Collection

Ships

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

Showing 1,901–1,950

Name	Type	Hull Num	Class	Status	Comm Is Date	Decom Sunk Or Reclass	Reclass Num	Builder	Built City	Built State	Historynotes
Big Chief	IX	101			1943-05-05 00:00:00.000			Neafie & levy	Philadelphia	PA	Built 1897 Freighter
Big Foot Wallace					1942-12-30 00:00:00.000			Houston Shipbuilding Corp.	Houston	TX	Maritime Commission E Hull 116 Merchant ship Original oper… Maritime Commission E Hull 116 Merchant ship Original operator, Standard Fruit Steamship Co. WW II
Big Horn	T-AO	198	Henry J. Kaiser	Active				Avondale	New Orleans	LA	2nd Big Horn
Big Horn	IX	207		Decom	1942-04-15 00:00:00.000	1946-05-06 00:00:00.000		Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.	Chester	PA	1st Big Horn Built 1936 ex Big Horn, ex AO-45, qv Reclass… 1st Big Horn Built 1936 ex Big Horn, ex AO-45, qv Reclassified IX-207 Feb 1 1945 WW II Pacific, shuttle tanker Decommissioned May 6 1946 Transferred to Maritime Commission Nov 22 1946
Big Horn	AO	45		Reclas	1942-04-16 00:00:00.000	1945-02-01 00:00:00.000	*	Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co	Chester	PA	1st Big Horn Built 1936 Ex Gulf Dawn Purchased by Navy Ma… 1st Big Horn Built 1936 Ex Gulf Dawn Purchased by Navy Mar 31 1942 WW II Q ship in North Atlantic Transferred to Coast Guard Jan 17 1944 and operated as weather vessel out of Newfoundland Returned to Navy Feb 1 1945 Reclassified IX-207, qv
Big Horn River	LSMR	402						Charleston Navy Yard	Charleston	SC	Ex LSM-402, qv. Ex LSMR-402, av Named Big Horn River at so… Ex LSM-402, qv. Ex LSMR-402, av Named Big Horn River at some point
Big Switch	BD	6700									In service 1968 Army vessel 1996, Curtis Bay
Big Viking	TP	236									Army vessel WW II
Bigelow	DD	942	Forrest Sherman	Decom	1957-11-01 00:00:00.000			Bath Iron Works	Bath	ME	Named for WT2c Elmer C. Bigelow, qv Decommissioned Sunk as… Named for WT2c Elmer C. Bigelow, qv Decommissioned Sunk as target
Bignonia	ScTug			Sold	1864-09-14 00:00:00.000	1865-07-12 00:00:00.000			Cleveland	OH	Built 1863 as Mary Crandy Purchased by Navy Aug 2 1864 Com… Built 1863 as Mary Crandy Purchased by Navy Aug 2 1864 Commissioned Sep 14 1864 Civil War North Atlantic Blockading Squadron Apr 1865, to West Gulf Blockading Squadron Decommissioned Sold Jul 12 1865
Billfish	SS	286	Balao	Decom	1943-04-20 00:00:00.000	1946-11-01 00:00:00.000		Portsmouth Navy Yard	Portsmouth	NH	1st Billfish WW II Pacific Decommissioned Nov 1 1946 7 B… 1st Billfish WW II Pacific Decommissioned Nov 1 1946 7 Battle Stars WW II
Billfish	SSN	676	Sturgeon								2nd Billfish
Billings	LCS	15	Freedom						Marinette	WI	Announced
Billings Victory					1945-11-01 00:00:00.000			Oregon Shipbuilding Corp.	Portland	OR	Maritime Commission Victory Hull 873 Merchant ship Origina… Maritime Commission Victory Hull 873 Merchant ship Original operators, Pacific-Atlantic Steamship and States Steamship
Billingsley	DD	293	Clemson	Decom	1920-03-01 00:00:00.000	1930-05-01 00:00:00.000		Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp.	Squantum	MA	Named for ENS William D. Billingsley, qv Atlantic Decommis… Named for ENS William D. Billingsley, qv Atlantic Decommissioned May 1 1930 Sold Jan 17 1931
Billy Mitchell					1943-06-17 00:00:00.000			California Shipbuilding Corp.	Los Angeles	CA	Maritime Commission E Hull 1667 Named for aviation pioneer … Maritime Commission E Hull 1667 Named for aviation pioneer BGENl William Mitchell, qv Merchant ship Original operator, Black Diamond Line WW II
Billy Sunday					1943-07-22 00:00:00.000			California Shipbuilding Corp.	Los Angeles	CA	Maritime Commission E Hull 1687 Merchant ship Original ope… Maritime Commission E Hull 1687 Merchant ship Original operator, Luckenbach Steamship WW II Jun 13-30 1945, Operation Iceberg, Okinawa Campaign
Biloxi	Cargo			Renamed	1943-02-27 00:00:00.000		*	Ingalls Shipbuilding Co.	Pascagoula	MS	Maritime Commission Hull 164 Renamed Henry Gibbons, qv
Biloxi	CL	80	Cleveland	Decom	1943-08-31 00:00:00.000	1946-10-29 00:00:00.000		Newport News Shipbuilding Co.	Newport News	VA	WW II Jan-Feb 1944, Invasion of Marshall Islands Jun-Aug 1… WW II Jan-Feb 1944, Invasion of Marshall Islands Jun-Aug 1944, Invasion of Marianasa Islands Sep 1944, Invasion of Palaus Islands June 19-20 1944, Battle of the Philippine Sea Oct 1944, Invasion of Leyte, CPT P. R. Heineman Oct 24-26 1944, Battle for Leyte Gulf Feb 1945, Invasion of Iwo Jima. Damaged 2/20/1945 accidentally by U.S. naval gunfire Apr 1945, Operation Iceberg, Okinawa Campaign, TG 54.1, CPT P. R. Heineman Decommissioned Oct 29 1946 9 Battle Stars WW II
Binger Hermann					1943-07-08 00:00:00.000			Oregon Shipbuilding Corp.	Portland	OR	Maritime Commission E Hull 2039 Merchant ship Original ope… Maritime Commission E Hull 2039 Merchant ship Original operator, Weyerhaeuser Steamship WW II
Bingham	APA	225	Haskell	Decom	1944-12-23 00:00:00.000	1946-06-17 00:00:00.000		Permanente Metals Co.	Richmond	CA	Maritime Commission Victory Hull 573 WW II Jun 1945, Opera… Maritime Commission Victory Hull 573 WW II Jun 1945, Operation Iceberg, Okinawa operations DecommissionedJun 17 1946 and returned to Maritime Commission the next day 1 Battle Star WW II
Binghamton Victory					1945-08-27 00:00:00.000			Oregon Shipbuilding Corp.	Portland	OR	Maritime Commission Victory Hull 698 Merchant ship Origina… Maritime Commission Victory Hull 698 Merchant ship Original operator, Shepard Steamship
Birch Coulie	Tanker				1943-03-31 00:00:00.000			Alabama Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Co.	Mobile	AL	Maritime Commission Hull 530 Merchant ship Original operat… Maritime Commission Hull 530 Merchant ship Original operator, American Rep. Corp. WW II Jan 1945, invasion at Lingayen Gulf
Bird City	Hog Islander										WW I - Built for the war but not completed in time to parti… WW I - Built for the war but not completed in time to participate
Birgit	AKA	24	Artemis	Decom	1944-10-28 00:00:00.000	1946-03-15 00:00:00.000		Walsh-Kaiser Co., Inc.	Providence	RI	Maritime Commission Hull 1885 Transferred to Nvy Oct 28 194… Maritime Commission Hull 1885 Transferred to Nvy Oct 28 1944 and commissioned the same day WW II Pacific Decommissioned Mar 15 1946 Returned to Maritime Commission Jul 1 1946
Birmingham	LCU	1676	LCU-1600								Army vessel Incervice 1977 1996, Morehead
Birmingham	CL	2	Chester	Decom	1908-04-11 00:00:00.000	1923-12-01 00:00:00.000		Fore River Shipbuilding Co.	Quincy	MA	1st Birmingham Atlantic First airplane to take off from a … 1st Birmingham Atlantic First airplane to take off from a ship left her deck Nov 14 1910. Pilot was Eugene Ely Decommissioned Jun 30 1911 Recommissioned Dec 15 1911 WW I - Decommissioned Dec 1 1923 Sold Mar 13 1930 for scrapping
Birmingham	CL	62	Cleveland	Decom	1943-01-29 00:00:00.000	1947-01-02 00:00:00.000		Newport News Shipbuilding Co.	Newport News	VA	2nd Birmingham WW II July 1943, Operation Husky, invasion … 2nd Birmingham WW II July 1943, Operation Husky, invasion of Sicily, CPT John Wilkes Sep 18 1943, Raid on Tarawa Oct 5-6 1943, Raid on Wake Island Nov 8-9 1043, action off Enpress Augusta Bay Jun-Aug 1944, Operation Forager, Invasion of Saipan and Tinian, CPT T. B. Inglis June 19-20 1944, Battle of the Philippine Sea, CPT T. B. Inglis Oct 1944, Invasion of Leyte, CPT T. B. Inglis Oct 24 1944, Battle for Leyte Gulf Mar 1945, Invasion of Iwo Jima Mar-May 1945, Operation Iceberg, Okinawa Campaign, TG 51.21, CPT H. D. Power. Seriously damaged by Japanese air attack 5/04 Decommissioned Jan 2 1947 9 Battle Stars WW II
Birmingham	SSN	695	Los Angeles	Decom	1978-12-16 00:00:00.000	1997-04-17 00:00:00.000		Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.	Newport News	VA	3rd Birmingham Decommissioned Apr 17 1997
Bisbee	PF	46	Tacoma	Decom	1944-02-15 00:00:00.000	1945-08-26 00:00:00.000		Consolidated Steel Co. Ltd.	Los Angeles	CA	Maritime Commission Hull 1457 WW II Oct 1944, Invasion of … Maritime Commission Hull 1457 WW II Oct 1944, Invasion of Leyte, CDR J. P. German Decommissioned 8/26/1945 Loaned to USSR 8/27/1945 Returned to US Navy 11/01/1949 Recommissioned 10/18/1950 Transferred to Colombia 2/13/1952 under Mutual Defense Assistance Program 2 Battle Stars WW II 3 Battle Stars Korean War
Biscaya	Cargo							Fredrikstad Mek. Verks, A/S	Fredrikstad	NO	Built 1939 Norwegian vessel WW II Allocated to Army
Biscayne	AVP	11	Barnegat	Reclas	1941-07-04 00:00:00.000	1944-10-10 00:00:00.000	*	Puget Sound Navy Yard	Bremerton	WA	Originally commissioned AVP-11 7/04/1941 WW II Aug 5 1942,… Originally commissioned AVP-11 7/04/1941 WW II Aug 5 1942, Atlantic Fleet Jul 1943, Operation Husky, Invasion of Sicily, CDR R. C. Young (flagship of RADM Conolly) Sep 1943, Operation Avalanche, Invasion at Salerno, CDR C. Young (flag of VADM Hewitt and RADM Conolly) Jan 1944, Operation Shingle, Invasion at Anzio, CDR E. H. Eckelmeyer, flag of RADM Lowry Aug-Sep 1944, Operation Dragoon, Invasion of Southern France, CDR E. H. Eckelmeyer Redesignated AGC-18, qv, 10/10/1944
Biscayne	AGC	18	Biscayne	Decom	1944-10-10 00:00:00.000	1946-06-29 00:00:00.000		Puget Sound Navy Yard	Bremerton	WA	Originally commissioned AVP-11, qv, 7/04/1941 Redesignated … Originally commissioned AVP-11, qv, 7/04/1941 Redesignated AGC-18 10/10/1944 WW II Feb-Mar 1945, Invasion of Iwo Jima Mar-Jun 1945, Operation Iceberg, Okinawa Campaign Oct 1945, China Decommissioned Jun 29 1946 Transferred to Coast Guard Jul 19 1946 6 Battle Stars WW II as AVP and AGC
Bishop	StTug										Civil War 1864, to be used for moving Union troops up the J… Civil War 1864, to be used for moving Union troops up the James River
Bismark Sea	CVE	95	Casablanca	Sunk	1944-05-20 00:00:00.000	1945-02-21 00:00:00.000		Kaiser Co., Inc.	Vancouver	WA	Launched as Alikula Bay Renamed Bismark Sea before commissi… Launched as Alikula Bay Renamed Bismark Sea before commissioning Maritime Commission Hull 1132 WW II Jan 1945, Invasion at Lingayen Gulf, CPT J. L. Pratt Feb 1945, Invasion of Iwo Jima. Sunk 2/21/1945 by two Japanese suicide planes. Losee of 318 of crew 3 Battle Stars WW II
Bismuth					1944-08-10 00:00:00.000			Concrete Ship Constructors	National City	CA	Maritime Commission Hull 2234 Army vessel WW II
Bitterbush	AN	39	Ailanthus	Decom	1944-01-20 00:00:00.000	1946-01-04 00:00:00.000		Everett-Pacific Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.	Everett	WA	Ex Almond. Renamed Bitterbush before launching ex YN-58, q… Ex Almond. Renamed Bitterbush before launching ex YN-58, qv Reclassified AN-39 Jan 20 1944, 5 days after commissioning WW II San Francisco until Nov 1944 1945, Iwo Jima Decommissioned Jan 4 1946 Transferred to Maritime Commission May 71 1947 1 Battle Star WW II
Bitterbush	YN	58	Ailanthus	Reclas	1944-01-15 00:00:00.000	1944-01-20 00:00:00.000	*	Everett-Pacific Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.	Everett	WA	Ex Almond. Renamed Bitterbushj Apr 2 1943, before launching… Ex Almond. Renamed Bitterbushj Apr 2 1943, before launching WW II Reclassified AN-39, qv, Jan 20 1944, 5 days after commissioning
Bittern	AM	36	Lapwing	Scuttled	1919-05-28 00:00:00.000			Alabama Drydock & Shipbuilding Co.	Mobile	AL	1st Bittern WW II 1923, relief after Yokohama earthquake … 1st Bittern WW II 1923, relief after Yokohama earthquake Dec 8 1941, in Philippines, LT T. G. Warfield Dec 10 1941, badly damaged by flying debris by Japanese air raid. Scuttled 1 Battle Star WW II
Bittern	MHC	43	Bittern	Struck	1957-08-26 00:00:00.000	1972-02-01 00:00:00.000	*	Consolidated Shipbuilding Corp.	City Island	NY	2nd Bittern Originally AMCU-43. Reclassified MHC-43 Feb 7 … 2nd Bittern Originally AMCU-43. Reclassified MHC-43 Feb 7 1955, while building Decommissioned Sep 1965 Struck Feb 1 1972 Sold Dec 19 2000 for scrapping
Bittersweet	WAGL	389									Active in 1955
Bivin	DE	536	John C. Butler	Decom	1944-10-31 00:00:00.000	1947-01-15 00:00:00.000		Boston Navy Yard	Boston	MA	Namd for S1c Vernard E. Bivin, qv WW II Pacific Decommiss… Namd for S1c Vernard E. Bivin, qv WW II Pacific Decommissioned Jan 15 1947
Bixby	Towboat								Gasconade	MO	Built 1929 Army vessel WW II
Bjarne A. Lia					1944-12-14 00:00:00.000			J. A. Jones Construction Co., Wainright Yd	Panama City	FL	Maritime Commission E Hull 2332 Merchant ship Original ope… Maritime Commission E Hull 2332 Merchant ship Original operator, Moore-McCormack WW II
Black	DD	666	Fletcher		1943-05-21 00:00:00.000			Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.	Kearny	NJ	Named for LCDR Huugh D. Black, qv WW II Nov 1943, Invasion… Named for LCDR Huugh D. Black, qv WW II Nov 1943, Invasion of Gilbert Islands (Tarawa) Jan-Feb 1944, Invasion of Marshall Islands Apr-May 1944, landings at Aitape and Hollandia Jun-Jul 1944, Invasion of Marianas Islands (Saipan and Guam) Oct 1944, Invasion of Leyte, CDR E. R. King Mar-May 1945, Operation Iceberg, Okinawa Campaign, TG 58.3 Nov 1945, China Decommissioned Aug 5 1946 Recommissioned Jul 18 1951 Korean War 6 Battle Stars WW II 2 Battle Stars Korean War
Black Arrow	AP			Decom	1919-01-27 00:00:00.000	1919-08-19 00:00:00.000		Bremer-Vulcan Werke	Vegesack	GE	Built 1904 as Rhaetia Seized by Customs upon U.S. entry int… Built 1904 as Rhaetia Seized by Customs upon U.S. entry into World War I Assigned to Army as Black Arrow WW I - Transferred to Navy and commissioned as Black Arrow Jan 27 1919 Cruiser and Transport Force, Atlantic Fleet Decommissioned Aug 19 1919 and returned to U.S. Shipping Board the same day
Black Diamond	SwStr			Sold							Built 1865 by Confederates for river navigation Civil War … Built 1865 by Confederates for river navigation Civil War Surrendered May 10 1865 at Nanna Hubba Bluff in the Tombigbee River Sold by Federal Government before or during Dec 1865
Black Douglas	PYc	45									WW II Struck 10/14/1944
Black Fox	YTB	177						Gibbs Gas Engine Co.	Jacksonville	FL	Ex YT-177 WW II 6th Naval District
Black Hawk					1943-02-04 00:00:00.000			Delta Shipbuilding Co., Inc.	New Orleans	LA	Maritime Commission E Hull 1023 Merchant ship Original ope… Maritime Commission E Hull 1023 Merchant ship Original operator, United Fruit Co. WW II Aug-Sep 1944, Operation Dragoon, Invasion of Southern France

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.