This is a List of World War II vessel types of the United States that were used during World War II. This list includes submarines, battleships, minelayers, oilers, barges, pontoon rafts and other types of water craft, boats and ships. this list is not complete.

Army

Under the Army organization of 1940, the Army Quartermaster was charged with the responsibility of providing the Army with all water transport services except those specifically authorized; for the Corps of Engineers in river and harbor work, for the Coast Artillery Corps in mine planting, and for the Signal Corps in cable laying (the Army had no communication ships at this time). In March 1942, most of the transportation functions of the Army Quartermaster were consolidated into the Transportation Division of the newly created Services of Supply and later that same year, on 31 July, the Transportation Corps was established.Water Transportation - U.S. Army, 1939-1942, ASFFM 21-6 List of Publications for Training - 20 January 1945

Coast Artillery Corps Mine Planter Service

The Army Mine Planter Service was responsible for the minefields of the Coast Artillery Corps' coast defenses. The largest vessels of the service were the U.S. Army Mine Planter (USAMP), which was equipped to install mines and associated control cables. Smaller vessels known as "junior mine planters" or "pup planters", were occasionally employed as mine planters, but they mostly served as freight and passenger boats for river and harbor duty with the Harbor Boat Service. In addition to the mine planters, there were distribution box boats, used for servicing the mine-cable distribution boxes and rugged utility boats called motor mine yawls.

Mine ships

L Distribution Box Boat M Motor Mine Yawl MP Mine Planter JMP Junior Mine Planter

One example is:

Wallace F. Randolph (MP-7)JMP-70 (ex FS-70)

Signal Corps

Cable ships

BSP Barge, self-propelled

One example is:

USASPB Col. William. A. Glassford (BSP-2098)

Communication ships

Army communications ships in the South West Pacific theater of World War II provided radio relay services and acted as command posts for forward elements ashore.p262 The Signal Corps: The Outcome ( Mid-1943 through 1945 )

CS Communications ship CSM Maintenance ship, a CS ship additionally equipped to perform radio repair CSN News ship, was used by civilian journalist CSQ Quarters ship, a floating dormitory PCER Patrol Craft, Escort, Rescue

Surviving examples include:

PCER-848Apache (S-568, CSN-1) (S-195, CSQ-1)A salute to the doyen of old paddle-steamers

Schooners Argosy Lemal (S-6) Harold (S-58, CS-3) Geoanna (IX-61, TP-249, S-382, CS-1) Volador (IX-59, TP-248, S-385, CSM-1)

Transportation Corps - Water Division

South West Pacific Area (SWPA) - Services of Supply (USASOS)

Operated in the Southwest Pacific Area.U.S. Army Transportation in the Southwest Pacific Area 1941-1947

Small Ships Section

As there was a need for a fleet of shallow-draft vessels that could navigate among coral reefs, use primitive landing places far up the coast of New Guinea, and land along the outlying islands. An "S" fleet under Army control was created using local Australian vessels crewed largely by civilian Australians and New Zealanders. It was a miscellaneous collection of luggers, rusty trawlers, old schooners, launches, ketches, yawls, and yachts.US Army Small Ships SectionThe Formation and Operation of the US Army Small Ships in World War II pp. 430, 448-53 The Transportation Corps: Operations OverseasCoringle (S-31) Jane Moorhead (S-63)Will Watch (S-116) Tuhoe (S-13 2) 1 Auxiliary schooner Tuhoe

Water Branch - Army Transport Service (ATS) The Army Transport Service (ATS), originating with the Quartermaster Corps in 1898 and continuing into Transportation Corps as a division, operated the Army's large ships, most of which were transports, but ATS also manned the Army's large cable ships.

Troop ships

Troop ships included the following.Ships and Men of the Army Transport Service (ATS)Army Transport Service WW IITroops and Cargo Transported During World War II under U.S. Army Control

Surviving examples include:

USAT Agwileon USAT George Washington USAT Orizaba

Sunk

USAT Cynthia Olsen (sunk 7 December 1941) USAT Meigs USAT Liberty USAT General John McE. Hyde

Cargo ships over 1,000 tons

Cargo ships moved freight around the world.The Army's Cargo Fleet in World War II FM 55-105 Water Transportation: Oceangoing Vessels (War Department 25SEPT1944)

Harbor Branch - Harbor Boat Service (HBS)

FM 55-130 Small Boats and Harbor CraftFM 55-130 Small Boats and Harbor Craft 31 January 1944

Harbor Vessels

The Harbor Craft Company is organized for the purpose of ferrying to shore cargo from freighters and transports arriving in theaters of operation. The vessels may either be riding offshore at anchor in the open sea or more likely, anchored in a harbor. Cargo from the ships is loaded by Transportation Corps port company personnel onto barges. Then tugs, tow boats, or marine tractors propel the barges to the shore for unloading. Any cargo too heavy for the vessel's gear to lift is handled by a 60-ton floating crane.

B Barge or Lorcha BB Balloon Barge BBP Balloon Barrage Leader BC Cargo Barge (Med. 110'-130') BCS Cargo Barge (Sm. 45' - 60') BCL Cargo Barge (Large - 210' or more) BD Derrick and Crane Barges BDP Pontoon Derrick Barge BK Knocked-down barge BG Gasoline Barge BSP Self-propelled Barge BW Water Barge BTL Truck Lighter C Navy Type Launch (Obsolete designation) CL Landing Boat D Dory and Dinghie G Marine Tractor HA Hoisting or Retrieving Vessel JR Radio Controlled Boat J Launch up to 50' MT Motor Towboat (Sm. 26') MTL Motor Towboat (Large, over 26') OB Outboard Launch - Detachable Motor OBM Outboard Motor - Stationary Motor Q Launch, more than 60' R Rowboat TKL Tank Lighter V Speed Boat Y Tanker - 176'

Cargo ships under 1,000 tons

Coastwise and inter-island cargo ships, sometimes known as coastal freighters.

Small Boat Company

The small boat company provided regular coastal and island service to bases in the Aleutian and Pacific Islands to supply food and equipment transported by small coastal and inter-island vessels and water craft that were under 200 feet or under 1,000 gross tons of the following vessel types.Army FP/FS Vesselsp159 The Coast Guard at War, USCG crewed F shipsU.S. Army "FS" (Freight-Supply) Vessels Manned by Coast Guard crewsMenhaden fishing fleet of converted FS vessels

Ferry Tanker Water Boat Motor Launch Seagoing Tug Freight-Passenger Vessel

T tender lighter towing vessel transport boat Vessel 65' WoodTP tug, passenger Utility Vessel 96' Wood (Design 333) - Harbor Tug trawlertow boatpurse seinersailing schooner Freight & Passenger Vessel (Small) - under 100' (plus private vessels refitted for wartime service) F   Cargo Vessel 99' Steel FT   Vessel 115' Wood FP   Freight & Passenger Vessel (Large) - over 100' (plus private vessels refitted for wartime service) FS small, 99' and under (F, FT & FP were reclassified FS early in World War II) medium, 100' to 139' large, 140' and over

FS-80 to FS-90 were merchant vessels refitted for wartime operationUSAFS Major J. R. Wessely (FS-80)

Built during World War II: F-76F-76F-76 FS-64FS-64 FS-64 FS-206FS-206FS-206 FS-240FS-240 FS-244FS-244FS244 FS-246FS-246FS-246 FS-263 FS-344 FS-391 T-57T-57 T-89T-89 T-147T-147 TP-225

QS Quick Supply Boat: Design 235-C (Boat, Supply, High Speed, Gasoline, Wood, 104'), see P type ST Small Tug, under 100' LT Large Tug, over 100'

Surviving examples include:

LT-5 the only surviving Army vessel that participated in the D-Day Normandy landing. LT-152 LT-152 LT-638LT-638

Air Corps - Quartermaster Corps (QMC) boat service

Late in 1943 all rescue-boat activities were reassigned to the Army Air Forces.

Unit Designation Chronology Air Corps Marine Rescue Service Quartermaster Boat Company, Avn. (note; Avn=Aviation) AAF Emergency Rescue Boat Squadron (ERBS)

Rescue Boats

Rescue boats included the following.p131 The 10th ERBS in AlaskaP-239

SG Swamp Glider P Rescue Boat, various sizes (42', 63', 85', 104'). Also referred too as a Crash Boat or Crash Rescue Boat. Design 235 (Boat, Rescue, Gasoline, Wood, 104'), see QS type

Corps of Engineers

Rivers & Harbors Division

Reorganized 6 June 1942 as Construction Division - Engineering and Operations branches.Historic Ships To Visit - Army Corps Of Engineers

towboat a powerful small boat designed to pull or push larger vessels dredge a vessel equipped for digging out the bed of a water way snagboat a vessel equipped for removing obstructions in a water way

Surviving examples include:

Sergeant Floyd (towboat) William M. Black (dredge) Montgomery (snagboat) WT Preston

Troops Division

The 1943 Engineer Field Manual described a table of organization and equipment for specialized types of engineering units.FM 5-5,C1..C5 These included:port construction and repair group

Engineer Units, Combat, with Army Ground Forces Engineer Units, Service, with Army Ground Forces Engineer Units with Army Air Forces Engineer Units with Army Service Forces Port Repair Ship Port Construction and Repair group Engineer Amphibian Brigades

Port & Harbor Rehabilitation

The engineer Engineer Port Repair ship is equipped with repair facilities that include a heavy crane and a machine shop and maintains channels and ship berths by removing sunken ships and other obstructions. It also maintains channel markings and other aids for pilots. It does needed work on docks and wharves in conjunction with engineer port construction and repair groups.

Port Construction and Repair Group

The primary mission of the engineer port construction and repair group is to make ready for use the facilities of ports of debarkation in a theater of operations. and to perform work involved in improvement or expansion of such ports, exclusive of harbors. Its work is performed in conjunction with engineer port repair ship operations offshore.

The construction platoon consists of a divers' section under the supervision of an officer, as master diver. Enlisted personnel consists of marine divers and divers' attendants. This section does underwater work incident to construction of quay walls, wharves, piers, etc.Port Restoration - WWIIThe dredge "William L. Marshall" in World War II The Corps of Engineers: The War Against Germany: CHAPTER XVI Developing Beaches and Reconstructing PortsThe District, A History of the Philadelphia District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 1866-1971, Marine Design - Unique Mission United States Army in World War II - The Corps of Engineers: Troops and Equipment - Chapter XVII - Preparing to Reconstruct Ports Historic Dredging Photos

Militarized Dredge 3-inch gun turrets (fore and aft), 20-millimeter gun turrets (midship) Port Repair Ship workshops, cranes, machine shops, U.S. Army divers' complementChester Harding (dredge)

Surviving examples include:

Junior N. Van Noy, only one of the ten Port Repair Ships that was not a Maritime Commission type N3-M-A1 type conversion.

Near-short units

The Engineer Amphibian Brigade, redesignated in 1943 as Engineer Special Brigade provided personnel and equipment for transporting combat troops from a friendly near shore to a hostile far shore when the distance is not over 100 miles. The brigade resupplies these troops during the early stages of establishing a beachhead. The brigade can transport one division when reinforced by naval LCT boats.

LCM Landing Craft Mechanized P Command Boat (Crash boat 63')

2+1/2-ton amphibian trucks, command and navigation boats tank lighters patrol boats surf-landing boats

River crossing units