Each Fleet List is broken down into several major Type Entries. These are the major divisions of the fleet, such as surface combatants, submarines, auxiliaries, etc. Within each Type Entry, each class of vessel is listed in a separate Class Entry. Each Class Entry consists of two parts: the Class Data and the Class List. The Class Data lists all the technical information about the ship: displacment, dimensions, weapons, etc. The Class List is an individual list of all ships of the class, giving individual information such as designation, name, fleet, homeport, etc.
Within each Type Entry, Class Entries are arranged in rough order of fighting strength and/or importance, which generally works out to reverse-chronological order. Ships are listed in numerical order within each Class List.
Ships not yet in service are listed in [brackets]. Ships laid up in reserve are not included.
The following is the basic form for Class Entries, with all data fields listed and explained. When a data field is not included in the listing, that data is insignificant or does not apply to the class in question. Missing information is generally marked by question marks or the word "unknown". In the following entry, bold or large type indicates material that would be included in an actual entry, and normal type indicates the explanation.
Displacement: ship's displacement, generally at full load. Dimensions: ship's dimensions, length x width x draft; dimensions are given in feet for the US and feet + meters for the rest of the world. Propulsion: ship's propulsion system--type of propulsion, number and type of boilers (if applicable), horsepower, number of shafts, top speed. Crew: ship's total crew; sometimes broken down into civilian + naval or ship's crew + mission crew. Aviation: ship's aviation facilities, including type of flight deck, number of elevators, number and type of catapults, and number and type of aircraft. "full flight deck" is a normal aircraft carrier deck, "aft helicopter deck" is a deck at the extreme stern of a ship, and "midships helicopter deck" is a deck 2/3 of the way aft (as on US DDs and CGs). "flight deck" indicates fixed wing and helicopter capability; "helicopter deck" indicates rotary wing capability only. Hangar: number and size of hangar(s), given in terms of dimensions or carrying capacity. This line may be combined with the Aviation line. Well Deck: dimensions or carry capacity of the ship's well deck. Troops: number of troops that can be embarked. Cargo: amount of cargo, either in terms of volumes and areas or specific carrying capacities. Radar: major radar systems; surface search and navigation sets are not included. Sonar: major sonar systems; under-ice, mine detection and communication sets are not included. Fire Control: fire control systems and radars, including combat systems; gun control systems are not included. EW: major EW systems; "Nixie" and "towed" indicate torpedo decoy systems. "chaff" and "decoy" indicate chaff and decoy launchers, respectively. SRBOC is the US Super Rapid Blooming Onboard Chaff system; it is a component of all SLQ-32 systems, so it is not listed separately if the ship has SLQ-32. Armament: entire ship's armament, including all permanently assigned systems, except aircraft; listings include type and number of missile launchers, missiles, guns and torpedo tubes. Depth: maximum operating depth for submersibles; not included for combat submarines because this data is always classified. In this area, below the Class Data and above the Class List, comments about the class in general are entered. Comments generally seek to clarify information that is not entirely clear from the data, comment upon the ships' fighting qualities, or make notes about plans for the class. Number Name Year FLT Homeport Group Notes | | | | | | | | Ship's full name | | | | Specific notes | | | | Operational group Ship's designation | | | assignment | | Ship's homeport | Fleet; ATL=Atlantic, PAC=Pacific, | GL=Great Lakes, IR=Inland Rivers, | NOR=Northern, BLK=Black Sea, | MED=Mediterranean Year commissioned; where two years are listed, the first is the original completion year and the second is the date of major conversion or of transfer to a new nation/owner. "Group" is changed to "Status" for sealift ships. Groups are not listed when they are for administrative purposes only, having little or no effect on operations and deployments.
