Famous Types of Naval Ships

A naval ship is a ship used by a navy - a fleet of military ships. Here are some types of navy ships:

• Barque : a type of ship with three or more masts. Its foremasts are rigged square and only the aftermast is rigged fore-and-aft.
• Barquentine : a ship with three or more masts. It has a square rigged foremast and fore-and-aft rigged main, mizzen and any other masts.
• Bireme : an ancient warship with two decks of oars. Phoenicians invented it.
• Bomb vessel : a wooden sailing ship armed with mortars and used for bombarding fixed positions on land.
• Brig : a sailing ship with two square-rigged masts popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries.
• Brigantine : a two-masted ship with foremast fully square rigged and her mainmast rigged with both a fore-and-aft mainsail and a square topsail. It could also have a topgallant sail.

• Caravel : a ship with two, three or four masts with lateen sails (a triangular sails set on a long yard mounted at an angle on the mast).
• Clipper : fast sailing ship that had three or more masts and a square rig. Used in 19th century.
• Dromon : a type of galley and the most important warship of the Byzantine navy from the 5th to 12th century.
• Galley : a type of ship that is propelled mainly by rowing. Used since 8th century.
• Galleon : from “galeone” meaning "big galley" - a large, multi-decked sailing ship.
• Junk : an ancient Chinese sailing ship with different junk rig configurations.
• Quadrireme : an ancient warship with four decks of oars. The main warship of the Rhodian navy.
• Quinquereme : Same but with five decks of oars.
• Man-of-war : a powerful warship of a British Royal Navy.
• Rocket vessel : a ship equipped with rockets from 19th century.
• Schooner : a type of sailing ship with fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts.
• Sloop-of-war : a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns.
• Trireme : an ancient warship with three decks of oars.
• Aircraft carrier : a warship that can carry aircrafts and serve as a seagoing airbase.
• Battlecruiser : a large capital ship with less armor and faster that battleship but with ame kind of heavy guns.
• Battleship : a large armored warship with heavy caliber guns.
• Corvette : a small, lightly armed warship.
• Destroyer : a fast and maneuverable ship intended as an escort for larger vessels in a fleet.
• Dreadnought : a battleship of the early 20th century with heavy arms and steam turbine propulsion.
• Escort aircraft carrier : a small and slow type of aircraft carrier used in the Second World War.
• Gunboat : a ship designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets.
• Hospital ship : a ship used in or near war zones as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital.

• Ironclad : a steam-propelled wooden warship protected by iron or steel armor plates. Popular in the second half of the 19th century.
• PT Boat : a Patrol Torpedo boat. Torpedo-armed fast attack boat, invented in Second World War with purpose to attack larger surface ships.
• Seaplane tender : ancestor of an airplane carrier. Basically a ship that provides facilities for operating seaplanes. Appeared for the first time before the First World War.
• Submarine : a boat capable of independent operation underwater. The first one appeared as early as 17th century.
• Submarine chaser : a small and fast ship designed for anti-submarine warfare. It is armed with a 3-pounder gun, paravane for destroying mines and with depth charges.
• Minesweeper : a small ship used for minesweeping. Often made out of wood, fiberglass or non-ferrous metals it uses mechanical or influence sweeps to detonate mines and keep waterways clear for shipping.