Collection

Ships

Ships, builders, home ports, specifications, and histories.

Showing 8,451–8,500

Name	Type	Hull Num	Class	Status	Comm Is Date	Decom Sunk Or Reclass	Reclass Num	Builder	Built City	Built State	Historynotes
Iris	ScStr			Returned	1917-04-11 00:00:00.000	1919-07-01 00:00:00.000			Philadelphia	PA	5th Iris Built for Lighhouse Service 1897 Transferred to N… 5th Iris Built for Lighhouse Service 1897 Transferred to Navy with Lighthouse Service Apr 11 1917 WW I - Returned to Commerce Department Jul 1 1919
Iris	Str			Decom	1847-10-25 00:00:00.000	1848-12-16 00:00:00.000			New York	NY	1st Iris Built 1847 Mexican War Blockade of coast of Mexi… 1st Iris Built 1847 Mexican War Blockade of coast of Mexico Decommissioned Dec 16 1848 Sold Renamed Osprey Mar 9 1849
Iris	SwStr			Decom		1865-07-15 00:00:00.000			Brooklyn	NY	2nd Iris Ex Willet Rowe, qv Purchased by Navy Oct 16 1863 … 2nd Iris Ex Willet Rowe, qv Purchased by Navy Oct 16 1863 Renamed Iris shortly after purchase in 1863 Civil War South Atlantic Blockading Squadron Decommissioned Jul 15 1865 Transferred to Treasury Department for Lighthouse Service
Irish Splice	Cargo				1945-04-12 00:00:00.000			Walter Butler Shipbuilders, Inc.	Duluth	MN	Maritime Commission Hull 2249 Merchant ship Original opera… Maritime Commission Hull 2249 Merchant ship Original operator, United States Lines WW II
Iro	Str			Returned	1918-08-08 00:00:00.000	1919-04-30 00:00:00.000		Bath Iron Works	Bath	ME	Built 1889 Acquired by Navy Aug 8 1918 WW I - 5th Naval D… Built 1889 Acquired by Navy Aug 8 1918 WW I - 5th Naval District Returned to owner Apr 30 1919
Iron Age	ScStr			Destroyed	1863-06-25 00:00:00.000	1864-01-11 00:00:00.000			Kennebunk	ME	Built 1862 Purchased by Navy Apr 28 1863 Commissioned Jun … Built 1862 Purchased by Navy Apr 28 1863 Commissioned Jun 25 1863 Civil War North Atlantic Blockading Squadron Oct 21 1863, assisted in destroying blockade runner Venus Nov 9 1863, aided in capturing Confederate blockade runner Robert E. Lee, qv Dec 24 1863, destruction of salt works at Bear Inlet Grounded Jan 10 1864 near Wilmington NC Burned and destroyed Jan 11 1864 to prevent capture
Iron City	Steamboat										Civil War Used by Army January 1865, Ohio River
Iron County	LST	840	LST-542	Decom	1955-07-01 00:00:00.000	1957-11-23 00:00:00.000		American Bridge Co.	Ambridge	PA	Ex LST-840, no name, qv Named Iron County (LST-840) Jul 1 1… Ex LST-840, no name, qv Named Iron County (LST-840) Jul 1 1955 Decommissioned Nov 23 1957 Transferred to "Republic of China" (Taiwan) Jul 1 1958 Struck Feb 6 1959 Renamed Chung Fu (LST-223)
Iron King	Str										Civil War Used by Confederates on Alabana River in late 186… Civil War Used by Confederates on Alabana River in late 1864, Master Mate J. E. Mayhew
Ironclad											Merchant ship WW II Jun-Jul 1942, Convoy PQ-17 to North Ru… Merchant ship WW II Jun-Jul 1942, Convoy PQ-17 to North Russia.
Ironsides Jr.	Bark										Chartered by Navy Aug 1863 Civil War Storeship at Port Roy… Chartered by Navy Aug 1863 Civil War Storeship at Port Royal until at least Jun 1 1864, the last date of any record of her in official records
Ironwood	WLB	297	Balsam					Coast Guard Yard	Curtis Bay	MD
Iroquois	StSlp			Decom	1859-11-24 00:00:00.000	1899-06-30 00:00:00.000		New York Navy Yard	New York	NY	1st Iroquois Civil War Apr 1862, bombardment of Forts Jack… 1st Iroquois Civil War Apr 1862, bombardment of Forts Jackson and St. Philip Jun 1862, passed Vicksburg after exchange of gunfire Decommissioned Oct 6 1862 for repairs Recommissioned Jan 8 1863 North Atlantic Blockading Squadron Jul 24 1863, captured Confederate blockade runner Merrimac, qv, off Cape Fear Decommissioned Oct 8 1863 Recommissioned Mar 31 1864 Decommissioned Oct 6 1865 Recommissioned Jan 7 1867 Decommissioned Apr 23 1870 Recommissioned Aug 23 1871 Decommissioned Jul 23 1874 for repairs Recommissioned Apr 12 1882 Decommissioned May 12 1892 Recommissioned Dec 13 1898 Decommissioned Jun 30 1899 Transferred to Marine Hospital Service Renamed Ionie, qv, Nov 30 1904
Iroquois	AT	46		Decom	1898-07-06 00:00:00.000	1925-03-07 00:00:00.000		Union Iron Works	San Francisco	CA	2nd Iroquois Ex Fearless, built 1892 Purchased by Navy Apr… 2nd Iroquois Ex Fearless, built 1892 Purchased by Navy Apr 18 1898 Commissioned Jul 6 1898 as Iroquois Spanisp-American War Mare Island WW I - East Coast Decommissioned Mar 7 1925 Sold May 15 1928 (Seems to have been reacquired by Navy for World War II as ATO-46, qv, but DANFS does not mention this)
Iroquois	ATO	46									(Probably is same vessel as AT-46, qv, and reqcuired by Navy… (Probably is same vessel as AT-46, qv, and reqcuired by Navy for World War II, but DANFS does not mention ATO-46) WW II
Iroquois	LT	461						Union Iron Works	San Francisco	CA	Built 1892 Army vessel WW II
Irvin MacDowell					1942-06-10 00:00:00.000			Permanente Metals Corp, Richmond #2	Richmond	CA	Maritime Commission E Hull 321 Named for Union GEN Irvin Mc… Maritime Commission E Hull 321 Named for Union GEN Irvin McDowell, qv (Ship may also be cited as Irvin McDowell) Merchant ship Original operator, Pope & Talbot WW II
Irvin S. Cobb					1944-08-31 00:00:00.000			St. Johns River Shipbuilding Co., Inc.	Jacksonville	FL	Maritime Commission E Hull 2491 Merchant ship Original ope… Maritime Commission E Hull 2491 Merchant ship Original operator, Seas Shipping WW II
Irving Babbitt					1944-09-21 00:00:00.000			Todd-Houston Shipbuilding Corp.	Houston	TX	Maritime Commission E Hull 2957 Merchant ship Original ope… Maritime Commission E Hull 2957 Merchant ship Original operator, American South African Lines WW II
Irving M. Scott					1943-06-10 00:00:00.000			Permanente Metals Corp, Shipbuilding Div.	Richmond	CA	Maritime Commission E Hull 1566 Merchant ship Original ope… Maritime Commission E Hull 1566 Merchant ship Original operator, McCormick Steamship WW II
Irving W. Pratt					1943-06-29 00:00:00.000			Oregon Shipbuilding Corp.	Portland	OR	Maritime Commission E Hull 2034 Merchant ship Original ope… Maritime Commission E Hull 2034 Merchant ship Original operator, War Shipping Administration WW II
Irwin	Transport			Renamed			*	William Cramp & Sons Ship & Engine Bldg	Philadelphia	PA	Built 1918 Army transport Renamed John L. Clem, qv, and co… Built 1918 Army transport Renamed John L. Clem, qv, and converted to hospital ship
Irwin	DD	794	Fletcher	Decom	1944-09-14 00:00:00.000	1958-01-10 00:00:00.000		Bethlehem Steel Co., Shipbuilding Div.	San Pedro	CA	Named for RADM Noble E. Irwin, qv WW II Jun-Aug 1944, Oper… Named for RADM Noble E. Irwin, qv WW II Jun-Aug 1944, Operation Forager, Invasion of Saipan and Tinian, CDR D. B. Miller Jun 1944, Battle of the Philippine Sea Oct 1944, Invasion of Leyte, CDR D. B. Miller Feb 1945, Invasion of Iwo Jima Apr-Jun 1945, Operation Iceberg, Okinawa Campaign, TG 54.1/51.21, CDR Daniel B. Miller, Then CDR R. B. Kelley Decommissioned May 31 1946 Recommissioned Feb 25 1951 Korean War Decommissioned Jan 10 1958 Navy Unit Commendation and 6 Battle Stars WW II 1 Battle Star Korean War
Irwin L. Hunt	Cargo							Skinner & Eddy	Seattle	WA	Built 1918 Army vessel WW II
Irwin Russell					1943-10-30 00:00:00.000			Delta Shipbuilding Co., Inc.	New Orleans	LA	Maritime commission E Hull 1743 Merchant ship Original ope… Maritime commission E Hull 1743 Merchant ship Original operator, American Rep. Corp. WW II
Isaac Babbitt	IX	173			1943-05-08 00:00:00.000			Permanente Metals Corp, Shipbuilding Div.	Richmond	CA	Maritime Commission E Hull 1106 Navy vessel WW II
Isaac Coles					1942-06-26 00:00:00.000			California Shipbuilding Corp.	Los Angeles	CA	Maritime Commission E Hull 84 Merchant ship Original opera… Maritime Commission E Hull 84 Merchant ship Original operator, American President Lines WW II
Isaac Delgado					1944-09-19 00:00:00.000			Delta Shipbuilding Co.	New Orleans	LA	Maritime Commission E Hull 2810 Merchant ship Original ope… Maritime Commission E Hull 2810 Merchant ship Original operator, Prudential Corp. WW II
Isaac I. Stevens					1944-01-06 00:00:00.000			Oregon Shipbuilding Corp.	Portland	OR	Maritime Commission E Hull 2575 Merchant ship Original ope… Maritime Commission E Hull 2575 Merchant ship Original operator, Inter-Ocean Steamship WW II
Isaac M. Singer					1944-11-27 00:00:00.000			St. Johns River Shipbuilding Co., Inc.	Jacksonville	FL	Maritime Commission E Hull 2506 Merchant ship Original ope… Maritime Commission E Hull 2506 Merchant ship Original operator, Moore-McCormack WW II
Isaac Mayer Wise					1944-12-15 00:00:00.000			St. Johns River Shipbuilding Co., Inc.	Jacksonville	FL	Maritime Commission E Hull 2509 Merchant ship Original ope… Maritime Commission E Hull 2509 Merchant ship Original operator, North Atlantic Gulf Steamship Co. WW II
Isaac McCoy					1943-12-15 00:00:00.000			Oregon Shipbuilding Corp.	Portland	OR	Maritime Commission E Hull 2535 Merchant ship Original ope… Maritime Commission E Hull 2535 Merchant ship Original operator, Weyerhaeuser Steamship WW II
Isaac N. Seymour	SwStr			Decom	1861-10-26 00:00:00.000	1865-05-16 00:00:00.000			Keyport	NY	Also called Seymour, I. N. Seymour, and J. N. Seymour Built… Also called Seymour, I. N. Seymour, and J. N. Seymour Built 1860 Purchased by Navy Oct 26 1861 Civil War North Atlantic Blockading Squadron Feb 8 1862, capture of Roanoke Island Decommissioned May 16 1865 Transferred to Lighthouse Board Jun 20 1865 Renamed Tulip Renamed Magnolia
Isaac S. Hopkins					1944-02-14 00:00:00.000			Southerastern Shipbuilding Corp.	Savannah	GA	Maritime Commission E Hull 2434 Merchant ship Original ope… Maritime Commission E Hull 2434 Merchant ship Original operator, Isbrandtsen Steamship WW II
Isaac Sharpless					1943-03-05 00:00:00.000			New England Shipbuilding corp.	South Portland	ME	Maritime Commission E Hull 778 Merchant ship Original oper… Maritime Commission E Hull 778 Merchant ship Original operator, Mystic Steamship WW II
Isaac Shelby					1944-03-18 00:00:00.000			J. A. Jones Const. Co., Brunswick Yard	Brunswick	GA	Maritime Commission E Hull 1518 Merchant ship Original ope… Maritime Commission E Hull 1518 Merchant ship Original operator, Smith & Johnson WW II
Isaac Smith	SwStr			Surrendered	1861-09-09 00:00:00.000	1863-01-30 00:00:00.000	*		Nyack	NJ	Built 1851 as Isaac P. Smith Purchased by Navy Sep 9 1861 … Built 1851 as Isaac P. Smith Purchased by Navy Sep 9 1861 Civil War South Atlantic Blockading Squadron Nov 1861, Port Royal Expedition (Union) Jan 1862, Expedition to Savannah GA Apr 3 1862, her boats captured British blockade runner British Empire near St. Augustine May-Aug 1862, blockade of Jacksonville Captured by Confederates Jan 30 1863, in Stono River, taken into confederate Navy and renamed Stono, qv
Isaac Van Zandt					1944-03-30 00:00:00.000			Todd-Houston Shipbuilding Corp.	Houston	TX	Maritime Commission E Hull 2431 Merchant ship Original ope… Maritime Commission E Hull 2431 Merchant ship Original operator, Olympic Steamship WW II
Isabel	PY	10		Decom	1917-12-28 00:00:00.000	1946-02-11 00:00:00.000		Bath Iron Works	Bath	ME	Built 1917. Ex yacht Isabel. Acquired by Navy while buildi… Built 1917. Ex yacht Isabel. Acquired by Navy while building WW I - Decommissioned 4/30/1920 Recommissioned 8/21/1921 1921, Yangtze Patrol Nanking affair 1930s, Asiatic Fleet. Fleet commander's yacht WW II Early December 1941. On orders from President Roosevelt, sent on reconnaissance along the Indo-China coast to attempt to monitor Japanese build-up Dec 8 1941, at Cavite Navy Yard, Philippines, LTJG F. W. Payne Jr Dec 10 1941, attacked by Japanese aircraft at Cavite. Shot down one attacking plane Target of Japanese air raids at Batavia, Palembang and Tjilatap Escort and training ship in Australia Decommissioned 2/11/1946 Sold 3/25/1946 for scrapping 1 Battle Star WW II
Isabela	Str			Decom	1918-04-12 00:00:00.000	1919-02-14 00:00:00.000		Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.	Newport News	VA	Built 1911 Acquired by Navy Apr 9 1918 Commissioned Apr 12… Built 1911 Acquired by Navy Apr 9 1918 Commissioned Apr 12 1918 WW I - Naval Overseas Transportation Service Decommissioned Feb 14 1919 Returned to U.S. Shipping Board
Isabella	Freighter			Sunk		1942-05-19 00:00:00.000					WW II Torpedoed and shelled, sunk May 19 1942 in Caribbean;… WW II Torpedoed and shelled, sunk May 19 1942 in Caribbean; Three crewmen lost
Isabella	Steamboat										Civil War Used by Army December 1862, lower Mississippi
Isanti	No.	3423		Decom	1918-09-30 00:00:00.000	1919-02-24 00:00:00.000		Western Pipe & Steel Co.	San Francisco	CA	Built 1918 WW I - Naval Overseas Transportation Service D… Built 1918 WW I - Naval Overseas Transportation Service Decommissioned Feb 24 1919 and transferred to U.S. Shipping Board the same day
Isherwood	DD	284	Clemson	Decom	1919-12-04 00:00:00.000	1930-05-01 00:00:00.000		Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp.	Squantum	MA	1st Isherwood Named for EngineerRADM Benjamin F. Isherwood,… 1st Isherwood Named for EngineerRADM Benjamin F. Isherwood, qv Atlantic Decommissioned May 1 1930 Sold Jan 17 1931 Scrapped 1934
Isherwood	DD	520	Fletcher	Decom	1943-04-12 00:00:00.000	1961-09-11 00:00:00.000		Bethlehem Shipbuilding Co.	Staten Island	NY	2nd Isherwood Named for RADM Benjamin F. Isherwood, qv WW … 2nd Isherwood Named for RADM Benjamin F. Isherwood, qv WW II 1943, Atlantic Jun 1944, bombardments of Kurile Islands Oct 1944, Invasion of Leyte, CDR L. E. Schmidt Jan 1945, Invasion at Lingayen Gulf Apr 1945, Operation Iceberg, Okinawa Campaign, TG 51.21. Severely damaged 4/22, and sent to Navy yard for repair Decommissioned Feb 1 1946 Recommissioned Apr 5 1951 1957, Quemoy-Matsu crisis Decommissioned Sep 11 1961 Loaned to Peru Oct 8 1951 Renamed Guise (DD-72) 5 Battle Stars WW II
Isilda	Sch			Sold							Sometimes spelled Ezilda Civil War Confederate blockade ru… Sometimes spelled Ezilda Civil War Confederate blockade runner, captured by USS South Carolina, qv, off Timbalier Light LA Sep 30 1861 Fitted as tender Gulf Blockading Squadron Apr 24 1862, forced a blockade runner aground at Cedar Keys, FL. Two days later the other vessel blew up, probably destroyed by its crew Jun 10 1862, cornered steamer Havana in Deadman's Bay FL, forcing its crew to burn it to prevent capture Sometime after Jun 11 1863, found uneconomical to repair and sold
Isis	ScStr			Decom	1917-10-04 00:00:00.000	1919-04-30 00:00:00.000			Newburgh		Built 1902 for Coast and Geodetic Survey Taken by Navy Sep … Built 1902 for Coast and Geodetic Survey Taken by Navy Sep 24 1917 WW I - Squadron 2, Cruiser Force Decommissioned Apr 30 1919 Returned to Coast and Geodetic Survey
Isla de Cuba	Gbt			Decom	1900-04-11 00:00:00.000	1904-06-09 00:00:00.000		Sir W. G. Armstrong	Newcastle upon Tyne	EN	Built 1886 for Spanish Navy Captured in Philippines by U.S.… Built 1886 for Spanish Navy Captured in Philippines by U.S. Navy 1898 Commissioned Apr 11 1900 Philippine Insurrection Decommissioned Jun 9 1904 Loaned to Naval Militia of Maryland Sold to Venezuela Apr 2 1912 Renamed Mariscal Sucre
Isla de Luzon	Gbt			Decom	1900-01-31 00:00:00.000	1919-02-15 00:00:00.000		Sir W. G. Armstrong	Newcastle upon Tyne	EN	Built for Spanish Navy in 1887 Captured by U.S. Navy in wsa… Built for Spanish Navy in 1887 Captured by U.S. Navy in wsar with Spain Commissioned in U.S. Navy Jan 31 1900 Philippine Insurrection Louisiana Naval Militia Illinois Naval Militia WW I - Chicago Narragansett Bay Naval Torpedo Station Decommissioned Feb 15 1919 STruck Jul 23 1919 Sole Mar 10 1920 Renamed Reviver
Island Belle	SwStr			Burned	1861-09-04 00:00:00.000	1862-06-28 00:00:00.000					Purchased by Navy Sep 4 1861 Civil War Potomac Flotilla M… Purchased by Navy Sep 4 1861 Civil War Potomac Flotilla May 1862, to North Atlantic Blockading Squadron Ran aground Jun 23 1862. Burned Jun 28 1862 to prevent capture

Background and Sources Collection notes, historical context, and related resources

Ships

Purpose

The Ships table is the most comprehensive and nearly complete of the tables in this site. It includes tens of thousands of different vessels. It is primarily, but not exclusively, Navy ships, that have helped make American history.

Fewer than half of the vessels in the table are named. Most of the others are identified only by a number but one that is unique to that vessel (called hull numbers by the Navy). The most famous of the latter is PT-109, John Kennedy’s PT boat that was sunk in World War II. Another famous group is the “LSTs”, the Landing Ships-Tank of World War II fame. (Some crew members who served on these big, ungainly vessels said that LST stood for Large Slow Target.) Following World War II, the Navy started giving the LSTs names, but those in the war were identified only by their hull numbers.

DANFS

The most authoritative and most common source of information about the Navy’s commissioned and named ships, plus the LSTs, is the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS). This series of eight books was published by the Navy and was not available through commercial book stores. The books are now out of print, but are available through the used book market. Much if not all of their content is now also available online at the Naval History and Heritage Command’s DANFS site.

Many thousands of watercraft had non-unique numbers, or semi-unique numbers, the latter including landing craft that carried the number of the transport that carried them plus a number of their own (such as PA-91-15). I have not tried to include these latter craft in this project.

The World War II Commercial Fleet

The Navy in World War II utilized many commercial vessels, even in the dangerous landing operations, the most famous being the Liberty Ships, which were mostly freighters, and their larger replacements, the Victory Ships. These and other commercial vessels from that war are included in the table. The U.S. built thousands of these ships and other commercial type ships during and shortly after World War II. Lists of the various types of commercial design ships built for the war, and separate lists of what ships were built by each shipyard, are at the Maritime Commission site.

Some of these were turned over to the Navy to operate, but most were operated by commercial shipping companies, even in battle and particularly in dangerous convoys crossing the Atlantic.

The liberty ships were named for people, and a book has been published that identifies who these people were. It is Liberty Ships, the People Behind the Names, compiled by Capt. Robert Deschamps and published in 1999. It is probably available online.

The Army’s Ships

The Army has also used thousands of ships and other watercraft over the years, especially in the Civil War and World War II. Major sources of information about these vessels are:

The Army’s Navy Series Volume I, Marine Transportation in War. The U.S. Army Experience 1775-1860, by Charles Dana Gibson and E. Kay Gibson.

The Army’s Navy Series Volume II, Assault and Logistics Union Army Coastal and River Operations 1861-1866, by Charles Dana Gibson and E. Kay Gibson.

U.S. Army Ships and Watercraft of World War II, by David H. Grover.

Smaller Vessels

Many books and web sites have been published about the tens of thousands of smaller vessels that the Navy used during World War II. I have found several of them and am sure there are many more that I’m not aware of.

Two fine examples are:

Ten Thousand Men and One Hundred Thirty “Mighty Midget” Ships–The U.S.S. LCS(L)s in World War II, by Raymond A. Baumler. This is about the Landing Ship Support (Large) vessels. This book was privately published and printed in 1991 by PIP Printing, Rockville MD.

At Close Quarters, PT Boats in the United States Navy, by Robert J. Bulkley, Jr. This book has extensive information about the history of each PT-Boat, many of the men who served on them, and their organizations. This book was first printed in 1962 for the Navy by the Government Printing Office, and has been reprinted by the Naval Institute Press.