1,630 | 5 March 1941 | to Greece 1951, scrapped 1972 |
Luigi Cadorna | Regia Marina | Condottieri | light cruiser | 5,316 | 11 August 1933 | scrapped 1951 |
Luigi Di Savoia Duca Degli Abruzzi | Condottieri | light cruiser | 9,952 | 1 December 1937 | scrapped 1972 | |
Lunenburg | Royal Canadian Navy | Flower | corvette | 925 | 4 December 1941 | paid off 23 July 1945 |
Lunga Point | United States Navy | Casablanca | escort carrier | 7,800 | 14 May 1944 | decommissioned 24 October 1946, scrapped 1960 |
Lützow | Kriegsmarine | enlarged Admiral Hipper | heavy cruiser | 14,680 | not completed | sold to USSR 1940 became Petropavlovsk, then Tallinn |