A ship prefix is a combination of letters, usually abbreviations, used in front of the name of a civilian or naval ship that has historically served numerous purposes, such as identifying the vessel's mode of propulsion, purpose, or ownership/nationality. In the modern environment, prefixes are cited inconsistently in civilian service, whereas in government service a vessel's prefix is seldom omitted due to government regulations dictating that a certain prefix be used. Today the common practice is to use a single prefix for all warships of a nation's navy, and other prefixes for auxiliaries and ships of allied services, such as coast guards. For example, the modern navy of Japan adopts the prefix "JS" – Japanese Ship. However, not all navies use prefixes. Among the blue-water navies,[1] those of France, Brazil, China, Russia, Germany, and Spain do not use ship prefixes. NATO designations such as FS (French Ship), FGS (Federal German Ship), and SPS (Spanish Ship) can be used if needed.
Historically, prefixes for civilian vessels often identified the vessel's mode of propulsion, such as "MV" (motor vessel), "SS" (screw steamer;[2] often cited as "steam ship"), or "PS" (paddle steamer).[3]
These days, general civilian prefixes are used inconsistently, and frequently not at all. In terms of abbreviations that may reflect a vessel's purpose or function, technology has introduced a broad variety of differently named vessels onto the world's oceans, such as "LPGC" (liquified petroleum gas carrier), or "TB" (tug-boat), or "DB" (derrick barge). In many cases though, these abbreviations are used for purely formal, legal identification and are not used colloquially or in the daily working environment. Prefixes indicating a vessel's purpose (e.g., "RMS" for a Royal Mail ship or "RV" for research vessel) are also used.
Prefixes used for naval ships primarily reflect ownership, but may also indicate a vessel's type or purpose as a sub-set. Historically, the most significant navy was Britain's Royal Navy, which has usually used the prefix "HMS", standing for "His/Her Majesty's Ship". The Royal Navy also adopted nomenclature that reflected a vessel's type or purpose, e.g. HM Sloop. Commonwealth navies adopted a variation, with, for example, HMAS, HMCS, and HMNZS pertaining to Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, respectively.
In the early days of the United States Navy, abbreviations often included the type of vessel, for instance "USF" (United States Frigate), but this method was abandoned by President Theodore Roosevelt's Executive Order No. 549 of 1907, which made "United States Ship" (USS) the standard signifier for USN ships on active commissioned service.[4] United States Navy prefixes officially only apply while a ship is in active commission, with only the name used before or after a period of commission and for all vessels "in service" rather than commissioned status.[5]
However, not all navies used prefixes; this includes the significant navies of China, France and Russia.
From the 20th century onwards, most navies identify ships by letters or hull numbers (pennant numbers)[6] or a combination of such. These identification codes were, and still are, painted on the side of the ship. Each navy has its own system: the United States Navy uses hull classification symbols, and the Royal Navy (e.g. 'D35' is destroyer 35 – HMS Dragon) and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth use pennant numbers.
These tables list both current and historical prefixes known to have been used.[7]
These prefixes are generally used for merchant vessels of any nationality.[8]
| Prefix | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| AE | Ammunition ship | |
| AFS | Combat stores ship | |
| AHT | Anchor handling tug | |
| AHTS | Anchor handling tug supply vessel | |
| AO | United States Navy oiler | |
| AOG | ||
| AOR | Auxiliary replenishment oiler | |
| AOT | Transport oiler | |
| ASDS | Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship | |
| ATB | Articulated Tug Barge | |
| CRV | Coastal Research Vessel | |
| C/F | Car ferry | |
| CS | Container ship or Cable ship | |
| DB | Derrick barge | |
| DEPV | Diesel Electric Paddle Vessel | |
| DLB | Derrick Lay Barge | |
| DCV | Deepwater Construction Vessel | |
| DSV | Diving support vessel or deep-submergence vehicle | |
| DV | Dead vessel[9] [10] | |
| ERRV | Emergency Response Rescue Vessel | |
| EV | Exploration Vessel | |
| FPSO | Floating production storage and offloading vessel | |
| FPV | Free Piston Vessel | |
| FPV | Fishery Protection Vessel | |
| FT | Factory Stern Trawler | |
| FV | Fishing Vessel | |
| GTS | Gas Turbine Ship | |
| HLV | Heavy lift vessel | |
| HMT | Hired military transport[11] (not currently in use) | |
| HMHS | His(/Her) Majesty's Hospital Ship | |
| HSC | High Speed Craft | |
| HSF | High Speed Ferry | |
| HTV | Heavy transport vessel | |
| IRV | International Research Vessel | |
| ITB | Integrated Tug barge | |
| LB | Liftboat | |
| LNG/C | Liquefied natural gas carrier | |
| LPG/C | Liquefied petroleum gas carrier | |
| MF | Motor ferry | |
| MFV | Motor fishing vessel (mainly UK Royal Naval Reserve) | |
| MS (M/S) | Motor ship (interchangeable with MV) | |
| MSV | Multipurpose support/supply vessel | |
| MSY | Motor Sailing Yacht | |
| MT | Motor Tanker | |
| MTS | Marine towage and salvage/tugboat | |
| MV (M/V) | Motor Vessel (interchangeable with MS) | |
| MY (M/Y) | Motor Yacht | |
| NB | Narrowboat | |
| NRV | NATO Research Vessel | |
| NS | Nuclear ship | |
| OSV | Offshore supply vessel | |
| PS | Paddle steamer | |
| PSV | Platform supply vessel | |
| QSMV | Quadruple screw motor vessel | |
| QTEV | Quadruple turbo electric vessel | |
| RMP | Royal Mail Packet | |
| RMS | Royal Mail Ship or Royal Mail Steamer | |
| RNLB | Royal National Lifeboat | |
| RNMB | Royal Navy Motor Boat | |
| RRS | Royal Research Ship | |
| RV / RSV | Research vessel/Research Survey Vessel[12] | |
| SB | Sailing Barge | |
| SL | Steam Launch | |
| SS (S/S) | Single-screw steamship (also used as generic term for any steam-powered ship) | |
| SSCV | Semi-submersible crane vessel | |
| SSS | Sea Scout Ship | |
| SSV | Sailing School Vessel, or Submarine and Special Warfare Support Vessel[13] | |
| ST | Steam tug or Steam trawler | |
| STS | Sail training ship | |
| STV | Sail Training Vessel or Steam Turbine Vessel | |
| SV (S/V) | Sailing Vessel | |
| SY (S/Y) | sailing yacht or steam yacht | |
| TB | ||
| TIV | Turbine Installation Vessel | |
| TEV | Turbine electric vessel | |
| TrSS | Triple-screw steamship or steamer[14] | |
| TS | Training Ship or turbine steamship or turbine steam ship | |
| Tr.SMV | Triple-Screw Motor Vessel | |
| TSMV | Twin-Screw Motor Vessel[15] | |
| TSMS | Twin-Screw Motor Ship[16] | |
| TSS | Twin-screw steamship or steamer | |
| TST | Twin-screw tug | |
| TT (T/T) | "Tender to" ..., the prefix is placed on the tender followed by the name of the mother ship; or Turbine Tanker | |
| TV | Training vessel | |
| ULCC | Ultra Large Crude Carrier | |
| VLCC | Very Large Crude Carrier | |
| YD | Yard derrick | |
| YT | Yard Tug | |
| YMT | Yard Motor Tug | |
| YTB | Yard Tug Big | |
| YTL | Yard Tug Little | |
| YTM | Yard Tug Medium | |
| YW | Water barge, self-propelled | |
| YWN | Water barge, non-propelled | |
| YOS | Concrete vessel |
| Country | Service | Prefix | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albanian Naval Force | ALS | Albanian Ship (NATO prefix) | |
| Algerian National Navy | ANS | Algerian Navy Ship | |
| Argentine Navy | ARA | Navy of the Argentine Republic (Spanish; Castilian: Armada de la República Argentina) | |
| Argentine Coast Guard | GC | Argentine Coast Guard Ship (Spanish; Castilian: Guardacostas) | |
| Royal Australian Navy | HMAS | His Majesty's Australian Ship/Submarine/Station | |
| NUSHIP | New Ship/Submarine (Yet to be commissioned) | ||
| ADV | Australian Defence Vessel (non-commissioned naval-operated ships) | ||
| MSA | Minesweeper Auxiliary[17] | ||
| Australian Customs and Border Protection Service | ACV | Australian Customs Vessel | |
| Australian Border Force | ABFC | Australian Border Force Cutter | |
| Australia (pre-Federation) | HMCS | His Majesty's Colonial Ship | |
| HMQS | His Majesty's Queensland Ship (Queensland Maritime Defence Force) | ||
| HMVS | His Majesty's Victorian Ship (Victorian Naval Forces) | ||
| Austro-Hungarian Navy | SMS | Seiner Majestät Schiff (His Majesty's Ship) | |
| Azerbaijani Navy | ARG | Azərbaycan Respublikasının hərbi Gəmisi (Warship of the Republic of Azerbaijan) | |
| Royal Bahamas Defence Force | HMBS | His Majesty's Bahamian Ship | |
| Royal Bahrain Naval Force | RBNS | Royal Bahrain Naval Ship | |
| Bangladesh Coast Guard | CGS | Coast Guard Ship | |
| Bangladesh Navy | BNS | Bangladesh Navy Ship | |
| Barbados Coast Guard | BCGS | Barbados Coast Guard Ship | |
| Belgian Navy | BNS | Belgian Naval Ship (NATO prefix) | |
| Brazilian Navy | (No Official Prefix) | Brazilian naval prefix indicates ship type. | |
| Royal Indian Marine (1892–1934) | RIMS | Royal Indian Marine Ship | |
| Royal Indian Navy (1934–1950) | HMIS | His Majesty's Indian Ship | |
| Royal Brunei Navy | KDB | Kapal Di-Raja Brunei (Royal Brunei Ship) | |
| Bulgarian Navy | BNG | NATO Designation | |
| Royal Canadian Navy (formerly Canadian Forces Maritime Command) | HMCS NCSM | His Majesty's Canadian Ship (French: Navire canadien de Sa Majesté) | |
| CFAV NAFC | Canadian Forces Auxiliary Vessel (French: Navire auxiliaire des Forces canadiennes) | ||
| Canadian Coast Guard | CCGS NGCC | Canadian Coast Guard Ship (French: Navire de Garde côtière canadienne) | |
| CCGC CGCC | Canadian Coast Guard Cutter (French: Cotre de Garde côtière canadienne) (no longer used) | ||
| Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Department of Transport, and predecessor departments | CGS | Canadian Government Ship (no longer used) | |
| CSS | Canadian Survey Ship (no longer used) | ||
| DGS | Dominion Government Ship (no longer used) | ||
| Royal Canadian Sea Cadets | SCTV NECM | Sea Cadet Training Vessel (French: Navire école des cadets de la Marine) | |
| People's Liberation Army Navy | (No Official Prefix) | ||
| Armada Nacional | ARC | Armada de la República de Colombia (Navy of the Republic of Colombia) | |
| Confederate States Navy | CSS | Confederate States Ship | |
| Cook Islands Police | CIPPB | Cook Islands Police Patrol Boat | |
| Royal Danish Navy | HDMS (Danish: KDM) | His/Her Danish Majesty's Ship (Danish: Kongelige Danske Marine) | |
| HDMY (Danish: KDM) | His/Her Danish Majesty's Yacht, crewed by Royal Danish Navy | ||
| Armada Ecuatoriana | BAE | Buque de la Armada de Ecuador (Ecuadorian Navy Ship) | |
| Estonian Navy | ENS (Estonian: EML) | Estonian Naval Ship (NATO designation) | |
| Estonian Coast Guard | ECGS | Estonian Coast Guard Ship (NATO designation) | |
| Republic of Fiji Navy | RFNS | Republic of Fiji Naval Ship | |
| Finnish Navy | FNS | Finnish Navy Ship; Prefixes are for international identification only and never used internally. | |
| French Navy | FS | French Ship (NATO designation); Prefixes are for international identification only and never used internally. | |
| Kaiserliche Marine | SMS | Seiner Majestät Schiff (His Majesty's Ship) | |
| SMU | Seiner Majestät Unterseeboot (His Majesty's Submarine) | ||
| Kriegsmarine | KMS / DKM (No Official Prefix) | Kriegsmarine Schiffe/Deutsche Kriegsmarine (Navy Ship/German Navy) | |
| Bundesmarine | FGS | Federal German Ship (NATO designation); Only used for international identification and never used internally.[18] | |
| Volksmarine | |||
| German Navy | FGS | Federal German Ship (NATO designation); Only used for international identification and never used internally. | |
| Royal Hellenic Navy | VP (ΒΠ) | "Royal Ship" (Βασιλικόν Πλοίον|translit=Vassilikón Ploíon); Some English Language authors uses RHNS for Royal Hellenic Navy Ship or HHMS for His Hellenic Majesty's Ship. | |
| Hellenic Navy | HS | Hellenic Ship (NATO designation); Only used for international identification, as prefix indicates ship type internally. | |
| Guyanese Coast Guard[19] | GDFS | Guyanese Defence Forces Ship | |
| Hawaiian Navy | HHMS | His Hawaiian Majesty's Ship; the only one being Kaimiloa | |
| Icelandic Coast Guard | ICGV (Icelandic: VS) | Icelandic Coast Guard Vessel, (Icelandic:Varðskip) | |
| Indian Coast Guard | ICGS | Indian Coast Guard Ship | |
| Indian Navy | INS | Indian Naval Ship | |
| Indonesian Navy | RI | Republik Indonesia (Republic of Indonesia). Obsolete prefix used until 1960s.[20] | |
| KRI | Kapal Republik Indonesia (Ship of The Republic of Indonesia) | ||
| KAL | Kapal Angkatan Laut (Navy Ship). For smaller boats which have a length less than 36m, and made from fiberglass. | ||
| Republic of Indonesia | KL | Kapal Layar (Sailing Ship) | |
| Republic of Indonesia | KM | Kapal Motor (Motor Ship) | |
| Republic of Indonesia | KN | Kapal Negara (State Ship) | |
| Imperial Iranian Navy | IIS[21] | Imperial Iranian Ship (Persian: ناو شاهنشاهی ایران) | |
| Islamic Republic of Iran Navy | IRIS[22] | Islamic Republic of Iran ship (Persian: ناو جمهوری اسلامی ایران) | |
| Irish Naval Service | LÉ | Long Éireannach (Irish ship) | |
| Commissioners of Irish Lights | ILV | Irish Lights Vessel (Lighthouse tender) | |
| Israeli Sea Corps | INS | Israeli Naval Ship (Internally Hebrew acronym אח"י (A.Ch.Y.) is used standing for אניית חיל הים (Oniyat Heyl HaYam – Sea Corps Ship) | |
| Regia Marina | RN | Regia Nave – Royal Ship | |
| R.Smg. | Regio Sommergibile – Royal Submarine | ||
| Marina Militare | ITS | Italian Ship (NATO designation); Italy no longer uses prefixes | |
| Jamaica Defence Force | HMJS | His Majesty's Jamaican Ship | |
| Imperial Japanese Navy | HIJMS (obsolete) | His Imperial Japanese Majesty Ship (Used externally, between the Meiji Era and the Washington Naval Treaty. Though abandoned later on, Japanese vessels were still referred as such during World War II. | |
| Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force | JDS or JS | Japanese Defense Ship or Japanese Ship | |
| Kenyan Navy | KNS | Kenyan Naval Ship | |
| Kiribati Police Force | RKS | Republic of Kiribati Ship | |
| Korean People's Navy | (No Official Prefix) | Does not use any prefixes at all, either for international identification or for ship type indication. | |
| Kuwait Naval Force | KNS | Kuwait Navy Ship | |
| Imperial Korean Navy | KIS | Korean Imperial Ship | |
| Republic of Korea Navy | ROKS | Republic of Korea Ship | |
| Latvian Navy | LVNS | Latvian Naval Ship (NATO designation) | |
| Lithuanian Navy | LKL | Lietuvos Karinis Laivas (Lithuanian Military Ship) | |
| LNS | Lithuanian Ship (NATO designation) | ||
| Royal Malaysian Navy | KD | Kapal Di-Raja – His Majesty's Ship, literal: Royal Ship. | |
| KLD | Kapal Layar Di-Raja - His Majesty's Sailing Ship, literal: Royal Sailing Ship. (Used by KLD Tunas Samudera) | ||
| Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency | KM | Kapal Maritim – Maritime Ship | |
| Marshall Islands Police | RMIS | Republic of the Marshall Islands Ship | |
| FSM National Police | FSM | Federated States of Micronesia | |
| Armada de México | ARM | Armada de la República Mexicana | |
| Myanmar Navy | UMS | Union of Myanmar Ship (Burmese: Myanmar Sit Yay Yin) | |
| Namibian Navy | NS | Namibian Ship | |
| Royal Netherlands Navy | HNLMS (Dutch; Flemish: Zr.Ms./Hr.Ms.) | His/Her Netherlands Majesty's Ship (Dutch; Flemish: [[Hr.Ms.|Zijner/Harer Majesteits]]) | |
| Royal New Zealand Navy | HMNZS | His Majesty's New Zealand Ship | |
| Nigerian Navy | NNS | Nigerian Naval Ship | |
| Royal Norwegian Navy | HNoMS (Norwegian: KNM) | His Norwegian Majesty's Ship (Norwegian: Kongelige Norske Marine), in use since 1946. | |
| HNoMY (Norwegian: KS|4) | His Norwegian Majesty's Yacht (Norwegian: Kongenskipet). The only vessel with the prefix,, is owned by the King but crewed by his Navy since 1948. | ||
| King of Norway | KSJ | King's Sloop Norwegian: Kongesjaluppen Used on two small motorised pleasure vessels named & owned by the King from 1899-1940 and 1945-present. | |
| Norwegian Coast Guard | NoCGV (Norwegian: KV) | Norwegian Coast Guard Vessel (Norwegian: Kystvakten) | |
| Royal Navy of Oman | SNV | Sultanate Naval Vessel | |
| Pakistan Navy | PNS | Pakistan Naval Ship | |
| Pakistan Maritime Security Agency | PMSS | Pakistan Maritime Security Ship | |
| Palau Police | PSS | Palau State Ship | |
| Papua New Guinea Defence Force | HMPNGS | His/Her Majesty's Papua New Guinea Ship | |
| Paraguayan Navy | ARP | Armada de la República del Paraguay (Navy of the Republic of Paraguay) | |
| Peruvian Navy | BAP | Peruvian Navy Ship (Spanish: Buque Armada Peruana), Since 1921 | |
| BIC | Scientific Research Ship (Spanish: Buque de Investigación Científica) | ||
| Philippine Navy | BRP | Barko ng Republika ng Pilipinas; in use since 1 July 1980 (Ship of the Republic of the Philippines) | |
| RPS | Republic of the Philippines Ship (Obsolete); before 1 July 1980 | ||
| Polish Navy | ORP | Okręt Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (Warship of the Republic of Poland) | |
| Marinha Portuguesa | NRP | Navio da República Portuguesa (Ship of the Portuguese Republic) | |
| PNS | Portuguese Navy Ship (NATO designation); Never used internally. | ||
| UAM | Unidade Auxiliar da Marinha – Navy Auxiliary Unit (used by non-military ships of Portuguese Navy) | ||
| Prussian Navy | SMS | Seiner Majestät Schiff (His Majesty's Ship) | |
| Royal Romanian Navy | NMS | Nava Majestăţii Sale (His/Her Majesty's Ship) | |
| Romanian Navy | ROS | Romanian Ship (NATO designation); Prefixes are for international identification only and never used internally. | |
| SMR | Serviciul Maritim Român (Romanian Maritime Service); used by transport ships | ||
| Imperial Russian Navy | (No Official Prefix) | Some authors use "HIRMS" for "His Imperial Russian Majesty's Ship" to identify them. | |
| Russian Navy | RFS | Russian Federation Ship (NATO designation; Prefixes are for international identification only and never used internally. | |
| Saudi Navy | HMS | His Majesty's Ship (Same as the Royal Navy) | |
| Republic of Singapore Navy | RSS | Republic of Singapore Ship | |
| Slovenian Navy | SNS | Slovenian Naval Ship (NATO prefix) | |
| Royal Solomon Islands Police | RSIPV | Royal Solomon Islands Police Vessel | |
| South African Navy | SAS | South African Ship/Suid-Afrikaanse Skip (previously HMSAS – His/Her Majesty's South African Ship) | |
| SATS | South African Training Ship | ||
| Soviet Navy | (No Official Prefix) | Some authors use "USSRS" for "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Ship" (Russian: Корабль Союза Советских Социалистических Республик).[23] | |
| Armada Española | ESPS Buque de la A | Spanish Navy Ship (Spain does not use prefixes internally. ESPN or SPS are no longer used) | |
| Sri Lankan Navy | SLNS | Sri Lanka Naval Ship | |
| Sri Lanka Coast Guard | SLCG | Sri Lanka Coast Guard | |
| Swedish Navy | HMS (English: HSwMS) | Hans/Hennes Majestäts Skepp (His/Her Majesty's Ship) HSwMS (His/Her Swedish Majesty's Ship) is used in English to avoid confusion with Royal Navy ships | |
| Swedish Coast Guard | KBV | Swedish Coast Guard Vessel (Swedish: Kustbevakningen) | |
| Republic of China Navy | ROCS | Republic of China Ship; CNS for "Chinese Navy Ship" was used before 1949 | |
| Royal Thai Navy | HTMS | His Thai Majesty's Ship | |
| Timor Leste Defense Force | NRTL | Navio da República de Timor Leste (Ship of the Timor Leste Republic) | |
| Tonga Defence Services | VOEA | Vaka O Ene Afio (His Majesty's Vessel) | |
| Turkish Navy | TCG | Ship of the Turkish Republic (Turkish: Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Gemisi.) | |
| Tuvalu Police Force | HMTSS | His/Her Majesty's Tuvalu Surveillance Ship | |
| Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force | TTS | Trinidad and Tobago Ship | |
| Ships carrying mail | RMS | Royal Mail Steamer/Ship | |
| Cable ship | HMTV | His Majesty's Telegraph Vessel | |
| Motor Ship | MS | Motor Ship. Cruise ships such as the MS Queen Elizabeth, which do not carry post | |
| Fishery protection vessels | FPV | Fisheries Protection Vessel | |
| Royal Air Force | HMAFV | His Majesty's Air Force Vessel (not currently in use) | |
| Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships | RFA | Royal Fleet Auxiliary | |
| Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service ships | RMAS | Royal Maritime Auxiliary Ship (now obsolete) | |
| Royal Naval Auxiliary Service | XSV | Auxiliary Service Vessel (now obsolete) | |
| Royal Navy | HM Sloop | His Majesty's Sloop (now obsolete) | |
| HMS | His Majesty's Ship/Submarine | ||
| HMSm | His Majesty's Submarine (not currently in use) | ||
| HMT | Hired Military Transport[24] (not currently in use) His Majesty's Transport/Troopship/Trawler/Tug[25] | ||
| HMAV | His Majesty's Armed Vessel[26] (not currently in use) | ||
| HMY | His Majesty's Yacht (not currently in use) | ||
| HMMGB | His Majesty's Motor Gun Boat (not currently in use) | ||
| HMM | His Majesty's Monitor (not currently in use) | ||
| HMSML | His Majesty's Survey Motor Launch | ||
| HBMS | His Britannic Majesty's Ship (archaic) | ||
| HM | His Majesty's, then used with the type of ship in military use (e.g. "HM Trawler" or "HM Rescue Tug") | ||
| Hospital Ships | HMHS | His Majesty's Hospital Ship | |
| Joint Services Sail Training Yachts (JSASTC) | HMSTC | His/Her Majesty's Sail Training Craft | |
| Trinity House | THV | Trinity House Vessel (Lighthouse and Buoy Tender) | |
| Northern Lighthouse Board | NLV | Northern Lighthouse Vessel (Lighthouse tender) | |
| Commissioners of Irish Lights | ILV | Irish Lights Vessel (Lighthouse tender) | |
| British Army | HMAV | His/Her Majesty's Army Vessel[27] | |
| RCLV | Royal Corps of Logistics Vessel (not currently in use) | ||
| Government research ships | RRS | Royal Research Ship | |
| HM Revenue and Customs/Border Force | HMCC, HMC | His Majesty's Customs Cutter shortened to His Majesty's Cutter after being transferred to Border Force | |
| HM Customs and Excise (replaced by HMRC, above) | HMRC | His Majesty's Revenue Cutter (not used since 18 April 2005). Also His Majesty's Revenue Cruiser (as per HMRC Vigilant 1947. Not used since ca. 1960) | |
| United States Air Force | USAF, USAFS | United States Air Force ship (not currently in use) | |
| United States Army (modern) | USAS | United States Army Ship (modern) | |
| USAV | United States Army Vessel (modern) | ||
| United States Army (historical) | |||
| USAT | United States Army Transport (large Army owned bareboat chartered troop or cargo transports, not in use after 1950) | ||
| USACT | United States Army Chartered Transport (usage WW I only for time or voyage chartered ships; eg: Artemis 1917—1919) | ||
| USAMP | U.S. Army Mine Planter (not currently in use) | ||
| USAJMP | U.S. Army Junior Mine Planter (not currently in use) | ||
| U.S. Army | Vessels not otherwise designated: tugs, FS, Q, P etc. (not currently in use) | ||
| USAHS | United States Army Hospital Ship (not currently in use) | ||
| United States Navy | USF | United States Frigate (obsolete) | |
| USFS | United States Flagship (obsolete) | ||
| USS | United States Ship – Commissioned warships only. | ||
| USNV | United States Naval Vessel (Small utility vessels, not MSC, operated by local commands)[28] | ||
| U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command (MSC) | USNS | United States Naval Ship (USN-owned, civilian crews) | |
| United States Coast Guard | USCGC | United States Coast Guard Cutter | |
| USCGD | United States Coast Guard Destroyer (not currently in use) | ||
| National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | NOAAS | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Ship | |
| United States Coast and Geodetic Survey | USC&GS | United States Coast and Geodetic Survey (obsolete); occasionally a second "S" for "survey ship" was used | |
| United States Environmental Protection Agency | US EPA | United States Environmental Protection Agency; no "S" for "ship" is used | |
| United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries | USFC | United States Fish Commission (obsolete); commonly used informal name for the Commission; no "S" for "ship" was used | |
| United States Bureau of Fisheries | USFS | United States Fisheries Service (obsolete); alternative informal name for the Bureau; no "S" for "ship" was used | |
| United States Fish and Wildlife Service | US FWS | United States Fish and Wildlife Service; no "S" for "ship" used | |
| United States Lighthouse Service | USLHT | United States Lighthouse Tender (obsolete) | |
| United States Public Health Service | USPHS | United States Public Health Service; no "S" for "ship" used | |
| United States Revenue-Marine (1790–1894) and United States Revenue Cutter Service (1894-1915) | USRC | United States Revenue Cutter (obsolete) | |
| Uruguayan Navy | ROU | República Oriental del Uruguay | |
| Vanuatu Police Force | RVS | Republic of Vanuatu Ship | |
| Venezuelan Navy | FNV | Fuerzas Navales de Venezuela Not in use since 1949 | |
| ARV | Armada República de Venezuela Not in use 1999 | ||
| ARBV | Armada República Bolivariana de Venezuela | ||
| Vietnam People's Navy | VPNS | Vietnam People's Navy Ship. The Vietnam People's Navy does not internally and formally use this designation despite its unofficial but frequent usage by foreign media at international events. Since a major portion of the Vietnamese fleet is not named literally and only has standardized non-prefixed hull numbers, the VPNS prefix is sometimes used with the ship's hull number (for example, VPNS 20)[29] to make it look cosmetically more synchronous and consistent with other navies' prefixed ship names in international activities. | |
| Republic of Vietnam Navy | RVNS | Republic of Vietnam Navy Ship or Republic of Viet-Nam Ship (obsolete) | |
| Royal Yugoslav Navy | KB | Serbian: Краљевски брод|translit=Kraljevski brod (English: Royal Ship) | |
| Jugoslovenska Ratna Mornarica JRM (English: Yugoslavia war navy) Yugoslav Navy 1969–1992Ratna Mornarica Vojske Jugoslavije RМVЈ (English: War navy of Yugoslavia Armed Forces) 1992–2003 | RTOP | Raketna Topovnjača or Ракетна Топовњача (English: Rocket gunship), named by Yugoslavia peoples heroes | |
| RČ | Raketni Čamac or Ракетни Чамац (English: Rocket boat), 1969–1992, named by Yugoslavia peoples heroes | ||
| VPBR | Veliki Patrolni Brod or Велики Патролни Брод (English: Big patrol ship), 1969–1992, named by Yugoslavia coastal towns | ||
| TČ | Torpedni Čamac or Торпедни Чамац (English: Torpedo boat), 1969–1992 | ||
| PČ | Patrolni Čamac or Патролни Чамац (English: Patrol boat), 1969–1992, named by mountains | ||
| PO | Pomoćni Oružar or Помоћни Оружар (English: Auxiliary аrmourer), 1969–1992 | ||
| RML | Rečni minolovac or Речни миноловац (English: River minesweepers), 1969–1992, named by places of WWII battles | ||
| RPB | Rečni patrolni brod or Речни патролни брод (English: River patrol boat), 1969–1992 | ||
| P | Podmornica or Подморница (English: Submarine), 1969–1992, named by rivers or human qualities | ||
| RЕ | Razarač Eskortni or Разарач Ескортни (English: Escort destroyer), 1969–1992 | ||
| PT | Pomoćni transportni or Помоћни транспортни (English: Auxiliary transport), 1969–1992 | ||
| DČ | Desantni čamci or Десантни чамци (English: Landing craft), 1969–1992 |
The designations for United Kingdom ships applied at the time of the British Empire, before the establishment of separate navies for the Dominions.
In the Royal Netherlands Navy, "HNLMS" is the prefix in English, a translation of the Dutch original "Hr.Ms." or "Zr.Ms.". "Hr.Ms." should preferably not be used in English-language documents; nevertheless it is often seen on the World Wide Web. Until the moment a Dutch naval ship officially enters active service in the fleet, the ship's name is used without the prefix.[30] Since King Willem-Alexander succeeded Queen Beatrix on 30 April 2013, "Hr.Ms." is replaced by "Zr.Ms.".
In Australia, the prefix NUSHIP is used to denote ships that have yet to be commissioned into the fleet.[31]
In the United States, all prefixes other than "USS", "USNS", "USNV", and "USRC" were made obsolete in 1901, when President Theodore Roosevelt issued an Executive order fixing American naval nomenclature. USRC was replaced by USCGC when the Revenue Cutter Service merged with the United States Lifesaving Service to become the United States Coast Guard in 1915. USLHT also was replaced by USCGC when the United States Lighthouse Service became a part of the U.S. Coast Guard in 1939. USC&GS was replaced by NOAAS when the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey merged with other U.S. Government scientific agencies to form the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 1970. USFC was replaced by USFS when the United States Commission on Fish and Fisheries was reorganized as the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries in 1903, and USFS in turn was replaced in 1940 by US FWS when the Bureau of Fisheries merged with the United States Department of the Interior's Division of Biological Survey to form the Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service (which in 1956 was reorganized as the United States Fish and Wildlife Service). Seagoing ships Fish and Wildlife Service ships with the prefix US FWS that were transferred to NOAA when NOAA was created in 1970 switched to the NOAAS prefix.
A United States Navy ship that is not in active commission does not hold the title of United States Ship with simply the name without prefix used before and after commissioned service. Vessels, such as yard and harbor craft that are not commissioned and "in service" are officially referred to by name or hull number without prefix. Prior to commissioning, ships may be described as a pre-commissioning unit or PCU; for example, USS Gerald R. Ford was described as the "pre-commissioning unit (PCU) Gerald R. Ford" prior to her commissioning in 2017.[32] Military Sealift Command (MSC) civilian crewed ships "in service" are given the prefix United States Naval Ship (USNS).
When it is stricken from the fleet list, a ship typically has the prefix "ex-" added to its name, to distinguish it from any active ships bearing the same name. For example, after USS Constellation (CV-64) was retired in 2003, she became referred to as ex-Constellation.
Fictional equivalents of tri-letter prefixes frequently appear in English-language science fiction works, applied to seafaring and spaceborne ships alike.