In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or battle group and defend them against powerful short-range attackers. They were originally developed in 1885 by Fernando Villaamil for the Spanish Navy as a defense against torpedo boats, and by the time of the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, these "torpedo boat destroyers" (TBDs) were "large, swift, and powerfully armed torpedo boats designed to destroy other torpedo boats". Although the term "destroyer" had been used interchangeably with "TBD" and "torpedo boat destroyer" by navies since 1892, the term "torpedo boat destroyer" had been generally shortened to simply "destroyer" by nearly all navies by the First World War.
The Type 053 is a family of Chinese frigates that served with the People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force, and a small number of foreign navies.
The Type 062 gunboat is a class of gunboat of the People's Liberation Army Navy first developed and constructed in the 1950s. This unsophisticated class is relatively well-armed for its size and is the most widely built and exported Chinese naval vessel in terms of numbers. A total of 30 were built, initial boats being known as the Shanghai I class and later slightly improved boats being known as the Shanghai II class. The Shanghai I class was slightly smaller than its successor, the Shanghai II class, displacing 125 tons instead of 135 tons, and had a twin Chinese Type 66 57 mm gun mount forward. All other specifications are identical to the Shanghai II class, which replaced the 57 mm with twin 37 mm gun mounts. Some boats remained in active service well into the early 1990s in the PLA navy and longer in the case of the Korean People's Navy.
The Type 025 torpedo boat, also known as the Huchuan or Hu Chwan class, was once the backbone of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) in its confrontations with its much larger opponents in the Republic of China Navy. Although no longer serving in that capacity, this class is still active. While relatively unsophisticated, the class has enjoyed a longevity in active service thanks to a philosophy within PLAN which has continued to favor its use. Powered by Soviet-era engines, the hydrofoil-equipped boats are capable of 50 knots and carry two torpedo tubes for torpedoes, with some known to be armed with naval mines.
The Type 037 corvette is a series 400–500 ton corvette type classes in service with the People's Liberation Army Navy. Unlike western navies, the People's Liberation Army Navy does not have dedicated patrol boats in its inventory. Instead, a large variety of corvette type classes, in the form of missile boats and submarine chasers fulfill the tasks of patrolling China's territorial waters. The Egyptian Navy operates eight vessels.
Steam gun boats (SGBs) were small Royal Navy vessels built from 1940 to 1942 for Coastal Forces during the Second World War. The class consisted of nine steam-powered torpedo boats.
The Type 722 II class LCAC with NATO reporting name Jinsha II class LCAC is a medium size air-cushioned landing craft (hovercraft) operated by the People's Liberation Army Navy of China. It is frequently but erroneously referred by many as Dagu class, its predecessor, due to misspelling and lack of information in the 1970s, when these projects first appeared. There are also other names for this class, mostly resulting from different transliterations.
The H class was a series of battleship designs for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine, which were intended to fulfill the requirements of Plan Z in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The first variation, "H-39," called for six ships to be built, essentially as enlarged Bismarck-class battleships with 40.6 cm (16 in) guns and diesel propulsion. The "H-41" design improved the "H-39" ship with still larger main guns, eight 42 cm (16.5 in) weapons, and reinforced deck armor. The Construction Office of the Oberkommando der Marine (OKM) concluded their work with the "H-41" design, and were not involved in subsequent plans. Two of them, "H-42" and "H-43", increased the main battery yet again, with 48 cm (18.9 in) pieces, and the enormous "H-44" design ultimately resulted with 50.8 cm (20 in) guns. The ships ranged in size from the "H-39", which was 277.8 m long on a displacement of 56,444 t, to the "H-44", at 345 m on a displacement of 131,000 t. Most of the designs had a proposed top speed in excess of 30 knots (56 km/h).
The PSMM Mk5 multi-purpose patrol boat class gunboat were a class of small military ships built for the United States Navy based on the Asheville class gunboat. The class is called Patrol Ship Multi Mission. The class was used by South Korean, Indonesia, Taiwan and Thailand Navies.
Type 912 degaussing/deperming ship (ADG) is a type of little known auxiliary ships built in the People's Republic of China (PRC) for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), and this class has several derivatives. As of 2022, Type 912 is the most numerous degaussing/deperming ship in PLAN, and the longest serving degaussing/deperming ships in PLAN, until its successor ype 911 finally begun to appear in early 2010s.
Type 904 general stores issue ship and its successors Type 904A and Type 904B are second generation general stores issue ships currently in service with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). A total of five units have been built and as of mid 2015, two Type 904 ships, one Type 904A, and two Type 904B.
Type 946 submarine rescue ship with NATO reporting name Dazhou class is a type of coastal submarine rescue ship developed by China for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). A development designated as Type 946A is also in service with PLAN.
Type 057K minesweeper with NATO reporting name Lianyun (连云) class is a type of minesweeper of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) that is no longer in service after its retirement.
Type 081 mine countermeasure vessel is a Chinese minesweeper/minehunter currently in service with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). The second batch is often designated as Type 081A.
Type 635 hydrographic survey ship is a series of hydrographic survey ships developed by China for its People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). More successful than Type 625 of the same era, Type 635 still remains active in PLAN after half a century of service, even after its successor Type 636 has entered service. Type 635 series in PLAN service are designated by a combination of two Chinese characters followed by three-digit number. The second Chinese character is Ce (测), meaning survey in Chinese, because these ships are classified as survey ship. The first Chinese character denotes which fleet the ship is service with, with East for East Sea Fleet, North for North Sea Fleet, and South for South Sea Fleet. However, pennant numbers may have changed due to the change of Chinese naval ships naming convention.
The Type 271 landing craft is a family landing craft of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Most models in this class are landing craft utility (LCU)s, but the last model has been developed into a Landing ship medium (LSM).
Type 0105 gunboat was a type of gunboat developed by China for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) in the late 1950s.
Z51 was the only ship of the Type 1942 destroyer class built for the Kriegsmarine. She was the only destroyer built by the Kriegsmarine to use diesel fuel, which would have given it a longer range and readier access to refueling compared to fuel oil. The Type 1942 destroyer class went through a long period of development, including four total designs. Z51 was ordered on 25 November 1942, and launched on 2 October 1944, far before being finished, likely to clear her slipway for U-boat construction. She was left floating outside Bremen and was sunk in an air raid on 21 March 1945. Germany attempted to communicate the plans for the Type 1942 destroyer to its ally the Empire of Japan using a submarine, U-234, however Germany surrendered before the submarine reached Japan. Z51 was broken up between 1948 and 1949.
The Soukoutei class or AB-tei class was a type of armored gunboat used by the Imperial Japanese Army from 1928 to 1945 in the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. It was constructed of a metal hull and powered by a diesel engine. It was designated the "Type C" landing craft by the United States.
People's Liberation Army Navy 