This is a list of auxiliaries of the United States Navy. It covers the various types of ships that support the frontline combat vessels of the United States Navy.
Auxiliary ships which function as hospital ships and as oilers are to be found in their own articles: List of United States Navy hospital ships and List of United States Navy oilers. Escort carriers, amphibious warfare vessels, and some mine warfare vessels were also originally classed as auxiliaries but were later given their own hull classification symbols outside the auxiliary series (which all begin with an 'A'). Links to these and other list articles of similar ships can be found throughout this article.
Yard and district craft also function as auxiliaries but generally are smaller and less capable than their ocean-going counterparts, and so they generally remain in harbors and coastal areas. Their hull classification symbols begin with a 'Y'.
Ship status is indicated as either currently active [A], ready reserve [R], inactive [I], or precommissioning [P] (though United States Naval Ships - USNS - are not commissioned). Ships in the inactive category include only ships in the inactive reserve, ships which have been disposed from US service have no listed status. Ships in the precommissioning category include ships under construction or on order.
Listed ship classes will often state 'MA type' or 'MC type'. The difference is that 'MC Type' refers to ships designed by the United States Maritime Commission aka MarCom, while 'MA Type' refers to ships designed or converted under MarCom's successor agency, the United States Maritime Administration or MarAd. They are in fact the same designs, and the year 1950 is the date at which MarAd succeeded MarCom.
Historical overview Prior to the creation of the auxiliary hull classification system, ships that performed such tasks had no symbol or code to identify them, only informal designations such as Fleet Collier No. 1.
World War I During World War I the Navy created the Section patrol (SP) and identification number (ID) system to register civilian vessels for naval acquisition. The ID series can be considered a forerunner of the current auxiliary hull numbering system, and some ships with ID numbers were later given 'A' hull symbols.
Also during WWI a series of mass-produced ships were designed by the Emergency Fleet Corporation, but few were completed before the end of the war and even fewer became naval auxiliaries.
Pre-World War II Until World War II the US auxiliary fleet was notable for being composed of non-standard ships which had been purchased ad-hoc. Very few were designed specifically for their intended role.
Interesting examples from the 1920s of rare early auxiliaries deliberately designed for their roles include the destroyer tenders USS Dobbin (AD-3) and USS Whitney (AD-4), the repair ship USS Medusa (AR-1), and the submarine tender USS Holland (AS-3): these 4 ships had the same length hulls and similar superstructures, so they were likely of the same basic design.
In the late 1930s the Navy began the construction of 22 large tenders and repair ships to a new basic design: all were nearly identical in hull form, power plant, and superstructure (but the seaplane tenders had a large hangar that the others lacked): 5 destroyer tenders (AD)s of the Dixie-class 4 repair ships (AR)s of the Vulcan-class 7 submarine tenders (AS)s of the Fulton-class 2 seaplane tenders (AV)s of the Curtiss-class 4 seaplane tenders (AV)s of the slightly longer Currituck class
The last of these 22 ships (the submarine tender Sperry) was scrapped in 2011.
Also at this time the Navy began the construction of 4 large net layers (AN)s and 3 minelayers (CM)s to a different basic design, but changing requirements resulted in all but one minelayer being redesignated as transports (AP)s and then converted into Landing ships, vehicle (LSV)s.
World War II
During the naval build-up for World War II over 700 vessels of Maritime Commission (MarCom, later MarAd) standard designs were converted to US Navy auxiliaries, as were a few Landing Ships Medium (LSM)s: 58 Type B barracks barges: all APL 83 Type C1 ships: 2 AE, 3 AG, 2 AGOR, 2 AGP, 3 AH, 61 AK, 2 AP, 4 APC, 1 ARG, 3 AVS 59 Type C2 ships: 15 AE, 3 AF, 22 AK, 5 AKS, 13 AP, 1 AVS 63 Type C3 ships: 12 AD, 29 AP, 5 AR, 11 AS, 6 AV 42 Type C4 ships: 6 AH, 2 AK, 34 AP 107 Type EC2 Liberty ships: 63 AK, 4 AKN, 17 AKS, 5 AR, 14 ARG, 2 ARV, 2 AVS 2 Type ET1 Liberty ships: both AW 26 Type R ships: all AF 88 Type S3 ships (most LSTs): 14 AGP, 5 AKS, 7 APB, 1 APL, 13 ARB, 2 ARC, 39 ARL, 3 ARST, 2 ARVA, 2 ARVE 76 T1 tankers: all AOG 4 T2 tankers: 1 AG, 1 AOG, 2 AW 79 Type V ships: all AT 34 Type VC2 Victory ships: 3 AG, 29 AK, 2 AKS 4 LSMs: all ARSD
Post World War II During the Cold War over 100 United States Maritime Administration (MarAd) standard designs were converted to US Navy auxiliaries: 8 Type C1 ships: 1 AF, 5 AGM, 2 AGS 3 Type C2 ship: 2 AE, 1 AG 4 Type C3 ships / CVEs: all AKV 4 Type C4 ships: 1 AG, 3 AGM 8 Type C5 ships: 3 ACS, 3 AK, 2 AVB 7 Type C6 ships: all ACS 7 Type C7 ships: 3 AK, 4 AKR 20 Type EC2 Liberty ships: 1 AGM, 16 AGR, 3 AGTR 2 Type R ships: both AF 2 Type S3 ships (LSTs): 1 AG, 1 AVB 17 Type S4 ships: 2 AGS, 13 AKV, 2 ARC 3 T2 tankers: all AGM 19 T3 tankers / CVEs: all AKV 31 Type VC2 Victory ships: 11 AG, 4 AF, 8 AGM, 4 AGS, 2 AGTR, 2 AKV 2 LSMs: 1 AG, 1 ARC
Modern auxiliaries have been designed to reduce operating costs by introducing scales of economies with larger ships and by reducing manning requirements (a trend begun in 1949 with the introduction of manning non-commissioned ships with civilian crews under the Military Sealift Command and its predecessors - such ships carry the 'T-' prefix on their hull symbols and the USNS prefix rather than USS; ships with MV or SS prefixes are under long-term charter with the Navy rather than under Navy ownership).
Crane ships (AB) USS Kearsarge (AB-1), ex-BB-5
Colliers (AC)
USS Hannibal (1898), later AG-1 USS Justin (1898) USS Leonidas (1898) USS Marcellus (1879) USS Merrimac (1898) USS Quincy (1918) USS Saturn (1898), later AG-4 USS Southery (1898) USS Sterling (1898) USS Vestal (AC-1), later AR-4 USS Ontario (AC-2), later AR-3 USS Jupiter (AC-3), later CV-1 as Langley, AV-3 USS Cyclops (AC-4), lost March 1918, 306 killed USS Vulcan (AC-5) USS Mars (AC-6) USS Hector (AC-7) USS Neptune (AC-8) USS Proteus (AC-9) USS Nereus (AC-10) USS Orion (AC-11) USS Jason (AC-12), later AV-2 USS Abarenda (AC-13), later AG-14 USS Ajax (AC-14), later AG-15 USS Brutus (AC-15) USS Caesar (AC-16) USS Nero (AC-17)
Auxiliary minelayers (ACM)
Auxiliary crane ships (T-ACS)
unknown class: MA type C6-S-MA1qd [R] [R] [I]
Gopher State-class: MA type C5-S-73b [R] [I] [R]
unknown class: MA type C6-S-1aq [I]
unknown class: MA type C6-S-MA60d [I] , later X-Band Transportable Radar Ship (XTR-1) SS Pacific Tracker
Auxiliary aircraft carriers (ACV)
The Auxiliary aircraft carriers (ACV) were designated as Auxiliary aircraft escort vessels (AVG) until 20 August 1942 and then were redesignated Escort aircraft carriers (CVE) on 15 July 1943.
Destroyer tenders (AD)
USS Dixie (AD-1) USS Melville (AD-2)
Dobbin-class
USS Dobbin (AD-3) USS Whitney (AD-4)
Unknown classes
USS Prairie (AD-5) USS Panther (AD-6) USS Leonidas (AD-7) USS Buffalo (AD-8) USS Black Hawk (AD-9) USS Bridgeport (AD-10), ex-ID-3009, ex-AR-2
Altair-class
USS Altair (AD-11) USS Denebola (AD-12) USS Rigel (AD-13), later ARb-1, AR-11
Dixie-class
USS Dixie (AD-14) USS Prairie (AD-15) USS Piedmont (AD-17) USS Sierra (AD-18) USS Yosemite (AD-19)
Cascade-class USS Cascade (AD-16)
Hamul-class: MC type C3
USS Hamul (AD-20), ex-AK-30 USS Markab (AD-21), ex-AK-31, later AR-23
Klondike-class: MC type C3
USS Klondike (AD-22), later AR-22 USS Arcadia (AD-23) USS Everglades (AD-24) USS Frontier (AD-25)
Shenandoah-class: MC type C3
USS Shenandoah (AD-26) USS Yellowstone (AD-27) USS Grand Canyon (AD-28), later AR-28 USS Isle Royale (AD-29) USS Great Lakes (AD-30), canceled USS Tidewater (AD-31) USS Canopus (AD-33), canceled USS Arrowhead (AD-35), canceled USS Bryce Canyon (AD-36)
New England-class USS New England (AD-32), cancelled
Alcor-class USS Alcor (AD-34), ex-AG-34
Samuel Gompers-class
USS Samuel Gompers (AD-37) USS Puget Sound (AD-38) (AD-39) - canceled unnamed (AD-40) - canceled unnamed
Yellowstone-class
USS Yellowstone (AD-41) USS Acadia (AD-42) USS Cape Cod (AD-43) USS Shenandoah (AD-44) (AD-45) - canceled unnamed
Degaussing ships (ADG)
Ammunition ships (AE)
Ammunition ships have been replaced by the more capable Advanced auxiliary dry cargo ships (T-AKE).
USS Pyro (AE-1) USS Nitro (AE-2) Major General Henry Gibbins (AE-7), ex-ID-3661, ex-AK-33, not commissioned"WEST ELCASCO (AK-33)".
Lassen-class: MC types C2, C2-T, C2-N
USS Lassen (AE-3) USS Mount Baker (AE-4) USS Rainier (AE-5) USS Shasta (AE-6) USS Mauna Loa (AE-8) USS Mazama (AE-9)
Unknown class: MC type C1-A USS Sangay (AE-10)
Mount Hood-class: MC type C2-S-AJ1
USS Mount Hood (AE-11), exploded on 10 November 1944, 372 killed on multiple vessels USS Wrangell (AE-12) USS Akutan (AE-13) USS Firedrake (AE-14) USS Vesuvius (AE-15) USS Mount Katmai (AE-16) USS Great Sitkin (AE-17) USS Paricutin (AE-18) USS Diamond Head (AE-19)
Fomalhaut-class: MC type C1-A USS Fomalhaut (AE-20), ex-AKA-5
Suribachi-class The Suribachi class were the first ammunition ships specifically designed for underway replenishment.
USS Suribachi (AE-21) USS Mauna Kea (AE-22)
Nitro-class
USS Nitro (AE-23) USS Pyro (AE-24) USS Haleakala (AE-25)
Andromeda-class: MA type C2-S-B1
USS Virgo (AE-30), ex-AKA-20 USS Chara (AE-31), ex-AKA-58
Kilauea-class
USS Kilauea (AE-26) USS Butte (AE-27) USS Santa Barbara (AE-28) USS Mount Hood (AE-29) USS Flint (AE-32) USS Shasta (AE-33) USS Mount Baker (AE-34) USS Kiska (AE-35)
Auxiliary floating drydock
Large auxiliary repair docks (ABSD) Reclassified as Large Auxiliary Floating Dry Docks (AFDB) in August 1946.
USS Artisan (ABSD-1) USS ABSD-2 USS ABSD-3 USS ABSD-4 USS ABSD-5 USS ABSD-6 USS ABSD-7 USS ABSD-8 USS ABSD-9 USS ABSD-10
Large auxiliary floating dry docks (AFDB)
USS Artisan (AFDB-1) USS AFDB-2 USS AFDB-3 USS AFDB-4 USS AFDB-5 USS AFDB-6
USS Machinist (AFDB-8) USS AFDB-9
Small auxiliary floating dry docks (AFDL)
USS Endeavor (AFDL-1) USS AFDL-2 USS AFDL-3 USS AFDL-4 USS AFDL-5 USS Dynamic (AFDL-6) USS Ability (AFDL-7) USS AFDL-8 USS AFDL-9 USS AFDL-10 USS AFDL-11 USS AFDL-12 USS AFDL-13 USS AFDL-14 USS AFDL-15 USS AFDL-16 USS AFDL-17 USS AFDL-18 USS AFDL-19 USS AFDL-20 USS AFDL-21 USS AFDL-22 USS Adept (AFDL-23) USS AFDL-24 USS Undaunted (AFDL-25) USS AFDL-26 USS AFDL-27 USS AFDL-28 USS AFDL-29 USS AFDL-30 USS AFDL-31 USS AFDL-32 USS AFDL-33 USS AFDL-34 USS AFDL-35 USS AFDL-36 USS AFDL-37 USS AFDL-38 USS AFDL-39 USS AFDL-40 USS AFDL-41 USS AFDL-42 USS AFDL-43 USS AFDL-44 USS AFDL-45 USS AFDL-46 USS Reliance (AFDL-47) USS Diligence (AFDL-48)
Medium auxiliary floating dry docks (AFDM)
All AFDMs were classified as YFDs until 1945.
USS AFDM-1 USS AFDM-2 USS AFDM-3 USS AFDM-4 USS Resourceful (AFDM-5) USS Competent (AFDM-6) USS Sustain (AFDM-7) USS Richland (AFDM-8) USS AFDM-9 USS Resolute (AFDM-10) [I] USS AFDM-11 USS AFDM-12 USS AFDM-13 USS Steadfast (AFDM-14)
Auxiliary repair docks (ARD)
USS ARD-1 USS ARD-2 USS ARD-3 USS ARD-4 USS Waterford (ARD-5) USS ARD-6 USS West Milton (ARD-7) USS ARD-8 USS ARD-9 USS ARD-10 USS ARD-11 USS ARD-12 USS ARD-13 USS ARD-14 USS ARD-15 USS ARD-16 USS ARD-17 USS ARD-18 USS ARD-19 USS White Sands (ARD-20), later T-AGDS-1 USS ARD-21 USS Windsor (ARD-22) USS ARD-23 USS ARD-24 USS ARD-25 USS ARD-26 USS ARD-27 USS ARD-28 USS Arco (ARD-29)