List of World War II vessel types of the United States


This is a List of World War II vessel types of the United States that were used during World War II. This list includes submarines, battleships, minelayers, oilers, barges, pontoon rafts and other types of water craft, boats and ships. this list is not complete.

Army

Under the Army organization of 1940, the Army Quartermaster was charged with the responsibility of providing the Army with all water transport services except those specifically authorized; for the Corps of Engineers in river and harbor work, for the Coast Artillery Corps in mine planting, and for the Signal Corps in cable laying. In March 1942, most of the transportation functions of the Army Quartermaster were consolidated into the Transportation Division of the newly created Services of Supply and later that same year, on 31 July, the Transportation Corps was established.

Coast Artillery Corps Mine Planter Service

The Army Mine Planter Service was responsible for the minefields of the Coast Artillery Corps' coast defenses. The largest vessels of the service were the U.S. Army Mine Planter, which was equipped to install mines and associated control cables. Smaller vessels known as "junior mine planters" or "pup planters", were occasionally employed as mine planters, but they mostly served as freight and passenger boats for river and harbor duty with the Harbor Boat Service. In addition to the mine planters, there were distribution box boats, used for servicing the mine-cable distribution boxes and rugged utility boats called motor mine yawls.

Mine ships

LDistribution Box Boat
MMotor Mine Yawl
MPMine Planter
JMPJunior Mine Planter

One example is:

Signal Corps

Cable ships

One example is:

Communication ships

Army communications ships in the South West Pacific theater of World War II provided radio relay services and acted as command posts for forward elements ashore.
CSCommunications ship
CSMMaintenance ship, a CS ship additionally equipped to perform radio repair
CSNNews ship, was used by civilian journalist
CSQQuarters ship, a floating dormitory
PCERPatrol Craft, Escort, Rescue

Surviving examples include:
; Schooners

Transportation Corps - Water Division

South West Pacific Area (SWPA) - Services of Supply (USASOS)

Operated in the Southwest Pacific Area.
Small Ships Section
As there was a need for a fleet of shallow-draft vessels that could navigate among coral reefs, use primitive landing places far up the coast of New Guinea, and land along the outlying islands. An "S" fleet under Army control was created using local Australian vessels crewed largely by civilian Australians and New Zealanders. It was a miscellaneous collection of luggers, rusty trawlers, old schooners, launches, ketches, yawls, and yachts.

Water Branch - Army Transport Service (ATS)

The Army Transport Service, originating with the Quartermaster Corps in 1898 and continuing into Transportation Corps as a division, operated the Army's large ships, most of which were transports, but ATS also manned the Army's large cable ships.
; Troop ships
Troop ships included the following.
Surviving examples include:
; Sunk
; Cargo ships over 1,000 tons
Cargo ships moved freight around the world.

Harbor Branch - Harbor Boat Service (HBS)

FM 55-130 Small Boats and Harbor Craft
; Harbor Vessels
The Harbor Craft Company is organized for the purpose of ferrying to shore cargo from freighters and transports arriving in theaters of operation. The vessels may either be riding offshore at anchor in the open sea or more likely, anchored in a harbor. Cargo from the ships is loaded by Transportation Corps port company personnel onto barges. Then tugs, tow boats, or marine tractors propel the barges to the shore for unloading. Any cargo too heavy for the vessel's gear to lift is handled by a 60-ton floating crane.
  • B Barge or Lorcha
  • BB Balloon Barge
  • BBP Balloon Barrage Leader
  • BC Cargo Barge
  • BCS Cargo Barge
  • BCL Cargo Barge
  • BD Derrick and Crane Barges
  • BDP Pontoon Derrick Barge
  • BK Knocked-down barge
  • BG Gasoline Barge
  • BSP Self-propelled Barge
  • BW Water Barge
  • BTL Truck Lighter
  • C Navy Type Launch
  • CL Landing Boat
  • D Dory and Dinghie
  • G Marine Tractor
  • HA Hoisting or Retrieving Vessel
  • JR Radio Controlled Boat
  • J Launch up to 50'
  • MT Motor Towboat
  • MTL Motor Towboat
  • OB Outboard Launch - Detachable Motor
  • OBM Outboard Motor - Stationary Motor
  • Q Launch, more than 60'
  • R Rowboat
  • TKL Tank Lighter
  • V Speed Boat
  • Y Tanker - 176'
; Cargo ships under 1,000 tons
Coastwise and inter-island cargo ships, sometimes known as coastal freighters.
; Small Boat Company
The small boat company provided regular coastal and island service to bases in the Aleutian and Pacific Islands to supply food and equipment transported by small coastal and inter-island vessels and water craft that were under 200 feet or under 1,000 gross tons of the following vessel types.
  • Ferry
  • Tanker
  • Water Boat
  • Motor Launch
  • Seagoing Tug
  • Freight-Passenger Vessel
Ttender
lighter
towing vessel
transport boat		Vessel 65' Wood
TPtug, passengerUtility Vessel 96' Wood - Harbor Tug
TPtrawler
tow boat
purse seiner
sailing schooner		Freight & Passenger Vessel - under 100'
F Cargo Vessel 99' Steel
FT Vessel 115' Wood
FP Freight & Passenger Vessel - over 100'
FSsmall, 99' and under
FSmedium, 100' to 139'
FSlarge, 140' and over

FS-80 to FS-90 were merchant vessels refitted for wartime operation
Built during World War II:
QSQuick Supply Boat: Design 235-C, see P type
STSmall Tug, under 100'
LTLarge Tug, over 100'

Surviving examples include:

Air Corps - Quartermaster Corps (QMC) boat service

Late in 1943 all rescue-boat activities were reassigned to the Army Air Forces.
''Unit Designation Chronology''

Rescue Boats

Rescue boats included the following.
SGSwamp Glider
PRescue Boat, various sizes. Also referred too as a Crash Boat or Crash Rescue Boat. Design 235, see QS type

Corps of Engineers

Rivers & Harbors Division

Reorganized 6 June 1942 as Construction Division - Engineering and Operations branches.
towboata powerful small boat designed to pull or push larger vessels
dredgea vessel equipped for digging out the bed of a water way
snagboata vessel equipped for removing obstructions in a water way

Surviving examples include:

Troops Division

The 1943 Engineer Field Manual described a table of organization and equipment for specialized types of engineering units. These included:
; Port & Harbor Rehabilitation
The engineer Engineer Port Repair ship is equipped with repair facilities that include a heavy crane and a machine shop and maintains channels and ship berths by removing sunken ships and other obstructions. It also maintains channel markings and other aids for pilots. It does needed work on docks and wharves in conjunction with engineer port construction and repair groups.
; Port Construction and Repair Group
The primary mission of the engineer port construction and repair group is to make ready for use the facilities of ports of debarkation in a theater of operations. and to perform work involved in improvement or expansion of such ports, exclusive of harbors. Its work is performed in conjunction with engineer port repair ship operations offshore.
The construction platoon consists of a divers' section under the supervision of an officer, as master diver. Enlisted personnel consists of marine divers and divers' attendants. This section does underwater work incident to construction of quay walls, wharves, piers, etc.
Militarized Dredge3-inch gun turrets, 20-millimeter gun turrets
Port Repair Shipworkshops, cranes, machine shops, U.S. Army divers' complement

Surviving examples include:
; Near-short units
The Engineer Amphibian Brigade, redesignated in 1943 as Engineer Special Brigade provided personnel and equipment for transporting combat troops from a friendly near shore to a hostile far shore when the distance is not over 100 miles. The brigade resupplies these troops during the early stages of establishing a beachhead. The brigade can transport one division when reinforced by naval LCT boats.
  • 2+1/2-ton amphibian trucks,
  • command and navigation boats
  • tank lighters
  • patrol boats
  • surf-landing boats
; River crossing units
Reconnaissance Boatsmall two-man inflatable rubber boat
M-2 Assault Boat10 man plywood boat that could also be used for infantry support rafts or used in the assembly of an expedient assault boat bridge
Storm Boat8 man hi speed powerboat with a 55 HP Outboard Motor, designed to beach at speed, thus allowing the soldiers on board to "Storm the Shore"
DUKWA six-wheel-drive amphibious truck
Landing Vehicle Tracked (LVT)amphibious vehicle
Treadway Bridgesteel treadway laid on pneumatic floats
Ponton bridgeheavy ponton and light ponton
ponton-raft

; Treadway bridge company
A Treadway bridge company is attached to an armored division in river-crossing operations to provide a bridge for heavy vehicles. Equipment included a steel-treadway bridge M1, providing a floating bridge about 1,080 feet long, or a steel-treadway bridge M2, providing a floating bridge about 864 feet long.
; Light ponton company
The company is attached to a division in river-crossing operations to provide bridges and rafts. Equipment included two units of M3 pneumatic bridge equipage or two units of M1938 10-ton ponton bridge equipment.
Their stream-crossing equipment included:
; Heavy ponton battalion
The Heavy ponton battalion was attached to a corps in river-crossing operations to provide bridges and rafts capable of supporting heavier loads. Bridges and rafts are constructed of four units of 25-ton heavy ponton equipment, M1940.

Maritime Commission vessels

Vessels operated by the Maritime Commission included Liberty and Victory Ships.

Liberty ship

Surviving examples include:

Victory ship

Surviving examples include:
*

Navy

Amphibious warfare type

Amphibious warfare vessels include all ships with organic capability for amphibious warfare and which have characteristics enabling long duration operations on the high seas. There are two classifications of craft: amphibious warfare ships which are built to cross oceans, and landing craft, which are designed to take troops from ship to shore in an invasion. Some vessels called "landing ships" did not have the capability to off-load troops and supplies onto beaches; they were just transports or command-and-control vessels.

Ships

; Landing Craft

Other types

Aircraft Carriers
Battleships
Cruisers
Destroyers
Submarines
Minesweepers
Patrol Craft
Submarine Chasers
Motor Torpedo Boats
Auxiliaries
Hospital Ships
Cargo Ships
Net-Laying Ships AN
Oilers & Tankers
Transports
Repair Ships
Submarine Tenders & Rescue Vessels
Tugboats
Seaplane Tenders & Aviation Supply Ships
Distilling Ships
Unclassified Vessels
Yard and District Craft
Coast Guard Cutters