Ship Type and Class Designations - 1993

The latest version of 5030.8, released on 21 November 2006, again illustrates how ship categories reflect the shape and composition of the Navy. As procurement programs change, so do the classifications of ships and craft. In addition to the continuing reduction in ship type numbers (dropped by a third from 147 in 1993 to 96 in 2006), note the disappearance of the battleship category, the creation of a sea basing category and the addition of ship types such as the new Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and the re-use of the old term guided missile submarine for the Ohio-class SSBN conversions.

Letter prefixes are used in conjunction with classification symbols as follows:
T - To indicate that a ship is assigned to MSTS (Military Sea Transportation Service).
F - To indicate that a ship is being constructed for a foreign government.
W - To indicate a Coast Guard Ship.
The letter "N" when used as the last letter of a ship classification symbol denotes nuclear propulsion. When used as the last letter of a service craft classification symbol, the letter "N" indicates a non-self-propelled version of a similar self-propelled service craft.