Ship Characteristics Board

Project SCB 1 result: the USS Norfolk (CLK-1/DL-1)

The Ship Characteristics Board was a unit of the United States Navy.

The purpose of the Ship Characteristics Board was to coordinate the creation of 'ship characteristics' that are essential to the design of naval combatants and auxiliaries. Coordination was required because the operators and the designers of ships had different interests, perceptions, concepts, and constraints: as summarized by the naval historian Norman Friedman, "How to achieve the best possible compromise among competing bureaus has been one of the great dilemmas of 20th-century U.S. naval administration." ^[1]

This list of SCB projects is a useful exposition of the U.S. Navy's shipbuilding priorities in the first half of the Cold War.

History

The Ship Characteristics Board was founded in 1945 under the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations / OpNav. It was created after the body previously responsible for coordinating ships characteristics, the General Board, had been seen as ineffective in a series of earlier Navy bureau miscoordinations. ^{[2] [3]} The SCB would adjudicate between operational requirements set by the ship operators (the fleets and other operational forces) and the technological and fiscal constraints imposed on the ship designers (the Bureau of Ships / BuShips and the Bureau of Ordnance / BuOrd).

The SCB had nowhere near the same stature as its predecessor [the General Board], since in effect it was separated from the policy- and strategy-planning process. It was far more concerned with the details of design, and included representatives of all the bureaus, who had equal votes. Participants in SCB meetings recall cases in which the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery cast the decisive vote on weapons systems choices. From the surviving records it is not entirely clear who within OpNav worked up the lists of projects on which the SCB worked, at least at first. For a time that was both very important, given the poverty of the [post-World War Two] shipbuilding program and the lack of any integrated U.S. concept of future warfare. ^[4]

The SCB assigned numbers to its projects beginning in 1946. Not all projects would result in the construction of ships: some projects would remain conceptual only, or would be superseded by later projects.

In 1966 the successors to BuShips and BuOrd (NAVSHIPS and NAVORD) were moved to report to OpNav. The SCB role as an adjudicator became less relevant. ^[5] During the development of the Oliver Hazard Perry class frigates it was renamed the Ship Acquisition and Improvement Board (SAIB). ^[6] In the 1980s it was revived as the Ship Characteristics Improvement Board (SCIB), but without its former authority. ^[7]

USS Thresher loss

Thresher, the first result of project SCB 188, at sea on 24 July 1961

A decision by the SCB likely contributed to the 1963 loss of the nuclear submarine Thresher. The SCB had ordered BuShips to study increasing the test depth for future submarines from 700 to 1,600 feet, and this increase was approved after November 1956. Thresher's components were too far along in design to accommodate this change, but it was decided that they could be modified to enable a test depth of 1,300 feet. The irony is that the SCB's motives for this change were to enhance safety: not only to support greater combat survivability, but also out of a concern that the increased speed of nuclear submarines could cause them to inadvertently exceed the more shallow test depths while maneuvering. ^[8]

List of SCB projects

Review of the following lists of SCB projects will show:

• SCB projects which are 'follow on' to earlier projects may be given a new number, or may reuse an earlier number with an appended letter. For example, a project to develop a new Landing Craft Utility (LCU) was begun in 1946 as SCB 25, follow on LCU projects include SCB 25A (unknown date), SCB 149 (August 1954), and SCB 149B (March 1962). Note the eight-year gap between SCB 149 and SCB 149B.
• The start date of an SCB project can be several years before it became a budget line item or an actual ship construction. SCB 157 began in July 1955 as a study for a new amphibious assault helicopter carrier, but a resultant ship (the future Iwo Jima) was not laid down until 2 April 1959. An even more extreme example is SCB 123, which began in 1954, but which saw last ship reconstruction delayed until 1966.
• Close examination of SCB projects will occasionally demonstrate that ship design history is more complicated than first appearances show. For example, the George Washington class of fleet ballistic missile submarines was the first such class to be launched. However, the history of SCB 180 shows that the Ethan Allen class was the first to be designed, and the George Washington class was a subsequent design made for a quickly implemented mobilization effort.
• The budgetary pressures of the Vietnam War, including war driven inflation, are demonstrated in the cancellation of SCB projects 003.68 and 101.68, and the partial cancellation of SCB 002 (the age of the ships was also a factor).

All ship hull classification symbols shown (CLK, SS, DL, CVA, DE, etc.) are the symbols in use at the conception of the project, rather than when construction started. Explanations of these symbols are usually to be found in the linked articles on each ship or class.

Sequential numbering of SCB projects

SCB projects began in numeric sequence in 1946, and were originally listed in descending priority (the Norfolk cruiser/destroyer leader having top priority, the Tang submarines as second priority, etc.), ^[9] but such prioritization was eventually dropped. Several of the early projects actually began in 1945 - for example, the Mitscher-class destroyer (which in 1946 was assigned the project number SCB 5) was the ship design that on paper out-performed the projected CL-154 class light cruiser design and led to that cruiser's cancellation in September 1945. ^[10]

SCB #	Start date	Description	Notes
SCB 1	1946	Norfolk CLK	[11]
SCB 2	1946	Tang class SS	[12]
SCB 2A		Grayback SS original design (see SCB 161)	[13]
SCB 3	1946	Closed cycle engine SSX concept	[14]
SCB 4	1946	CVA concept, merged into SCB 6 by Jun 1946	[14]
SCB 5	1946	Mitscher class DL	[15]
SCB 6	1946	Strategic CVA (aircraft carrier) concept	[16]
SCB 6A		United States class CVA, cancelled 23 Apr 1949	[17]
SCB 7	1946	30 kt DE concept	[18]
SCB 7A		Fletcher class DD ASW mobilization concept	[19]
SCB 8	1946	CVE ASW concept, became SCB 43	[20]
SCB 9	1946	15 kt LST concept	[21]
SCB 9A		Terrebonne Parish class LST	[22]
SCB 10	1946	AKA Arctic conversion concept	[14]
SCB 11	1946	CLI Cruiser-icebreaker Arctic picket concept	[14]
SCB 11A		Glacier AGB	[14]
SCB 12	1946	MIGRAINE II SSR conversions: Burrfish, Requin, Spinax and Tigrone	[23]
SCB 12A		MIGRAINE III SSR conversions: Pompon , Rasher , Raton , Ray , Redfin , and Rock	[24]
SCB 13	1946	Northampton CLC	[25]
SCB 14	1946	Paul Revere class APA	[26]
SCB 14E		APA conversion of SS Monterey and SS Mariposa	[14]
SCB 15	1946	Tulare class AKA	[27]
SCB 16	1946	Fast AGC concept	[28]
SCB 17	1946	Fast LSD concept	[29]
SCB 18	1946	LSM Underwater Object Locator conversion concept	[14]
SCB 19	1946 (Dec 1945)	Kentucky BB anti-air concept	[30]
SCB 20	1946	Steel hulled PT concept	[14]
SCB 21	1946	Radiological salvage vessel concept, later ATR rescue tug concept	[14]
SCB 22	1946	Fast AOR concept, led to commissioning of ex-war prize Conecuh as a test	[14] [31]
SCB 22A		YAG conversion concept	[32] [14]
SCB 23	1946	Fast AK concept	[14] [33]
SCB 24	1946	Midget SS concept	[34]
SCB 25	1946	LCU 1466	[35]
SCB 25A		LCU 1608	[36]
SCB 26	1946	Hawaii CB aircraft carrier conversion concept	[37]
SCB 26A	1948	Hawaii CB missile conversion concept	[38]
SCB 27	1946	Oriskany CVA jet aircraft conversion	[39]
SCB 27B		Essex class CVA partial conversion, canceled	[14]
SCB 27A		Essex class CVA modification: 8 ships	[40]
SCB 27C		Essex class CVA modification: 6 ships	[41]
SCB 28	1946	Tunny SSG conversion	[42]
SCB 29	1946	LSD Arctic conversions: Gunston Hall and Lindenwald	[14]
SCB 30	1946	ASSP conversions: Perch and Sealion	[14]
SCB 31	1946	Barbero ASSA conversion	[14]
SCB 32	1946	Fast LST concept	[43]
SCB 33	1946	SSG (guided missile submarine) concept	[37]
SCB 34	1946	SSV F2Y seaplane carrier submarine concept	[37] [14]
SCB 35	Dec 1946	Barracuda class SSK	[37]
SCB 36	1948	New LCS(L) concept, merged into SCB 37	[44]
SCB 37	1948	Carronade LSM(R)	[45]
SCB 38		Colorado BB radio control target conversion concept	[46]
SCB 39		Guavina SSO conversion	[47]
SCB 40		SSE (submarine ammunition carrier) concept	[48]
SCB 41		CVL ASW conversion, became SCB 54	[14]
SCB 42		LSD to AV conversion concept	[14]
SCB 43		CVE ASW concepts, cancelled Apr 1954	[49]
SCB 44		Aviation stores issue ship (AVS) concept	[14]
SCB 45		AMS concept	[14]
SCB 45A		Agile class MSO and Acme class MSO	[37]
SCB 45B		Ability class MSO	[14]
SCB 46		DER conversions: 6 ships	[50]
SCB 46A		DER conversions: Vandivier and Wagner	[51]
SCB 46B		DER conversions: 28 ships	[52]
SCB 47		GUPPY II SS conversions	[53]
SCB 47A		GUPPY IA SS conversions	[54]
SCB 47B		Fleet snorkel SS conversions	[55]
SCB 47C		GUPPY IIA SS conversions	[56]
SCB 48		Boston class CAG Terrier missile conversions	[57]
SCB 49		Altair class AKS conversion	[37]
SCB 50		AOR conversion concept	[58]
SCB 51		DE or PCE concept, became SCB 72	[59]
SCB 52		Submersible barge concept for launching V-2 rockets	[14]
SCB 53		DDE conversion	[60]
SCB 54		CVL ASW conversion	[61]
SCB 56	1949	Albacore AGSS Phase I	[37]
SCB 57		Denebola-class AF conversion: 4 ships	[14]
SCB 58	1949	Grouper SSK conversion	[62]
SCB 59		Cylindrical Countermeasures (XMAP) minesweeping device	[14]
SCB 60		LVT modernization	[14]
SCB 60A		LVT(A)5 modernization	[63]
SCB 60B		LVT(3) modernization	[64]
SCB 61		Yard and district craft characteristics	[14]
SCB 61A		YR characteristics	[14]
SCB 61B		YON characteristics	[14]
SCB 61C		YFN characteristics	[14]
SCB 61D		YRB characteristics, became SCB 61N	[14]
SCB 61E		YC characteristics	[14]
SCB 61F		YFB characteristics	[14]
SCB 61G		YCF characteristics	[14]
SCB 61H		YOGN characteristics	[14]
SCB 61J		YRBM characteristics	[14]
SCB 61K		YDT characteristics	[14]
SCB 61L		YFR characteristics	[14]
SCB 61M		YNG characteristics	[14]
SCB 61N		YRB characteristics	[14]
SCB 61P		YTN characteristics	[14]
SCB 61Q		YOG characteristics for JP-5	[14]
SCB 61R		YTM characteristics with cycloidal propulsion	[14]
SCB 62		Minesweeping boat (MSB)	[14]
SCB 63		Tweedy DE ASW upgrade	[65]
SCB 63A		Lewis DE ASW upgrade	[66]
SCB 64	Mar 1950	Nautilus SSN	[67] [68]
SCB 64A	Mar 1950	Seawolf SSN	[69] [70]
SCB 65		X-1 midget SS	[71]
SCB 66		SSM (submarine minelayer) conversion concept, cancelled 1 Oct 1952	[72]
SCB 67	1950	Closed cycle engine SSX concept	[73]
SCB 67A		Closed cycle engine SSX concept, cancelled 26 Oct 1953	[74]
SCB 68	Apr 1950	Mackerel class SST	[75]
SCB 69		Adjutant class MSC	[37]
SCB 69A		MSC concept	[14]
SCB 70		AD mobilization conversion concept	[14]
SCB 71		AP mobilization conversion from SS United States concept	[14]
SCB 72	Oct 1950	Dealey class DE	[76]
SCB 73		ACMU conversions	[14]
SCB 74		Various anti-air upgrades (e.g. Bofors 40 mm guns replaced with 3"/50 caliber guns)	[77]
SCB 74A		Fletcher class DD anti-air upgrades: 40 ships	[78]
SCB 74B		Light Cruisers anti-air upgrades	[14]
SCB 74C		Heavy Cruisers anti-air upgrades	[14]
SCB 74D		Juneau anti-air upgrade	[14]
SCB 74E		Iowa class BB anti-air upgrade concept	[79]
SCB 75	Nov 1950	Thomaston class LSD	[80]
SCB 76		Mobilization DD experiment concept	[81]
SCB 77	Jul 1951	New AKA concept	[82]
SCB 77A	Nov 1952	New AKA with ro-ro capability concept	[83]
SCB 78		Paul Revere APA	[37]
SCB 78A		Francis Marion APA	[14]
SCB 79		DDR (destroyer radar picket) conversions	[84]
SCB 80		Forrestal class CVA	[85]
SCB 81		Technical stores issue ship (AKST) concept	[14]
SCB 82		Neosho class AO	[37]
SCB 83		Hawaii CBC conversion concept	[86]
SCB 84		Sailfish class SSR	[87]
SCB 85	Feb 1951	Forrest Sherman class DD	[88]
SCB 85A		Forrest Sherman class (Hull sub-class) DD	[89]
SCB 86		AK reactivation: Altair, Antares, Alcor and Betelgeuse	[14]
SCB 87		AVP concept	[14]
SCB 88		Gearing class DD completion concept	[37]
SCB 89	May 1951	180-foot PC concept	[90]
SCB 90	May 1951	290-foot PCE concept	[91]
SCB 91		DM concept	[14]
SCB 92		AGC concept	[14]
SCB 93		AKA concept, canceled 4 Jan 1952	[14]
SCB 94	Nov 1951	LCM(6)	[92]
SCB 95		LCM(8)	[93]
SCB 96		LCVP	[14]
SCB 97		Rigel class AF	[94]
SCB 98		ATR concept	[14]
SCB 99		AE mobilization concept	[14]
SCB 100		AF mobilization concept	[14]
SCB 101		AR mobilization concept	[14]
SCB 102		AVS mobilization concept	[14]
SCB 103		ARH mobilization concept	[14]
SCB 104		AK mobilization concept	[14]
SCB 105		AK mobilization concept	[14]
SCB 106		AKS mobilization concept	[14]
SCB 107		AD mobilization concept	[14]
SCB 108		AKST mobilization concept, canceled 26 Mar 1952	[14]
SCB 109		Bittern ACMU	[14]
SCB 110		Midway CVA and Franklin D Roosevelt CVA modernizations	[95]
SCB 110A		Coral Sea CVA modernization	[96]
SCB 111		AVP concept	[14]
SCB 112		AO Arctic concept	[14]
SCB 113		LST Arctic concept	[14]
SCB 114		Suribachi class AE	[14]
SCB 115		AVS (aviation stores ship)	[37]
SCB 116		Darter SS (see also SCB 124)	[97] [14]
SCB 117		DE gas turbine engine, canceled 1955	[14]
SCB 118		Barbero SSG conversion	[98]
SCB 119	Nov 1953	De Soto County class LST	[99]
SCB 120		AP mobilization conversion of passenger liners	[14]
SCB 121		Skate class SSN	[100]
SCB 122	May 1954	Thetis Bay CVHA conversion	[101]
SCB 123		MCS conversions: Catskill, Ozark, Osage, Saugus , and Monitor (last 3 cancelled)	[102]
SCB 124		Improved SCB 116: Growler SS original design (see SCB 161)	[14]
SCB 125		Essex class CVA modification: 13 ships	[103]
SCB 125A		Oriskany CVA modification	[104]
SCB 126		Guardian class AGR conversion	[37]
SCB 127		Kitty Hawk class CVA, preliminary design	[105]
SCB 127A		Kitty Hawk class CVA: Kitty Hawk and Constellation	[106]
SCB 127B		Kitty Hawk class CVA follow on: America	[107]
SCB 127C		Kitty Hawk class CVA follow on: John F. Kennedy	[108]
SCB 128		LCPL	[14]
SCB 128A		LCPL	[14]
SCB 128B		LCPL	[14]
SCB 129	May 1954	Farragut class DL	[109]
SCB 130		Fletcher class DDC (destroyer corvette) conversion concept	[110]
SCB 131	Jun 1954	Claude Jones class DE	[111]
SCB 132		Triton SSRN	[112]
SCB 133		ASRD concept	[14]
SCB 134		Albemarle AV P6M seaplane modification	[113]
SCB 135		Gyatt DDG conversion	[14]
SCB 136		Cove MSI (inshore minesweeper)	[114]
SCB 137		Halibut SSG original design with diesel-electric propulsion	[115]
SCB 137A		Halibut SSGN final design with nuclear propulsion	[116]
SCB 137B		SSGN concept with twice the missile load as Halibut	[14]
SCB 138		ARC conversions: Aeolus and Thor	[14]
SCB 139		YP-654 class	[37]
SCB 140		Galveston class CLG Talos missile conversion	[117]
SCB 140A		Galveston class CLG Talos missile flagship conversions: Little Rock and Oklahoma City	[118]
SCB 141	1954	New LCM(3) concept	[119]
SCB 142		Farragut class (Coontz sub-class) DLG	[120]
SCB 143		Admirable class AM and Auk class AM conversion to PCE concepts	[121]
SCB 144		Essex class CVS FRAM upgrade	[37]
SCB 145		CVL angled flight deck concept	[14]
SCB 146		Providence class CLG Terrier missile conversion: Topeka	[122]
SCB 146A		Providence class CLG Terrier missile flagship conversions: Providence and Springfield	[123]
SCB 147		YTB-752 class harbor tug	[37]
SCB 147A		YTB-760 class	[37]
SCB 148		unknown project	[14]
SCB 149	Aug 1954	LCU 1620	[124]
SCB 149B	Mar 1962	LCU 1625	[125]
SCB 150		Barbel class SS	[126]
SCB 151		Currituck AV P6M seaplane modification, cancelled 21 Aug 1959 after 52 days of construction	[127]
SCB 152	Jul 1955	Fast catamaran LST with causeway concept	[128]
SCB 153		Alternative CV concept, cancelled 14 Sep 1955, influenced SCB 127A and SCB 160	[129]
SCB 154		Skipjack class SSN	[130]
SCB 155	Aug 1955	Charles F. Adams class DDG	[131]
SCB 156		AF conversion, canceled Nov 1955	[14]
SCB 157	Jul 1955	Iwo Jima class LPH	[132]
SCB 158		CN (nuclear cruiser) concept	[133]
SCB 159		Block Island LPH conversion, cancelled 1958	[134]
SCB 160		Enterprise CVAN	[135]
SCB 161		Grayback and Growler SSG final design (see SCB 2A and 124)	[14]
SCB 162	Apr 1956	LCM hydrofoil concept	[136]
SCB 163		CN concept	[137]
SCB 165		CN concept	[138]
SCB 166		Original SSGN design of Thresher / Permit class	[14]
SCB 166A		Improved SSGN design of Thresher / Permit class, changed to SSN under SCB 188	[14]
SCB 167		CN concept	[139]
SCB 168		CN concept	[140]
SCB 169		Long Beach CGN	[141]
SCB 170		Guavina AOSS conversion	[14]
SCB 172		Leahy class DLG	[142]
SCB 172A	Jun 1960	Belknap class DLG	[143]
SCB 173		Albany class CG conversions	[144]
SCB 173A		Baltimore class Polaris missile conversion concept	[145]
SCB 174		Des Moines class CG conversion concept	[146]
SCB 176		Commencement Bay class AV P6M seaplane conversion concept, cancelled 21 Aug 1959	[147]
SCB 177		Tallahatchie County AVB conversion	[37]
SCB 178		Tullibee SSN	[37]
SCB 179		Victory ship conversion to survey ship concept	[37]
SCB 180		Ethan Allen class SSBN	[148]
SCB 180A		George Washington class SSBN	[149]
SCB 182	1957	Albacore AGSS Phase III	[14]
SCB 182A	1959	Albacore AGSS Phase IV	[14]
SCB 183	1956	PCS concept	[150]
SCB 184	1956	SC concept	[151]
SCB 185		Conrad class AGOR	[37]
SCB 187	Jan 1957	Raleigh class LPD	[152]
SCB 187A		Raleigh class LPD with flagship facilities: La Salle	[153]
SCB 187B		Austin class LPD	[154]
SCB 188		Thresher / Permit class SSN	[155]
SCB 188A		Sturgeon class SSN	[156]
SCB 188M		Lengthened Permit class SSNs: Flasher, Greenling , and Gato	[157]
SCB 189		Bainbridge DLGN	[37]
SCB 190		Proteus AS modernization	[37]
SCB 191		Terror Middle East force flagship conversion concept	[158]
SCB 192		Oxford class AGTR conversion	[37]
SCB 194		Hunley class AS	[37]
SCB 196		Sacramento class AOE	[37]
SCB 198		Glover AGFF conversion	[37]
SCB 199		Bronstein class DE	[159]
SCB 199A		Garcia class DE	[160]
SCB 199B		Brooke class DE	[161]
SCB 199C		Knox class DE	[162]
SCB 202	Apr 1958	High Point PCH	[163]
SCB 203		CVAN concept, became SCB 211	[164]
SCB 205		AGMs for range instrumentation	[37]
SCB 206	Nov 1958	Gearing class DD FRAM I	[165]
SCB 207		Dolphin AGSS	[166]
SCB 208		Mars class AFS	[37]
SCB 211		CVAN concept	[167]
SCB 211A		CVAN concept, cancelled in favor of SCB 127C	[168]
SCB 212		Austere DDG (guided missile destroyer) concept, influenced SCB 172A	[169]
SCB 214		Serrano AGS conversion	[37]
SCB 215		Gilbert Islands AGMR conversion	[37]
SCB 216		Lafayette class SSBN	[170]
SCB 216A		Benjamin Franklin class SSBN	[171]
SCB 216 Mod 3		James Madison class SSBN	[172]
SCB 218	Aug 1960	Albemarle ASGL satellite launch concept	[173]
SCB 219	1960	Plainview AGEH	[174]
SCB 220		Nasty class PTF	[37]
SCB 221	Aug 1960	52 foot UDT reconnaissance boat	[175]
SCB 222		Tuxtrun DLGN	[176]
SCB 223		GUPPY III SS FRAM	[37]
SCB 224		Cimarron class AO jumbo conversion: Mispillion sub-class	[177]
SCB 225		Kingsport AG conversion	[37]
SCB 226		Silas Bent class AGS	[37]
SCB 227	Mar 1961	Typhon DLGN concept	[178]
SCB 228		Wright CC conversion	[37]
SCB 229		Asheville class PGM	[37]
SCB 231		NECPA CC concept	[37]
SCB 232		Suribachi class AE modernization	[37]
SCB 233		Norton Sound AVM modification	[37]
SCB 234		Victory ship AS (submarine tender) conversion	[37]
SCB 236		Sea Lift LSV	[37]
SCB 238		Simon Lake class AS	[37]
SCB 239		Seahawk DD concept	[179]
SCB 240		Forrest Sherman class DDG Tartar missile conversion: 4 ships	[180]
SCB 241		Mitscher class DDG Tartar missile conversion: 2 ships	[181]
SCB 242		Sailfish SS FRAM II refit	[37]
SCB 244		Samuel Gompers class AD	[182]
SCB 245		Narwhal SSN	[183]
SCB 247	Jun 1962	Newport class LST	[184]
SCB 248	Nov 1962	Blue Ridge class LCC	[185]
SCB 250		CVAN concept, canceled in favor of SCB 127C	[186]
SCB 251		Forrest Sherman class (Barry sub-class) DD modernization with ASROC	[187]
SCB 252	Jan 1964	Flagstaff PGH and Tucumari PGH	[188]

Block numbering of SCB projects

By 1965 the numeric sequence was abandoned and SCB projects were organized by block numbers which arranged projects by ship types (valid until the 1975 ship reclassification), and a two digit suffix denoting the fiscal year of the construction phase of the project. ^[189] This suffix is not the start date of the project as a concept: SCB 400.65 actually began in November 1962, not in 1965, and SCB 409.68 actually began in February 1965, not in 1968. The existence of successive suffixes also does not necessarily mean that the design of ships of a class in any way changed, such suffixes are listed here for historical note only.

In effect, this new numbering scheme changed the focus of the SCB from design and development to procurement and budget compliance. As a result, concept-only designs would largely disappear from the historical record.

1965-1975 SCB block #	Ship type
001-099	Cruisers
100-199	Carriers
200-299	Destroyers/Frigates
_ 200-219	Destroyer Escorts
_ 220-239	Destroyers
_ 240-259	Frigates (past Destroyer Leaders)
_ 260-280	Patrol Frigates
300-399	Submarines
400-499	Amphibious
500-599	Mine Warfare
600-699	Patrol
700-799	Auxiliaries
800-899	Service Craft
900-999	Special Purpose

SCB #	Start date	Description	Notes
SCB 002		Albany class CG AAW modernization (Chicago partially only, Columbus cancelled)	[190]
SCB 003.68		Boston class CAG AAW modernization, cancelled	[191]
SCB 100.68		CVS ASW concept, became SCB 100.71	[37]
SCB 100.71		CVS ASW concept	[37]
SCB 101.66		Midway CVA modernization	[192]
SCB 101.68		Franklin D. Roosevelt CVA modernization, cancelled	[193]
SCB 102.67		Nimitz class CVN	[37]
SCB 103.68		Franklin D. Roosevelt CVA austere refit	[194]
SCB 200.65		Knox class DE (former SCB 199C)	[195]
SCB 222.66		Forrest Sherman class DD ASW modernization (former SCB 251)	ibid
SCB 223.67		DDG	[37]
SCB 224		Spruance class DD	[37]
SCB 226		Ticonderoga class DDG	[37]
SCB 240.65	Mar 1961	Typhon DLGN concept (former SCB 227)	ibid
SCB 241.66		California class DLGN	[37]
SCB 243.66		Farragut class DLG upgrade	[196]
SCB 244.66		Leahy class DLG upgrade	[197]
SCB 246		Virginia class DLGN	[37]
SCB 261		Oliver Hazard Perry class FFG	[37]
SCB 300		Sturgeon-class SSN	[14]
SCB 301		NR-1	[14]
SCB 302		Glenard P. Lipscomb SSN	[14]
SCB 303		Los Angeles class SSN	[14]
SCB 304		Ohio class SSBN	[14]
SCB 350		Grayback LPSS conversion	[14]
SCB 351		Halibut SSN conversion	[14]
SCB 353		James Madison and Benjamin Franklin classes SSBN Poseidon C-3 missile conversion	[14]
SCB 355		Lafayette and Benjamin Franklin classes SSBN Poseidon C-3 conversion	[14]
SCB 400.65	Nov 1962	Blue Ridge class LCC (former SCB 248)	ibid
SCB 401.65	Jul 1955	New Orleans LPH (former SCB 157)	ibid, [198]
SCB 402.65		Austin class LPD (former SCB 187B)	ibid
SCB 403.65		Charleston class AKA	[199]
SCB 404.65		Anchorage class LSD, lead ship only	[200]
SCB 404.66		Anchorage class LSD, follow on ships	[201]
SCB 405.65	Jun 1962	Newport class LST, lead ship only (former SCB 247)	ibid, [202]
SCB 405.66	Jun 1962	Newport class LST: follow on ships (former SCB 247)	ibid, [203]
SCB 406.65		LCU 1627	[204]
SCB 409.68	Feb 1965	Tawara class LHA	[205]
SCB 500.66		Liberty ship MSS conversion concept	[37]
SCB 501.66		MSO (ocean minesweeper) concept	[37]
SCB 502		MSO modernization	[37]
SCB 600		Asheville class PGM (former SCB 229)	ibid
SCB 602		Pegasus class PHM	[37]
SCB 700.66		Samuel Gompers class follow on: AD-39, cancelled (former SCB 244)	ibid, [206]
SCB 701		AVB (aviation logistics support ship)	[37]
SCB 702.65		L Y Spear class AS	[207]
SCB 703.65		Kilauea class AE	[208]
SCB 704		AGB (icebreaker)	[37]
SCB 705		Mars class AFS (former SCB 208)	ibid
SCB 706		Cimarron class AO jumbo conversion: Ashtabula sub-class	[209]
SCB 707		Wichita class AOR	[37]
SCB 708.65		Chauvenet class AGS	ibid
SCB 709		Serrano AGS conversion (former SCB 214)	ibid
SCB 710		Melville class AGOR	[37]
SCB 711.65		Sacramento class AOE (former SCB 196)	ibid, [210]
SCB 713		Mission Buenaventura class AO jumbo conversion	[37]
SCB 714		AS (submarine tender)	[37]
SCB 719		Edenton class ATS	[37]
SCB 720		Fast Deployment Logistic Ship FDL	[37]
SCB 721		Pigeon class ASR	[37]
SCB 723		Chauvenet AGS	[37]
SCB 726		Hayes class AGOR (former SCB 226)	ibid
SCB 728		Wyman AGS	[37]
SCB 734		Gyre class AGOR	[37]
SCB 737		Emory S Land class AS	[37]
SCB 739		Cimarron class AO	[37]
SCB 744		Powhatan class ATF	[37]
SCB 800.65		YP-654 class	[211]
SCB 900.65		Iowa class BB ASGL satellite launch concept	[212]

CIP

The SCB also had a list of projects called Class Improvement Projects. These were usually changes of a lesser scope or risk than SCB projects; many were contingency plans to refurbish reserve ships had it been necessary to reactivate them. ^[213] No list of CIP numbers is available.

See also

• List of ships of Russia by project number
• Military acquisition
• Naval architecture
• United States Navy bureau system

References

Notes

1. Friedman, Submarines, p. 7
2. Friedman, Battleships, pp 311-313
3. Friedman, Destroyers, pp 2-3
4. Friedman, Destroyers, p. 3
5. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, p. 13
6. Friedman, Destroyers, p. 5
7. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, p. 13
8. Friedman, Submarines pp. 132-133
9. Friedman, Submarines, p. 28
10. Friedman, Destroyers, p. 369
11. Friedman, Submarines, p. 28
12. Friedman, Submarines, p. 28
13. Friedman, Submarines, p. 31
14. Roberts, U.S. Navy Ship Design Project Numbers
15. Friedman, Destroyers, p. 298
16. Friedman, Aircraft Carriers, p. 237
17. Friedman, Aircraft Carriers, p. 230
18. Friedman, Destroyers, p. 265
19. Friedman, Destroyers, p. 269
20. Friedman, Aircraft Carriers, p. 340
21. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, p. 303
22. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, p. 303
23. Friedman, Submarines, p. 90
24. Friedman, Submarines, p. 90
25. Crierie, SCB Numbers
26. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, p. 311
27. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, p. 311
28. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, p. 311
29. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, p. 311
30. Friedman, Battleships, p. 390
31. Wildenberg, 1996, p. 207
32. "YAG".
33. Wildenberg, 1996, p. 207
34. Friedman, Submarines, p. 267
35. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, p. 383
36. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, p. 390
37. Crierie, SCB Numbers
38. Friedman, Aircraft Carriers, p. 288
39. Friedman, Aircraft Carriers, p. 288
40. Friedman, Aircraft Carriers, p. 288
41. Friedman, Aircraft Carriers, pp. 24-25
42. Friedman, Submarines, p. 178
43. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, p. 311
44. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, p. 254
45. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, pp. 254, 256
46. Friedman, Battleships, pp. 402-403
47. Friedman, Submarines, p. 89
48. Friedman, Submarines, pp. 252-263
49. Friedman, Aircraft Carriers, pp. 340-342
50. Friedman, Destroyers, pp. 229-231
51. Friedman, Destroyers, p. 231
52. Friedman, Destroyers, pp. 231-232
53. Friedman, Submarines, p. 41
54. see linked Wiki article
55. see linked Wiki article
56. see linked Wiki article
57. Friedman, Cruisers, p. 377
58. Roberts, AO-105
59. Friedman, Destroyers, pp. 271-273
60. Friedman, Destroyers, p. 246
61. Friedman, Destroyers, p. 246
62. Friedman, Submarines, p. 80
63. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, p. 300
64. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, p. 300
65. Friedman, Destroyers, p. 161
66. Friedman, Destroyers, p. 161
67. Friedman, Submarines, p. 182
68. Hewlett & Duncan, Nuclear Navy, p. 162
69. Friedman, Submarines, p. 186
70. Hewlett & Duncan, Nuclear Navy, p. 162
71. Friedman, Submarines, p. 220
72. Friedman, Submarines, p. 99
73. Friedman, Submarines, p. 47
74. Friedman, Submarines, p. 48
75. Friedman, Submarines, p. 222
76. Friedman, Destroyers, pp. 273-274
77. Friedman, Naval Anti-Air Guns, p. 1043
78. Friedman, Destroyers, p. 118
79. Friedman, Battleships, p. 390
80. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, pp. 329-330
81. Friedman, Destroyers, p. 269
82. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, p. 318
83. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, pp. 319-322
84. Friedman, Destroyers, p. 269
85. Friedman, Aircraft Carriers, p. 256
86. Friedman, Cruisers, p. 430
87. Friedman, Submarines, p. 94
88. Friedman, Destroyers, pp. 246-249
89. Friedman, Destroyers, p. 249
90. Friedman, Small Combatants, p. 201
91. Friedman, Small Combatants, pp. 207-208
92. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, p. 292
93. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, p. 292
94. Crierie, SCB Numbers
95. Friedman, Aircraft Carriers, p. 300
96. Friedman, Aircraft Carriers, p. 300
97. Friedman, Submarines, p. 31
98. Friedman, Submarines, p. 178
99. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, pp. 306-307
100. Friedman, Submarines, p. 128
101. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, p. 350
102. Roberts, LSV-1-2
103. Friedman, Aircraft Carriers, p. 296
104. Friedman, Aircraft Carriers, p. 296
105. Friedman, Aircraft Carriers, p. 274
106. Friedman, Aircraft Carriers, p. 279
107. Friedman, Aircraft Carriers, p. 280
108. Friedman, Aircraft Carriers, p. 280
109. Friedman, Destroyers, pp. 295-297
110. Friedman, Destroyers, p. 266
111. Friedman, Destroyers, pp. 275-279
112. Friedman, Submarines, p. 95
113. Roberts, AV-4
114. Friedman, Small Combatants, p. 209
115. Friedman, Submarines, p. 179
116. Friedman, Submarines, p. 182
117. Friedman, Cruisers, pp. 386-387
118. Friedman, Cruisers, p. 393
119. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, p. 292
120. Friedman, Destroyers, p. 297
121. Friedman, Small Combatants, pp. 207-208
122. Friedman, Cruisers, pp. 386-388
123. Friedman, Cruisers, p. 393
124. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, pp. 384, 386
125. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, p. 390
126. Friedman, Submarines, p. 33
127. Roberts, AV-7
128. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, p. 337
129. Friedman, Aircraft Carriers, p. 277
130. Friedman, Submarines, p. 258
131. Friedman, Destroyers, pp. 299, 307-309
132. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, p. 353
133. Friedman, Cruisers, p. 405
134. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, p. 356
135. Friedman, Aircraft Carriers, pp. 278, 312
136. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, p. 393
137. Friedman, Cruisers, p. 405
138. Friedman, Cruisers, p. 406
139. Friedman, Cruisers, p. 406
140. Friedman, Cruisers, p. 406
141. Friedman, Cruisers, p. 402
142. Friedman, Destroyers, pp. 299-303
143. Friedman, Destroyers, pp. 304-306
144. Friedman, Cruisers, pp. 394-398
145. Friedman, Cruisers, p. 400
146. Friedman, Cruisers, p. 400
147. Friedman, Aircraft Carriers, p. 346
148. Friedman, Submarines, p. 199
149. Friedman, Submarines, p. 199
150. Friedman, Small Combatants, p. 209
151. Friedman, Small Combatants, p. 209
152. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, p. 364
153. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, p. 365
154. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, p. 365
155. Friedman, Submarines, p. 143
156. Friedman, Submarines, p. 146
157. Friedman, Submarines, p. 143
158. Roberts, CM-5
159. Friedman, Destroyers, pp. 349-351
160. Friedman, Destroyers, p. 355
161. Friedman, Destroyers, p. 357
162. Friedman, Destroyers, pp. 359-361
163. Friedman, Small Combatants, p. 212
164. Friedman, Aircraft Carriers, p. 317
165. Friedman, Destroyers, p. 285
166. Friedman, Submarines, p. 122
167. Friedman, Aircraft Carriers, p. 280
168. Friedman, Aircraft Carriers, p. 282
169. Friedman, Destroyers, p. 306
170. Friedman, Submarines, p. 199
171. Friedman, Submarines, p. 199
172. see linked Wiki article
173. Roberts, AV-4
174. Friedman, Small Combatants, p. 217
175. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, p. 398
176. Friedman, Destroyers, p. 316
177. Fahey, p. 63
178. Friedman, Destroyers, p. 338
179. Friedman, Destroyers, pp. 364-370
180. Fahey, p. 13
181. Fahey, p. 12
182. Fahey, pp. 49, 63
183. Friedman, Submarines, p. 149
184. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, pp. 339-344
185. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, pp. 426-430
186. Friedman, Aircraft Carriers, p. 318
187. Fahey, p. 13
188. Friedman, Small Combatants, p. 257
189. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, p. 429
190. Friedman, Cruisers, p. 398
191. Friedman, Cruisers, p. 380
192. Friedman, Aircraft Carriers, p. 219
193. Friedman, Aircraft Carriers, p. 306
194. Friedman, Aircraft Carriers, p. 301
195. Fahey, p. 24
196. Fahey, p. 12
197. Fahey, p. 12
198. Fahey, p. 63
199. Fahey, p. 44
200. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, pp. 331-334
201. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, pp. 331-334
202. Fahey, pp. 42, 45 & 63
203. Fahey, p. 45
204. Fahey, p. 45
205. Friedman, Amphibious Ships, pp. 374-381
206. Fahey, p. 49
207. Fahey, p. 63
208. Fahey, p. 49
209. Fahey p. 63
210. Fahey, p. 63
211. Fahey, p. 45
212. Friedman, Battleships, p. 400
213. Friedman, Destroyers, p. 161

Sources

• Crierie, Ryan. "US Navy Ship Characteristic Board (SCB) Numbers" . Retrieved 22 September 2008.
• Fahey, James C. (1965). The Ships and Aircraft of the United States Fleet, Eighth Edition. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. ISBN   0-87021-637-6.
• Friedman, Norman (1982). U.S. Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. ISBN   0-87021-733-X.
• Friedman, Norman (1983). U.S. Aircraft Carriers: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute]. ISBN   0-87021-739-9.
• Friedman, Norman (1984). U.S. Cruisers: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. ISBN   0-87021-739-9.
• Friedman, Norman (1985). U.S. Battleships: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. ISBN   0-87021-715-1.
• Friedman, Norman (1987). U.S. Small Combatants: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. ISBN   978-0870217135.
• Friedman, Norman (1994). U.S. Submarines Since 1945: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. ISBN   1-55750-260-9.
• Friedman, Norman (2002). U.S. Amphibious Ships and Craft: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. ISBN   1-55750-250-1.
• Friedman, Norman (2014). Naval Anti-Aircraft Guns & Gunnery. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. ISBN   978-1591146049.
• Hewlett, Richard; Duncan, Francis (1974). Nuclear Navy 1946-1962. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press. ISBN   0-226-32219-5.
• Roberts, Stephen S. "Class: CURTISS (AV-4)]"" . Retrieved 12 July 2008.
• Roberts, Stephen S. "Class: CURRITUCK (AV-7)]" . Retrieved 12 July 2008.
• Roberts, Stephen S. "Class: CATSKILL (LSV 1-2)" . Retrieved 25 July 2008.
• Roberts, Stephen S. "Class: TERROR (CM-5)" . Retrieved 29 December 2008.
• Roberts, Stephen S. "Class: MISPILLION (AO-105)" . Retrieved 4 August 2010.
• Roberts, Stephen S. "U.S. Navy Ship Design Project Numbers, 1946-1979 ("SCB Numbers)" . Retrieved 11 October 2022.
• Wildenberg, Thomas (1996). Gray Steel and Black Oil. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. ISBN   1-55750-934-4.