List of ship commissionings in 1940
Encyclopedia
The list of ship commissionings in 1940 includes a chronological list of all ship
s commissioned in 1940.
Ship
Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
s commissioned in 1940.
| Operator | Ship | Class and type | Pennant | Other notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 January | U-63 | Type IIC German Type II submarine The Type II U-boat was designed by Germany as a coastal U-boat, modeled after the CV-707 submarine, which was designed by the Dutch dummy company NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw den Haag and built in 1933 by the... coastal submarine |
U 63 | ||
| 6 March | Tippecanoe | Patoka class Patoka class oiler The Patoka class oilers are a series of eight fleet replenishment oilers built for the United States Navy after World War I. All but one of the vessels were commissioned between 1919 and 1922, and all were held in various states until the eve of World War II, where all served with the Navy for the... fleet replenishment oiler |
AO-21 | ||
| 6 April | Gladiolus HMS Gladiolus (K34) HMS Gladiolus was a Flower-class corvette of the Royal Navy, the first ship of her class.She was laid down at Smiths Dock Company on the River Tees on 19 October 1939, launched on 24 January 1940, and commissioned on 6 April 1940.... |
Flower class 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 |
K34 | ||
| 20 April | U-120 | Type IIB German Type II submarine The Type II U-boat was designed by Germany as a coastal U-boat, modeled after the CV-707 submarine, which was designed by the Dutch dummy company NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw den Haag and built in 1933 by the... coastal submarine |
U 120 | ||
| 23 April | Honningsvåg HNoMS Honningsvåg HNoMS Honningsvåg was a naval trawler that served throughout the Second World War as a patrol boat in the Royal Norwegian Navy. She was launched at the North Sea harbour of Wesermünde in Hanover, Germany in February 1940 as the fishing trawler Malangen and was captured by Norwegian militiamen at... |
Naval trawler Naval trawler A naval trawler is a vessel built along the lines of a fishing trawler but fitted out for naval purposes. Naval trawlers were widely used during the First and Second world wars. Fishing trawlers were particularly suited for many naval requirements because they were robust boats designed to work... |
Ex German trawler Malangen | ||
| 25 April | Wasp USS Wasp (CV-7) USS Wasp was a United States Navy aircraft carrier. The eighth Navy ship of that name, she was the sole ship of her class. Built to use up the remaining tonnage allowed to the U.S. for aircraft carriers under the treaties of the time, she was built on a reduced-size version of the Yorktown-class... |
Light aircraft carrier | CV-7 | ||
| 28 May | U-121 German submarine U-121 (1940) German submarine U-121 was a long-lived Type IIB U-boat built during World War II for service in the Kriegsmarine. The U-121 spent the entire war as a training vessel and was scuttled at the end of the conflict.... |
Type IIB German Type II submarine The Type II U-boat was designed by Germany as a coastal U-boat, modeled after the CV-707 submarine, which was designed by the Dutch dummy company NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw den Haag and built in 1933 by the... coastal submarine |
U 121 | ||
| 13 June | Tiger HNoMS Tor (1939) HNoMS Tor was a Sleipner class destroyer of the Royal Norwegian Navy that was launched in September 1939. She was under outfitting and testing when Nazi Germany invaded Norway on 9 April 1940. Although scuttled by Norwegian naval personnel to prevent her from being captured by the invading forces,... |
Torpedo boat Torpedo boat A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval vessel designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other large, slow and... |
Ex Norwegian Sleipner class Sleipner class destroyer The Sleipner class was a class of six destroyers built for the Royal Norwegian Navy from 1936 until the German invasion in 1940. The design was considered advanced for its time, and it was the first class of vessels for the Norwegian Navy that used aluminium in the construction of the bridge, the... destroyer Tor |
||
| 15 June | U-137 German submarine U-137 (1940) German submarine U-137 was a Type IID U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Her keel was laid down 16 November 1939 by Deutsche Werke in Kiel... |
Type IID German Type II submarine The Type II U-boat was designed by Germany as a coastal U-boat, modeled after the CV-707 submarine, which was designed by the Dutch dummy company NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw den Haag and built in 1933 by the... coastal submarine |
U 137 | ||
| 27 June | U-138 German submarine U-138 (1940) German submarine U-138 was a Type IID U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine, best known for her two patrols in 1940 under the command of Wolfgang Lüth. During her six war patrols under Lüth's and Franz Gramitzky’s command she sank almost 55,557 tons of Allied shipping.-External links:*... |
Type IID German Type II submarine The Type II U-boat was designed by Germany as a coastal U-boat, modeled after the CV-707 submarine, which was designed by the Dutch dummy company NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw den Haag and built in 1933 by the... coastal submarine |
U 138 | ||
| 24 July | U-139 | Type IID German Type II submarine The Type II U-boat was designed by Germany as a coastal U-boat, modeled after the CV-707 submarine, which was designed by the Dutch dummy company NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw den Haag and built in 1933 by the... coastal submarine |
U 139 | ||
| 1 August | Prinz Eugen German cruiser Prinz Eugen Prinz Eugen was an Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruiser, the third member of the class of five vessels. She served with the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. The ship was laid down in April 1936 and launched August 1938; Prinz Eugen entered service after the outbreak of war, in August 1940... |
Modified Admiral Hipper class Admiral Hipper class cruiser The Admiral Hipper-class was a group of five heavy cruisers built by the German Kriegsmarine in the mid 1930s. The class comprised Admiral Hipper, the lead ship, Blücher, Prinz Eugen, Seydlitz, and Lützow. Only the first three ships of the class were completed to see action during World War II... heavy cruiser |
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| 7 August | U-140 | Type IID German Type II submarine The Type II U-boat was designed by Germany as a coastal U-boat, modeled after the CV-707 submarine, which was designed by the Dutch dummy company NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw den Haag and built in 1933 by the... coastal submarine |
U 140 | ||
| 20 August | Bismarck German battleship Bismarck Bismarck was the first of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the primary force behind the German unification in 1871, the ship was laid down at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg in July 1936 and launched nearly three years later... |
Bismarck class Bismarck class battleship The Bismarck class was a pair of battleships built by the German Kriegsmarine shortly before the outbreak of World War II. The ships were the largest warships built by the German Navy and the heaviest capital ships ever completed in Europe... battleship |
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| 21 August | U-141 | Type IID German Type II submarine The Type II U-boat was designed by Germany as a coastal U-boat, modeled after the CV-707 submarine, which was designed by the Dutch dummy company NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw den Haag and built in 1933 by the... coastal submarine |
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| 22 August | Karl Meyer | Karl Meyer class seaplane tender | Completion date | ||
| 4 September | U-142 | Type IID German Type II submarine The Type II U-boat was designed by Germany as a coastal U-boat, modeled after the CV-707 submarine, which was designed by the Dutch dummy company NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw den Haag and built in 1933 by the... coastal submarine |
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| 18 September | U-143 | Type IID German Type II submarine The Type II U-boat was designed by Germany as a coastal U-boat, modeled after the CV-707 submarine, which was designed by the Dutch dummy company NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw den Haag and built in 1933 by the... coastal submarine |
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| 24 September | St. Clair USS Williams (DD-108) The second USS Williams was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War I, later transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy as HMCS St... |
Wickes class Wickes class destroyer The Wickes-class destroyers were a group of 111 destroyers built by the United States Navy in 1917-1919. Along with the 6 preceding Caldwell class and 155 subsequent Clemson-class destroyers, they formed the "flush-deck" or "four-stack" class. Only a few were completed in time to serve in World... destroyer |
I-65 | ex-USS Williams | |
| 2 October | U-144 | Type IID German Type II submarine The Type II U-boat was designed by Germany as a coastal U-boat, modeled after the CV-707 submarine, which was designed by the Dutch dummy company NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw den Haag and built in 1933 by the... coastal submarine |
U 144 | ||
| 16 October | U-145 | Type IID German Type II submarine The Type II U-boat was designed by Germany as a coastal U-boat, modeled after the CV-707 submarine, which was designed by the Dutch dummy company NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw den Haag and built in 1933 by the... coastal submarine |
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| 23 October | Lancaster USS Philip (DD-76) The first USS Philip was a Wickes class destroyer in the United States Navy during the World War I, later transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Lancaster. She was named for John Woodward Philip.-As USS Philip:... |
Wickes class Wickes class destroyer The Wickes-class destroyers were a group of 111 destroyers built by the United States Navy in 1917-1919. Along with the 6 preceding Caldwell class and 155 subsequent Clemson-class destroyers, they formed the "flush-deck" or "four-stack" class. Only a few were completed in time to serve in World... destroyer |
ex-USS Philip | ||
| 23 October | Mansfield USS Evans (DD-78) The first USS Evans was a Wickes class destroyer in the United States Navy during the World War I, later transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Mansfield.-As USS Evans:... |
Wickes class Wickes class destroyer The Wickes-class destroyers were a group of 111 destroyers built by the United States Navy in 1917-1919. Along with the 6 preceding Caldwell class and 155 subsequent Clemson-class destroyers, they formed the "flush-deck" or "four-stack" class. Only a few were completed in time to serve in World... destroyer |
ex-USS Evans | ||
| 23 October | Montgomery USS Wickes (DD-75) The first USS Wickes was the lead ship of her class of destroyers in the United States Navy during the World War I, later transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Montgomery... |
Wickes class Wickes class destroyer The Wickes-class destroyers were a group of 111 destroyers built by the United States Navy in 1917-1919. Along with the 6 preceding Caldwell class and 155 subsequent Clemson-class destroyers, they formed the "flush-deck" or "four-stack" class. Only a few were completed in time to serve in World... destroyer |
ex-USS Wickes | ||
| 30 October | Santee USS Santee (CVE-29) The second USS Santee was launched on 4 March 1939 as Esso Seakay under a Maritime Commission contract by the Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company at Chester, Pennsylvania, sponsored by Mrs... |
Cimarron class Cimarron class oiler Cimarron class oiler may refer to either of two classes of oilers.*Cimarron class fleet oiler , were built before and during World War II and served into the 1970s, in some cases until the Gulf War.... oiler |
AO-29 | Former merchant tanker Seakay | |
| 4 November | Sangamon USS Sangamon (CVE-26) USS Sangamon was an escort carrier converted from an oiler, the second ship to carry her name. She was one of 12 Cimarron class oilers built on a joint Navy-Maritime Commission design later duplicated by the T3-S2-A1 type... |
Cimarron class Cimarron class oiler Cimarron class oiler may refer to either of two classes of oilers.*Cimarron class fleet oiler , were built before and during World War II and served into the 1970s, in some cases until the Gulf War.... oiler |
AO-28 | Former tanker Esso Trenton | |
| 30 October | U-146 | Type IID German Type II submarine The Type II U-boat was designed by Germany as a coastal U-boat, modeled after the CV-707 submarine, which was designed by the Dutch dummy company NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw den Haag and built in 1933 by the... coastal submarine |
U 146 | ||
| 13 November | U-149 | Type IID German Type II submarine The Type II U-boat was designed by Germany as a coastal U-boat, modeled after the CV-707 submarine, which was designed by the Dutch dummy company NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw den Haag and built in 1933 by the... coastal submarine |
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| 26 November | Newark USS Ringgold (DD-89) USS Ringgold was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy during the World War I, later transferred to the Royal Navy as a Town class destroyer named HMS Newark.... |
Wickes class Wickes class destroyer The Wickes-class destroyers were a group of 111 destroyers built by the United States Navy in 1917-1919. Along with the 6 preceding Caldwell class and 155 subsequent Clemson-class destroyers, they formed the "flush-deck" or "four-stack" class. Only a few were completed in time to serve in World... destroyer |
ex-USS Ringgold | ||
| 27 November | U-150 | Type IID German Type II submarine The Type II U-boat was designed by Germany as a coastal U-boat, modeled after the CV-707 submarine, which was designed by the Dutch dummy company NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw den Haag and built in 1933 by the... coastal submarine |
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| 5 December | Newmarket USS Robinson (DD-88) USS Robinson was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy, later transferred to the Royal Navy, as HMS Newmarket... |
Wickes class Wickes class destroyer The Wickes-class destroyers were a group of 111 destroyers built by the United States Navy in 1917-1919. Along with the 6 preceding Caldwell class and 155 subsequent Clemson-class destroyers, they formed the "flush-deck" or "four-stack" class. Only a few were completed in time to serve in World... destroyer |
ex-USS Robinson | ||
| 5 December | Newport USS Sigourney (DD-81) USS Sigourney was a Wickes class destroyer in the United States Navy during the World War I. She was the first ship named for James Butler Sigourney.... |
Wickes class Wickes class destroyer The Wickes-class destroyers were a group of 111 destroyers built by the United States Navy in 1917-1919. Along with the 6 preceding Caldwell class and 155 subsequent Clemson-class destroyers, they formed the "flush-deck" or "four-stack" class. Only a few were completed in time to serve in World... destroyer |
ex-USS Sigourney | ||
| 5 December | Richmond USS Fairfax (DD-93) USS Fairfax was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy during the World War I, later transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Richmond , as a Town class destroyer.-USS Fairfax:... |
Wickes class Wickes class destroyer The Wickes-class destroyers were a group of 111 destroyers built by the United States Navy in 1917-1919. Along with the 6 preceding Caldwell class and 155 subsequent Clemson-class destroyers, they formed the "flush-deck" or "four-stack" class. Only a few were completed in time to serve in World... destroyer |
ex-USS Fairfax | ||
| 11 December | King George V HMS King George V (41) HMS King George V was the lead ship of the five British King George V-class battleships of the Royal Navy. Laid down in 1937 and commissioned in 1940, King George V operated during the Second World War as part of the British Home and Pacific Fleets... |
King George V class King George V class battleship (1939) The King George V-class battleships were the most modern British battleships used during World War II. Five ships of this class were built and commissioned: King George V , Prince of Wales , Duke of York , Howe , and Anson .The Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 limiting all of the number,... battleship |
41 | ||
| 11 December | U-147 German submarine U-147 (1940) German submarine U-147 was a Type IID U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was laid down on 10 April 1940 at Deutsche Werke in Kiel and went into service on 11 December 1940 under the command of Reinhard Hardegen.- Career :... |
Type IID German Type II submarine The Type II U-boat was designed by Germany as a coastal U-boat, modeled after the CV-707 submarine, which was designed by the Dutch dummy company NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw den Haag and built in 1933 by the... coastal submarine |
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| 28 December | U-148 | Type IID German Type II submarine The Type II U-boat was designed by Germany as a coastal U-boat, modeled after the CV-707 submarine, which was designed by the Dutch dummy company NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw den Haag and built in 1933 by the... coastal submarine |
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| Uncertain | Schwabenland | Converted merchant type seaplane tender | Former SS Schwabenland |