MultiEducator · Naval History Archive
Educators Students Apps Contact
HistoryCentral Est. 1996
US Naval Ships · A Complete History

The History of Every United States Navy Ship

From Revolutionary times to today. Look up any ship by name, or explore the fleet by type — battleships, carriers, submarines and more. An evolving project built by MultiEducator and enriched by the stories you send us.

26
Letters of the fleet
18+
Ship classes
1775→
Years covered

Alphabetical Listing

Look up a ship by name

Every vessel is filed under its first letter. Choose a letter to browse the ships, their histories, photographs and first-hand accounts.

A — Z · Full Index

Browse by Class

Explore the fleet by ship type

From capital ships to the auxiliaries that kept them at sea — organized by hull classification.

Major Ship Types

Combatants

CVAircraft CarriersThe fleet's airpower BBBattleshipsBig-gun capital ships CACruisersFast, versatile warships DDDestroyersWorkhorses of the fleet DEDestroyer EscortsConvoy & ASW screen SSSubmarinesThe silent service

Amphibious & Mine Warfare

CVEEscort CarriersConvoy & support flattops LPHAmphibious AssaultHelicopter landing ships LSDDock Landing ShipsFloodable well decks LSTTank Landing ShipsBeach-assault transports AMMinesweepersClearing the sea lanes

Auxiliaries & Support

ADDestroyer TendersMobile repair bases ASSubmarine TendersServicing the boats AOOilersFueling the fleet at sea AE·AFSupply ShipsAmmunition & stores APTransportsAK · AKA · AP · APA

In Depth

Special collections

Focused histories drawn from the most pivotal chapters of American naval history.

Deck and gun turret of the ironclad USS Monitor on the James River
Civil War

Civil War Naval Chronology

A day-by-day account of the naval war between the states, from blockade to ironclad duel.

Open chronology →
Period lithograph of the Civil War sloop USS Iroquois under sail
Civil War

Civil War Ships

Profiles of the vessels — Union and Confederate — that fought on the rivers and at sea.

Browse the ships →
USS West Virginia burning at Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941
World War II

Pearl Harbor: The True Story

What really happened on December 7th, 1941 — ship by ship, hour by hour.

Read the account →

First-Hand Accounts & Naval Aviation

Histories from our readers

NavyHistory grows week by week — much of it written by the sailors and families who lived it. Add your own story by getting in touch.

01 Great Histories Written by Our ReadersA growing collection of personal naval histories and recollections. 02 Naval Aviation in World War IIThe carrier war and the airmen who fought it across the Pacific. 03 Naval Memoirs of Marshall DoakA sailor's first-hand wartime account, preserved in full. 04 US Navy in World War II — A RetrospectiveA look back at the fleet that won the war at sea.
From the makers of HistoryCentral

The US Navy Collection

Take the complete history of the fleet with you. Our US Navy app bundle puts ships, classes and battles in your pocket.

Get the App Bundle →