The Royal Canadian Navy

Royal Canadian Navy

The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...

 uses hull classification symbols to identify the types of its ships, which are similar to the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

's Hull classification symbol

Hull classification symbol

The United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration use hull classification symbols to identify their ship types and each individual ship within each type...

 system. The Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 and some European and Commonwealth navies (19 in total) use a somewhat analogous system of Pennant number

Pennant number

In the modern Royal Navy, and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth, ships are identified by pennant numbers...

s.

In a ship name such as the ship prefix

Ship prefix

A ship prefix is a combination of letters, usually abbreviations, used in front of the name of a civilian or naval ship.Prefixes for civilian vessels may either identify the type of propulsion, such as "SS" for steamship, or purpose, such as "RV" for research vessel. Civilian prefixes are often...

 HMCS for His or Her Majesty's Canadian Ship

Her Majesty's Canadian Ship

The designation Her Majesty's Canadian Ship , is applied as a prefix to any Canadian Forces warship. In the reign of a king, the designation changes to His Majesty's Canadian Ship; the French version of the title remains unchanged in this instance...

 indicates the vessel is a warship in service to the Monarch of Canada, the proper name Algonquin may follow a naming convention for the class of vessel. The hull classification symbol in the example is the parenthetical suffix (DDG 283), where the hull classification type DDG indicates that the Algonquin is a guided missile destroyer and the hull classification number 283 is unique within that type. Listed below are various hull classification types with some currently in use and others that are retired and no longer in use.

Auxiliary Ships

• AGOR
  Endeavour class Oceanographic Research Ship
  The Endeavour class is a class of non-combat naval ships used by the Canadian Forces for oceanographic research.There was only one ship built under this class .-References:*...
  
  : Auxiliary General Oceanographic Research (retired)
• AGSC: surveying vessel (retired)
• AOR
  Protecteur class auxiliary vessel
  Protecteur-class auxiliary oiler replenishment ships are used by the Royal Canadian Navy to resupply ships at sea with food, munitions, fuel and spare parts. They have more sophisticated medical and dental facilities than smaller vessels...
  
  : Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment
• ARE
  Cape class maintenance ship
  The Cape class were two maintenance ships of the Canadian Navy. The ships were modified Fort class cargo ships launched in Vancouver in 1944 for the British Royal Navy as part of the Beachy Head class of repair ships. They were bought by Canada in 1952.-Ships:, originally HMS Beachy Head...
  
  : Auxiliary Replenishment Escort (retired)
• ASL: diving support vessel (retired from the Royal Canadian Navy
  Royal Canadian Navy
  The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
  
  )
• F: escort armed ships (retired pre World War II passenger ships that were converted to military roles during the war)
• FHE: Fast Hydrofoil Escort (retired, prototype tested 1968–1971)
• K: sloop and submarine tender (also used for frigates and corvettes)
• KC: sail training
• PCT: Patrol Craft Training (supersedes YAG)
• T
  Isles class trawler
  The Isles class trawlers were a class of naval trawler used by the Royal Navy, Royal Canadian Navy and Royal New Zealand Navy during World War II....
  
  : armed trawler (retired)
• YAG
  YAG training vessels
  YAG training vessels are wooden boats built between 1954 and 1958, and based at CFB Esquimalt in Esquimalt, British Columbia, Canada. The vessels are used for training Canadian Forces regular naval officers, naval reservists, and members of the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets in basic seamanship, vessel...
  
  : Yard Auxiliary General (retired training vessels, superseded by PCT)
• YTB
  Glen class tugs
  The Glen-class is a class of naval tugboat operated by the Royal Canadian Navy.-Ships:The five vessels are divided between the two fleets of the Royal Canadian Navy, with three assigned to Maritime Forces Atlantic and two assigned to Maritime Forces Pacific.Maritime Forces Pacific, CFB...
  
  : Yard Tug
• YTL
  Ville class tugs
  The Royal Canadian Navy operates five Ville-class harbour tugs.The five vessels are the CFAV Lawrenceville ,CFAV Parksville ,CFAV Listerville ,CFAV Merrickville andCFAV Marysville ....
  
  : Yard Tug
• YTM: Yard Tug
• YTR
  Fire class fireboat
  The Royal Canadian Navy operates two Fire-class fireboats/Yard tractor tugs. The two vessels are the CFAV Firebrand and the CFAV Firebird ....
  
  : Yard Tractor tug fireboats

Aircraft Carriers

• CVL: light carrier (retired)
• D
  Bogue class escort carrier
  The Bogue-class were a group of escort carriers built in the United States for service with the U.S. Navy and the Royal Navy during World War II....
  
  : WWII escort carrier (retired)
• R: carrier World War II (retired, was also used for destroyers)

Corvettes

• K
  Flower class corvette
  The Flower-class corvette was a class of 267 corvettes used during World War II, specifically with the Allied navies as anti-submarine convoy escorts during the Battle of the Atlantic...
  
  : corvette
  Corvette
  A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
  
   (retired, was also used for frigates and a sloop)

Destroyers

• D
  A class destroyer
  The A class was a flotilla of eight destroyers built for the Royal Navy as part of the 1927 naval programme. A ninth ship, Codrington, was built to an enlarged design to act as the flotilla leader...
  
  : destroyer
  Destroyer
  In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
  
   - World War II era (retired)
• DD: destroyer - World War II era (retired, DD was used by the United States Navy, I was used by the Royal Canadian Navy for US built DD destroyers)
• DDE
  Restigouche class destroyer
  The Restigouche class destroyer was a class of destroyers that served the Royal Canadian Navy and later the Canadian Forces from the late-1950s to the late-1990s....
  
  : escort destroyer (retired)
• DDH
  Iroquois class destroyer
  Iroquois-class destroyers, also known as Tribal class, are a class of four helicopter-carrying, guided missile destroyers of the Canadian Forces. Launched in the 1970s, they were originally fitted out for anti-submarine warfare, but a major upgrade programme in the 1990s overhauled them for...
  
  : air defence destroyer - helicopter
• DDG
  Iroquois class destroyer
  Iroquois-class destroyers, also known as Tribal class, are a class of four helicopter-carrying, guided missile destroyers of the Canadian Forces. Launched in the 1970s, they were originally fitted out for anti-submarine warfare, but a major upgrade programme in the 1990s overhauled them for...
  
  : area air defence - guided missile
• G: destroyer - World War II era (retired, included Tribal
  Tribal class destroyer (1936)
  The Tribal class, or Afridi class, were a class of destroyers built for the Royal Navy, Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Australian Navy that saw service in World War II...
  
   and G and H
  G and H class destroyer
  The G- and H-class destroyers were a class of twenty-four destroyers of the Royal Navy launched in 1935–1939. They served in World War II and sixteen were lost, with a seventeenth being written off as a constructive total loss...
  
   classes)
• H: escort destroyer - World War II era (retired, included Clemson
  Clemson class destroyer
  The Clemson class was a series of 156 destroyers which served with the United States Navy from after World War I through World War II.The Clemson-class ships were commissioned by the United States Navy from 1919 to 1922, built by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, New York Shipbuilding...
  
   and G and H
  G and H class destroyer
  The G- and H-class destroyers were a class of twenty-four destroyers of the Royal Navy launched in 1935–1939. They served in World War II and sixteen were lost, with a seventeenth being written off as a constructive total loss...
  
   classes)
• I: destroyer - World War II era (retired)
• R: destroyer (post WWII retired, was also used for a carrier)

Frigates

• F: frigate
• FFE
  Prestonian class frigate
  The Prestonian-class ocean escort frigate was a class of 21 frigates that served with the Royal Canadian Navy from 1953-1967.They were converted from mothballed s that had been placed in reserve following the end of World War II. The first vessel to be reactivated and undergo refit was which was...
  
  : escort frigate (post WWII; retired)
• FFH
  Halifax class frigate
  The Halifax-class frigate is a class of multi-role patrol frigates that have served the Royal Canadian Navy since 1992...
  
  : multi-role patrol frigate - helicopter
• K: World War II frigate (was also used for corvettes and a sloop)

Minesweepers

• J: minesweeper (retired, used for World War II era Fundy
  Fundy class minesweeper
  The Fundy-class minesweepers were a class of four minesweepers operated by the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II.The class derives its name from the lead ship and are all named after bays in Canada. The Fundy Mineseepers were modified versions of the British "Basset" class trawler...
  
  , Bangor
  Bangor class minesweeper
  The Bangor-class minesweepers were a class of minesweepers operated by the Royal Navy , Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Indian Navy during World War II....
  
  , and Algerine
  Algerine class minesweeper
  The Algerine-class was a class of minesweepers of the Royal Navy and the Commonwealth. 110 ships of the class were launched between 1942 and 1944 and served in World War II....
  
   class minesweepers)
• MCB
  Bay class minesweeper
  The Bay-class minesweepers were a class of minesweepers operated by the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Forces during the Cold War....
  
  : post WWII minesweeper (retired)
• MSA
  Anticosti class minesweeper
  The Anticosti class minesweepers were a class of minesweepers that served with the Canadian Forces from 1989–2000.The class consisted of two former oil rig supply vessels, the Jean Tide and the Joyce Tide...
  
  : Mine Sweeper Anticosti class (in use 1989–2000, retired)
• MM
  Kingston class patrol vessel
  The Kingston-class consists of 12 coastal defence vessels operated by the Royal Canadian Navy.The class is the name for the Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel Project...
  
  : Mechanical Minesweeper - more recently known as coastal defence vessels

Submarines

• CC: WWI era gas powered submarines
• CH: WWI era diesel-electric submarines

• S
  Oberon class submarine
  The Oberon class was a 27-boat class of British-built diesel-electric submarines based on the successful British Porpoise-class submarine....
  
  : Submarine (retired Cold War era diesel electric: last used by Oberon class submarine
  Oberon class submarine
  The Oberon class was a 27-boat class of British-built diesel-electric submarines based on the successful British Porpoise-class submarine....
  
  s)
• SS: Submarine (retired, used for US built Balao
  Balao class submarine
  The Balao class was a successful design of United States Navy submarine used during World War II, and with 122 units built, the largest class of submarines in the United States Navy. An improvement on the earlier Gato class, the boats had slight internal differences...
  
   (1961–1969) and Tench (1968-1974)
  Tench class submarine
  Tench-class submarines were a type of submarine built for the United States Navy between 1944 and 1951. They were an evolutionary improvement over the Gato and Balao classes, only about 35 to 40 tons larger, but more strongly built and with a slightly improved internal layout...
  
   class vessels)

• SSK: Hunter-Killer Submarine or long range submarines