# World Navies and their Ship Designations **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 31, 2004, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-navies-and-their-ship-designations/226908 "2004-01-31T11:26:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jack\_Sarang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jack\_Sarang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Sarang)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-navies-and-their-ship-designations/226908/1 "2004-01-31T11:26:05Z")
What do other navies of the world use for ship designations, if anything at all? For instance: USA uses USS and USN Britain uses HMS Canada uses HMCS And also, what do they stand for? ---
**Author:** ![Caught\_Work](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Caught\_Work](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caught_Work)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-navies-and-their-ship-designations/226908/2 "2004-01-31T11:32:33Z")
HMS = Her Majesty’s Ship HMCS = Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship HMAS = Her Majesty’s Australian Ship The RAN (Royal Australian Navy) uses HMAS USS = United States Ship (?) USN = United States Navy (?) ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-navies-and-their-ship-designations/226908/3 "2004-01-31T15:11:12Z")
Amongst merchantmen… RMS Titanic was a Royal Mail Ship MS is merchant (or motor) ship (with a diesel engine) SS is a steam ship GTS is gas turbine ship Turning to the Navies… HMS is His/Her Majesty’s Ship (Submarine) RFA is Royal Fleet Auxiliary HMY is (or was) His/Her Majesty’s Yacht. RRS is Royal Research Ship USS is United States Ship UGC is Coast Guard Cutter USNS is United States Navy Ship (for auxiliaries) Oh heck, I found a list here… [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship\_prefix](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_prefix) ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-navies-and-their-ship-designations/226908/4 "2004-01-31T15:14:47Z")
Or here… [http://www.seawaves.com/prefixes.htm](http://www.seawaves.com/prefixes.htm) (Gee I thought US Army transports had some unique designation. I guess I was wrong.) ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Sarang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jack\_Sarang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Sarang)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-navies-and-their-ship-designations/226908/5 "2004-01-31T17:58:20Z")
Interesting that neither of those lists have entries for Russia or China. Anyone know what those are? ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-navies-and-their-ship-designations/226908/6 "2004-01-31T19:29:45Z")
I looked around for Russia’s Navy designations, even went to the Navy’s home page and poked around, and couldn’t find a darn thing. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-navies-and-their-ship-designations/226908/7 "2004-01-31T22:05:46Z")
If you’re into historical trivia - North America briefly had another designation in the 19th Century “CSS” - Confederate State Ship. The husband has a picture of the _CSS Hunley_ for his computer wallpaper - the first submarine used in warfare. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-navies-and-their-ship-designations/226908/8 "2004-01-31T22:13:01Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > If you’re into historical trivia - North America briefly had another designation in the 19th Century “CSS” - Confederate State Ship. > > The husband has a picture of the _CSS Hunley_ for his computer wallpaper - the first submarine used in warfare. My Boss is related to the designer. ---
**Author:** ![kiwiboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/35a633/32.png) [@kiwiboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiwiboy)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2004, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-navies-and-their-ship-designations/226908/9 "2004-02-01T04:59:34Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > If you’re into historical trivia - North America briefly had another designation in the 19th Century “CSS” - Confederate State Ship. > > The husband has a picture of the _CSS Hunley_ for his computer wallpaper - the first submarine used in warfare. Nope, Bushnell’s _Turtle_ attempted to sink a British ship in 1776, [Link](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle_(submarine)) . ---
**Author:** ![porkchop\_d\_clown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@porkchop\_d\_clown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porkchop_d_clown)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2004, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-navies-and-their-ship-designations/226908/10 "2004-02-01T05:14:36Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > 800-237-5055 > Shrine Hospitals for Children (North America) > Never any fee > Do you know a child in need Nice sig. You might want to check out [my homepage](http://homepage.mac.com/porkchop_d_clown/Menu21.html). ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2004, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-navies-and-their-ship-designations/226908/11 "2004-02-01T06:55:04Z")
Thank you, I am just trying to get the word out. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2004, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-navies-and-their-ship-designations/226908/12 "2004-02-01T07:01:16Z")
From **Paul in Saudi** ’s link: > [@](#): > > United States > USS United States Ship > USNS United States Naval Ship > USCGC United States Coast Guard Cutter > USACE US Army Corps of Engineers The USS ships (generally warships) are operated by the Navy. The USNS ships may be (specialized) cargo ships operated by the Navy or ships owned by the government (or chartered from civilian firms) through the Military Sealift Command that are crewed by civilians. The USCGC prefix is carried by all Coast Guard vessels, whether they are warships, ice breakers, tug boats, or buoy tenders. The US National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the US Geologic Survey (USGS) each have small fleets. The ships of all these agencies are generally prefixed by _R/V_, (Research Vessel). Training ships carry the prefixes _T/S_, (Training Ship), _T/V_, (Training Vessel), or _MTS_ (Moored Training Ship). (The MTS designtor is given to retired nuclear ballistic missile submarines used for training before sending crews out to the ocean.) Missing, as noted by **Paul** , are U. S. Army vessels such as the LSV and LCU designs that carry the prefix _USAV_. Russia does not appear to place honorifics on its ships’ names. I have never seen a Russian ship identified with any letter prefixes. Similarly, I do not believe that China places such labels on its ships. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2004, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-navies-and-their-ship-designations/226908/13 "2004-02-01T12:18:17Z")
> [@GMRyujin](#): > > I looked around for Russia’s Navy designations, even went to the Navy’s home page and poked around, and couldn’t find a darn thing. Actually, I believed that giving such designations to ships was a british thing (and that the tradition was upheldin former british colonies). However, I never enquired about, so I could be totaly off base, but for instance, AFAIK, there’s no such designations in the french navy (or, if there’s one, for instance recorded by some international body, it’s never used : you’ll never read/heard “the French Republic Ship Jeanne d’Arc” but plainly "the Jeanne d’Arc) So I would suspect that the OP, rather than asking what are the designations in other countries, should wonder whether such designations exist at all. ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2004, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-navies-and-their-ship-designations/226908/14 "2004-02-01T18:06:03Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > The USCGC prefix is carried by all Coast Guard vessels, whether they are warships, ice breakers, tug boats, or buoy tenders. **Nitpick:** According to the [USCG](http://www.uscg.mil/datasheet/dataindx.htm), “A ‘Cutter’ is basically any CG vessel 65 feet in length or greater, having adequate accommodations for crew to live on board.” It is only the Coast Guard vessels 65 feet or longer that have the designation USCGC. Smaller vessels are considered boats. The one exception is the Coast Guard Academy’s 295’ sail training vessel, which is known as the USCG Barque Eagle. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2004, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-navies-and-their-ship-designations/226908/15 "2004-02-01T18:54:59Z")
[see wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_prefix) ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2004, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-navies-and-their-ship-designations/226908/16 "2004-02-01T21:14:53Z")
> [@](#): > > Smaller vessels are considered boats. True. Of course, that is true of all the small craft (work boats and patrol craft) for all of these services. The Navy Yard Patrol and Mark V special ops craft are given only numbers, not names, for example, even though they are longer than 80 feet. I have not encountered a Coast Guard tug, buoy tender, or ice breaker that was too small to be a cutter, although some of them carry Zodiacs and other small craft for particular tasks. ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2004, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-navies-and-their-ship-designations/226908/17 "2004-02-02T07:04:13Z")
> [@kiwiboy](#): > > Nope, Bushnell’s _Turtle_ attempted to sink a British ship in 1776, [Link](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle_(submarine)) . The _Hunley_ was the first submarine to actually sink a ship, though. (_Hunley_ also managed to get sunk [permanently\*] in the process.) - After killing a few crews by sinking in testing, then being salvaged and sealed up a bit better.