Collection

Ships

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

Showing 13,801–13,850

Name	Type	Hull Num	Class	Status	Comm Is Date	Decom Sunk Or Reclass	Reclass Num	Builder	Built City	Built State	Home Port	Historynotes
Piscataqua	AOG	70	Klickatat					St. John's River Shipbuilding Corp.	Jacksonville	FL		Launched May 26 1945 Never accepted by Navy Taken by Marit… Launched May 26 1945 Never accepted by Navy Taken by Maritime Commission Sep 18 1945 Renamed Louden
Piscataqua	AOG	80	Tonti		1950-08-19 00:00:00.000			Todd Houston Shipbuilding Co.	Houston	TX		4th Piscataqua Ex Taveta Ex Cisne Launched as Cisne Sep 1… 4th Piscataqua Ex Taveta Ex Cisne Launched as Cisne Sep 10 1945 and delivered to Maritime Commission Activated and delivered to Military Sea Transportation Service Aug 19 1950 Designated T-AOG-80 Korean War Vietnam War 3 Battle Stars Korean War
Pit River	Tanker							Alabama Drydock & Shipbuilding Co.	Mobile	AL		Maritime Commission Hull 2046 Merchant ship Original opera… Maritime Commission Hull 2046 Merchant ship Original operator, American Rep. Corp. WW II
Pit River	LSM(R)	518	LSMR-401	Struck		1958-10-01 00:00:00.000		Brown Shipbuilding Co.	Houston	TX		Ex LSM(R)-518, no name, qv Named Pit River Oct 1 1955, afte… Ex LSM(R)-518, no name, qv Named Pit River Oct 1 1955, after decommissioning Struck Oct 1 1958 Sold Jun 1959
Pitamakan	YTB	403	Sassaba	Reclas	1945-06-19 00:00:00.000		*	Gibbs Gas Engine Co.	Jacksonville	FL		Ex YT-403 WW II 13th Naval District Entered reserve Mar 1… Ex YT-403 WW II 13th Naval District Entered reserve Mar 1946 Activated 1953 Reclassified YTM-403, qv, Feb 1962
Pitamakan	YTM	403						Gibbs Gas Engine Co.	Jacksonville	FL		Ex YTN-403, qv Reclassified YTM-403 Feb 1962 6th Naval Dis… Ex YTN-403, qv Reclassified YTM-403 Feb 1962 6th Naval District
Pitcairn	PF	85	Tacoma	Struck		1946-07-03 00:00:00.000		Walsh-Kaiser Co., Inc.	Providence	RI		Maritime Commission Hull 1667 Ex Pilford Originally design… Maritime Commission Hull 1667 Ex Pilford Originally designated PG-193 Renamed Pitcairn and launched Oct 15 1943 Delivered to U. S. Navy 7/06/1944 Transfered to Great Britain Jul 7 1943 Returned to U. S. Navy Jun 11 1946 Struck Jul 3 1946 Sold Nov 8 1947
Pitchlynn	YTB	283	Onockatin	Sold	1944-11-03 00:00:00.000	1960-08-31 00:00:00.000		Westergard Boat Works	Biloxi	MS		Ex YT-283 Built 1943-44 Redesignated YTB-283 May 15 1944, … Ex YT-283 Built 1943-44 Redesignated YTB-283 May 15 1944, before launching Delivered to Navy Nov 3 1944 WW II 4th Naval District Struck Apr 1960 Sold Aug 31 1960
Pitkin County	LST	1082	LST-511	Decom	1955-07-01 00:00:00.000	1971-09-01 00:00:00.000		American Bridge Co.	Ambridge	PA		Originally LST 1082, no name, qv Renamed Pitkin County Jul … Originally LST 1082, no name, qv Renamed Pitkin County Jul 1 1955 Decommissioned Sep 1 1955 Recommissioned Jul 9 1966 Vietnam War Operation Market Time Decommissioned Sep 1 1971 2 Navy Unit Commendations, i Meritorious Unit Commendation and 10 Battle Stars Vietnam War
Pitt	APA	223	Haskell	Decom	1944-12-11 00:00:00.000	1947-04-09 00:00:00.000		Permanente Metals Co.	Richmond	CA		Maritime Commission Victory Hull 571 WW II Apr 1945, Opera… Maritime Commission Victory Hull 571 WW II Apr 1945, Operation Iceberg, Okinawa operations Decommissioned and transferred to Maritime Commission Apr 91 1947 Struck Apr 23 1947 1 Battle Star WW II
Pittsburgh	SwGbt			Sold		1865-11-29 00:00:00.000		James B. Eads	St. Louis	MO		1st Pittsburgh Oftern spelled Pittsburg River gunboat Bui… 1st Pittsburgh Oftern spelled Pittsburg River gunboat Buiilt under War Department contract Commissioned Jan 1862 under Army control One of "Pook Turtles" Civil War Feb 1862, Battle of Fort Donelson Apr 3 1862, attack on Island No. 10 Apr 3 1862, attack on New Madrid Transferred to Navy command Oct 1 1862 Mar 1863, Steele's Bayou Expedition Apr 16 1863, passing of Vicksburg batteries Apr 29 1863, Grand Gulf, on Mississippi Mar-May 1864, Red River Expedition Decommissioned following the war Sold Nov 29 1863
Pittsburgh	ACR	4	Pennsylvania	Decom	1912-08-27 00:00:00.000	1931-07-10 00:00:00.000		William Cramp & Sons	Philadelphia	PA		2nd Pittsburgh Armored Cruiser No. 4 Ex Pennsylvania, qv … 2nd Pittsburgh Armored Cruiser No. 4 Ex Pennsylvania, qv Renamed Pittsburgh Aug 27 1912 1914, Mexico WW I - Pacific Coast of Americas Classified ACR-4, probably in 1921 Decommissioned Oct 15 1921 Recommissioned Oct 2 1922 Flagship of Naval Forces in Europe 1927-31, Asiatic Fleet Decommissioned Jul 10 1931 Sold Dec 21 1931 for scrapping
Pittsburgh	CA	72	Baltimore	Decom	1943-10-10 00:00:00.000	1956-08-28 00:00:00.000		Bethlehem Steel Co.	Quincy	MA		3rd Pittsburgh ex Albany Renamed Pittsburgh at or before c… 3rd Pittsburgh ex Albany Renamed Pittsburgh at or before commissioning WW II Feb 1945, Invasion of Iwo Jima Apr-Jun 1945, Operation Iceberg, Okinawa Campaign, CPT John E. Gingrich, TG 58.1 Jun 10 1945, lost bow structure in typhoon To Puget Sound Navy Yard for repair Decommissioned Mar 7 1947 Recommissioned Sep 25 1951 Atlantic Fleet Decommissioned Aug 28 1956 2 Battle Stars WW II
Pittsburgh	SSN	720	Los Angeles	Active	1985-11-23 00:00:00.000			Electric Boat Div., General Dynamics	Groton	CT	Groton	4th Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Seam					1945-09-12 00:00:00.000			Delta Shipbuilding Co.	New Orleans	LA		Maritime Commission E Hull 2862 Merchant ship Original ope… Maritime Commission E Hull 2862 Merchant ship Original operator, Mystic Steamship Div.
Pittstown victory					1945-03-10 00:00:00.000			Bethlehem Fairfield Shipyard, Inc.	Baltimore	MD		Maritime Commission Victory Hull 633 Merchant ship Origina… Maritime Commission Victory Hull 633 Merchant ship Original operator, Luckenbach WW II
Pivot	AM	276	Admirable	Decom	1944-07-12 00:00:00.000	1946-11-06 00:00:00.000		Gulf Shipbuilding Co.	Chickasaw	MS		1st Pivot WW II Pacific Decommissioned Nov 6 1946 Sold t… 1st Pivot WW II Pacific Decommissioned Nov 6 1946 Sold to China Aug 27 1948 Renamed Yung Shou 4 Battle Stars WW II
Pivot	AM	463	Aggressive	Reclas	1954-07-12 00:00:00.000		*	Wilmington Boat Works	Wilmington	CA		2nd Pivot Oacufuc Reclassified MSO-463, qv, Feb 1955
Pivot	MSO	463						Wilmington Boat Works	Wilmington	CA		2nd Pivot Ex AM-463, qv Reclassified MSO-463 Feb 1955 Vie… 2nd Pivot Ex AM-463, qv Reclassified MSO-463 Feb 1955 Vietnam War Operation Market Time At least 3 deployments to Vietnam area
Placerville	PC	1087	PC-461	Transferred		1957-07-16 00:00:00.000		George Lawley & Sons	Neponset	MA		Ex PC-1087, no name, qv Named Placerville Feb 15 1956, afte… Ex PC-1087, no name, qv Named Placerville Feb 15 1956, after decommissioning Transferred to Republic of China Jul 16 1957 under Military Assistance Program loan Renamed Tung Kiang
Plaice	SS	390	Balao	Decom	1944-02-12 00:00:00.000			Portsmouth Navy Yard	Portsmouth	NH		WW II June 19-20 1944, Battle of the Philippine Sea, CDR S.… WW II June 19-20 1944, Battle of the Philippine Sea, CDR S. B. Stevens Jun 30 1944, sank Japanese ex-cunboat Hyuakufuku Maru in Bonin Islands area Jul 5 1944, sank Japanese ex-net tender Kogi Maru 7/18/1944, sank Japanese submarine chaser No. 50 south of Honshu, Japan Late Jul-early Aug 1944, at Midway Oct 4 1944, sank Japanese Coast Defense Vessel No. 10 Decommissioned by directive dated Nov 1947 Transferred to Brazil Sep 7 1963 under Military Assistance Program 6 Battle Stars WW II
Plainview	AGEH	1	Plainview		1969-03-03 00:00:00.000			Lockheed Shipbuilding & Construction Co.	Seattle	WA		Placed in service Mar 3 1969 When built, was the world's la… Placed in service Mar 3 1969 When built, was the world's largest hydrofoil Bremerton Research hydrofoil
Plandome	Schooner											Civil War Used to transport Gen. Sherman's troops in early … Civil War Used to transport Gen. Sherman's troops in early 1865
Planet	Steamboat											Civil War Used by Army March 1862, used to transport Union… Civil War Used by Army March 1862, used to transport Union troops for the Battle of Shiloh. (Hurst List) December 1862, lower Mississippi
Planetree	WLB	307	Balsam					Marine Iron & Shipbuilding Co.	Duluth	MN
Planter	transport								Charleston	SC		1st Planter Built 1860 Civil War Transport attached to Co… 1st Planter Built 1860 Civil War Transport attached to Confederate Army May 13 1862, stolen by Negro slave who was her pilot. Turned over to Union blockading force Taken into Union Navy South Atlantic Blockading Squadron Jun 21 1862, Battle of Simmon's Bluff Transferred to Union Army 1864, to be used for moving Union troops up the James River Sep 8-9 1864, boat crews, together with crews from Tritonia, Rodolph and Stockdale, destroyed large Confederate salt works at Salt Hous Point in Bon Secours Bay, AL
Planter	ACM	2	Chimo	Decom	1944-04-04 00:00:00.000	1946-05-22 00:00:00.000		Marietta Manufacturing Co.	Point Pleasant	WV		2nd Planter Ex Col. George Ricker, qv Acquired from Army b… 2nd Planter Ex Col. George Ricker, qv Acquired from Army by Navy Apr 4 1944 and commissioned the same day as Planter WW II Aug 1944, Operation Dragoon, Invasion of Southern France Jul 1945, Pacific Decommissioned May 22 1946 Struck Dec 23 1947 Transferred to Maritime Commission Apr 91 1948 Sold 1 Battle Star WW II
Plato	Steamer											Civil War Used to transport Gen. Sherman's troops in early … Civil War Used to transport Gen. Sherman's troops in early 1865
Platt Park	Tanker				1945-01-08 00:00:00.000			Kaiser Co., Inc., Swan Island	Portland	OR		Maritime Commission Hull 2398 Merchant ship Original opera… Maritime Commission Hull 2398 Merchant ship Original operator, Pacific Tankers WW II
Platte	AO(J)	186	Cimarron	Active				Avondale Shipyards			Norfolk
Platte	AO	24	Cimarron		1939-12-01 00:00:00.000			Bethlehem Steel Co.	Sparrows Point	MD		Maritime Commission Hull 8 WW II Jun 1942, Battle of Midwa… Maritime Commission Hull 8 WW II Jun 1942, Battle of Midway, CPT Ralph. H. Henkle Aug 1942, Operation Watchtower, invasion of Guadalcanal, CPT Ralph H. Henkle Nov-Dec 1943, Operation Galvanic, Gilbert Islands operation, CDR C. H. Sigel Jan-Feb 1944, Invasion of Marshall Islands Jun-Aug 1944, Operation Forager, Invasion of Saipan and Tinian, CDR F. S. Gibson Sep 1944, Invasion of Palau Islands Oct 1944, Invasion of Leyte, CDR F. J. Gibson Apr-Jun 1945, Operation Iceberg, Okinawa operations Korean War Vietnam War 11 battle stars in WW II 6 battle stars in Korean War
Platte Bridge					1944-06-16 00:00:00.000			Alabama Drydock & Shipbuilding Co.	Mobile	AL		Maritime Commission Hull 1502 Merchant ship Original opera… Maritime Commission Hull 1502 Merchant ship Original operator, Cities Service Oil Co. WW II
Plattsburg	Fr			Sold				Adam and Noah Brown	Sackett's Harbor	NY		Contract dated Dec 15 1814 Work stopped when War of 1812 wa… Contract dated Dec 15 1814 Work stopped when War of 1812 was over Sold unfinished some time before 1824
Plattsburg	Tanker				1943-08-27 00:00:00.000			Kaiser Co., Inc., Swan Island	Portland	OR		Maritime Commission Hull 816 Merchant ship Original operat… Maritime Commission Hull 816 Merchant ship Original operator, Deconhil Shipping WW II
Plattsburg	SP	1645		Transferred	1918-05-24 00:00:00.000			J & G Thomson	Clydebank	ST		1st Plattsburg Ex City of New York, ex SS New York Built 1… 1st Plattsburg Ex City of New York, ex SS New York Built 1888 Ex Harvard, qv Chartered by Navy May 9 1918 WW I - Cruiser and Transport Force Transferred to Army Oct 6 1919 ? ( *** ) Returned to owners Oct 7 1919
Pleasant Armstrong					1943-06-07 00:00:00.000			Oregon Shipbuilding Corp.	Portland	OR		Maritime Commission E Hull 2022 Merchant ship Original ope… Maritime Commission E Hull 2022 Merchant ship Original operator, War Shipping Administration WW II
Pledge	AM	277	Admirable	Sunk	1944-07-29 00:00:00.000	1950-10-10 00:00:00.000		Gulf Shipbuilding Co.	Chickasaw	AL		1st Pledge WW II Atlantic Decommissioned Nov 6 1946 Reen… 1st Pledge WW II Atlantic Decommissioned Nov 6 1946 Reentered service Nov 28 1947 Korean War Struck mine Oct 10 1950 and sank 1 Battle WW II Presidential Unit Citation Korean War
Pledge	MSO	492	Aggressive		1956-04-20 00:00:00.000			J. M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corp.	Tacoma	WA		2nd Pledge Vietnam War
Pleiades	SP	1616		Decom	1918-08-27 00:00:00.000	1919-03-07 00:00:00.000		Maryland Steel Co.	Sparrows Point	MD		1st Pleiades Built 1900 Turned over to Navy Aug 26 1918 C… 1st Pleiades Built 1900 Turned over to Navy Aug 26 1918 Commissioned Aug 27 1918 WW I - Naval Overseas Transportation Service on Army account Decommissioned Mar 7 1919 Returned to owner Mar 18 1919
Pleiades	AK	46		Decom	1941-10-25 00:00:00.000	1945-11-21 00:00:00.000		Cantieri Navali Riuniti	Palermo	IT		2nd Pleiades Built 1939 as Mangalia for Roumanian State Mar… 2nd Pleiades Built 1939 as Mangalia for Roumanian State Maritime Service Taken by U. S. Maritime Commission at New York Jun 25 1941 Acquired by Navy Aug 11 1941 Renamed Pleiades (AK-46) Sep 3 1941 Commissioned Oct 25 1941 WW II Atlantic Oct-Nov 1942, Convoy SC-107 Decommissioned Nov 21 1945 and returned to Maritime Commission the same day Renamed Scepter 2 Battle Stars WW II
Plover	AMc	3	Pipit	oos	1941-06-25 00:00:00.000	1944-09-17 00:00:00.000		Harbor Boat Building Co.	Long Beach	CA		1st Plover Built 1936 Ex Sea Rover Purchased by Navy Oct … 1st Plover Built 1936 Ex Sea Rover Purchased by Navy Oct 16 1940 Placed in service Jun 25 1941 WW II San Pedro Placed out of service Sep 17 1944 Struck 10/14/1944 Transferred to Maritime Commission Feb 5 1945 and returned to owner the same day
Plover	AMS	33	YMS-136	Reclas	1947-02-18 00:00:00.000	1955-02-07 00:00:00.000	*	C. Hiltebrant Drydock Co.	Kingston	NY		2nd Plover Originally built as YMS-442, qv Changed to Plov… 2nd Plover Originally built as YMS-442, qv Changed to Plover (AMS-33) 2/18/1947 Atlantic Changed to MSC(O)-33, qv, 2/07/1955 Struck 10/01/1968
Plover	MSC(O)	33	YMS-36	Struck	1955-02-07 00:00:00.000	1968-10-01 00:00:00.000		C. Hiltebrant Drydock Co.	Kingston	NY		2nd Plover Originally built as YMS-442, qv Changed to Plov… 2nd Plover Originally built as YMS-442, qv Changed to Plover (AMS-33), qv, 2/18/1947 Changed to MSC(O)-33 2/07/1955 4th Naval District 6th Naval District Struck 10/01/1968
Plow City	Freighter			Sunk		1942-05-21 00:00:00.000						WW II Sunk by torpedo off East Coast. 1 crew member lost
Pluck	MSO	464	Aggressive		1954-08-11 00:00:00.000			Wilmington Boat Works, Inc.	Wilmington	CA		2nd Pluck Jun 1958, Quemoy crisis Vietnam War
Pluck	AMc	94	Acme	Decom	1942-10-06 00:00:00.000	1945-11-12 00:00:00.000		Noank Shipbuilding Co.	Noank	CT		1st Pluck WW II Trinidad, WI Decommissioned Nov 12 1945 … 1st Pluck WW II Trinidad, WI Decommissioned Nov 12 1945 Struck May 8 1946 Transferred to Maritime Commission Nov 24 1947 and later sold
Plumas County	LST	1083	LST-511	Decom	1955-07-01 00:00:00.000	1961-08-22 00:00:00.000		American Bridge Co.	Ambridge	PA		Originally LST-1083, no name, qv Renamed Plumas County (LST… Originally LST-1083, no name, qv Renamed Plumas County (LST-1083) Jul 1 1955 Decommissioned Aug 22 1961 Military Sea Transportation Service Struck Jun 1 1972
Plunger	SS			Cancelled				Holland Torpedo Boat Co.				First submarine torpedo boat to be built for the Navy Autho… First submarine torpedo boat to be built for the Navy Authorized by Congress Mar 3 1893 Contract awarded Mar 13 1895 Never completed Boat and contract cancelled Apr 1900
Plunger	SS	179	Porpoise	Decom	1936-11-19 00:00:00.000	1945-11-15 00:00:00.000		Portsmouth Navy Yard	Portsmouth	NH		2nd Plunger WW II Jan 18 1942, sank Japanese cargo ship Ei… 2nd Plunger WW II Jan 18 1942, sank Japanese cargo ship Eizon Maru near entrance to Inland Sea, Japan Jun 1942, Battle of Midway, LCDR D. C. White Jun 30 1942, sank Pananese cargo ship Ukai Maru No. 5 Jul 2 1942, sank Japanese ship Unyo Maru No. 3 Dec 1942, Solomons Mar 12 1943, sank Japanese ship Taihosan Mary May 10 1943, sank Japanese ships Tatsutake Maru and Kinai Maru Aug 20 1943, sank Japanese ship Seitai Maru Aug 22 1943, sank Japanese ship Ryokai Maru Nov-Dec 1943, Operation Galvanic, Gilbert Islands operation, CDR R. H. Bass Feb 2 1944, sank Japanese ships Toyo Maru No. 5 and Toyo Maru No. 8 Feb 23 1944. sank Japanese ship Kimishima Maru June 19-20 1944, Battle of the Philippine Sea, LCDR E. J. Fahy Decommissioned Nov 15 1945 Naval Reserve Struck Jul 6 1956 Sold Apr 22 1957
Plunger	SS	2	A-1	Renamed	1903-09-19 00:00:00.000	1909-11-06 00:00:00.000	*	Crescent Shipyard	Elizabethport	NJ		1st Plunger Mar 25 1905, dived with President Theodore Roos… 1st Plunger Mar 25 1905, dived with President Theodore Roosevelt aboard Decommissioned Nov 3 1905 Recommissioned Feb 23 1907 May 1909, ENS Chester Nimitz, qv, took command Decommissioned Nov 6 1909 Renamed A-1, qv, Nov 17 1911

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.