Royal Navy Ship Classes

Ship Classes

Leander-class frigate

Type: Frigate

Era: Cold War

Versatile Cold War frigate class

Type 21 frigate

Type: Frigate

Era: Cold War

General-purpose frigate used in the Falklands War

Type 23 frigate

Type: Frigate

Era: Modern

Anti-submarine fleet escort

Type 42 destroyer

Type: Destroyer

Era: Cold War

Air defence destroyer

Type 45 destroyer

Type: Destroyer

Era: Modern

Advanced air-defence destroyer

Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier

Type: Aircraft Carrier

Era: Modern

Largest warships ever built for the Royal Navy

Astute-class submarine

Type: Submarine

Era: Modern

Nuclear attack submarine

Vanguard-class submarine

Type: Submarine

Era: Modern

Trident submarine

Dreadnought-class battleship

Type: Battleship

Era: Early 20th Century

Revolutionary all-big-gun battleship

Bellerophon-class battleship

Type: Battleship

Era: Early 20th Century

Follow-on to Dreadnought design

St Vincent-class battleship

Type: Battleship

Era: Early 20th Century

Improved dreadnought design

Neptune-class battleship

Type: Battleship

Era: Early 20th Century

Experimental turret arrangement

Colossus-class battleship

Type: Battleship

Era: Early 20th Century

Compact dreadnought design

Orion-class battleship

Type: Battleship

Era: WWI

First super-dreadnought

King George V-class battleship 1911

Type: Battleship

Era: WWI

Enhanced dreadnought firepower

Iron Duke-class battleship

Type: Battleship

Era: WWI

Jutland fleet flagship class

Queen Elizabeth-class battleship

Type: Battleship

Era: WWI / WWII

Fast battleship concept

Revenge-class battleship

Type: Battleship

Era: WWI / WWII

Cost-effective battleship design

Nelson-class battleship

Type: Battleship

Era: Interwar / WWII

Treaty battleship design

King George V-class battleship 1939

Type: Battleship

Era: WWII

WWII capital ships

Vanguard-class battleship

Type: Battleship

Era: Post-WWII

Last British battleship

County-class cruiser county

Type: Heavy Cruiser

Era: Interwar / WWII

Treaty heavy cruiser

Town-class cruiser town

Type: Light Cruiser

Era: WWII

WWII light cruiser

Fiji-class cruiser

Type: Light Cruiser

Era: WWII

Compact wartime cruiser

Dido-class cruiser

Type: Light Cruiser

Era: WWII

Anti-aircraft cruiser

Leander-class cruiser

Type: Light Cruiser

Era: Interwar / WWII

Empire patrol cruiser

Arethusa-class cruiser

Type: Light Cruiser

Era: WWII

Fleet support cruiser

Crown Colony-class cruiser

Type: Light Cruiser

Era: WWII

Wartime cruiser class

Illustrious-class aircraft carrier

Type: Aircraft Carrier

Era: WWII

Armoured flight deck carriers

Implacable-class aircraft carrier

Type: Aircraft Carrier

Era: WWII

Fleet carrier development

Audacious-class aircraft carrier

Type: Aircraft Carrier

Era: Post-WWII

Large postwar carrier

Centaur-class aircraft carrier

Type: Aircraft Carrier

Era: Post-WWII

Adaptable carrier design

Tiger-class cruiser

Type: Light Cruiser

Era: Cold War

Gun-to-missile conversion

County-class destroyer county

Type: Destroyer

Era: Cold War

Guided missile destroyer

Type 82 destroyer

Type: Destroyer

Era: Cold War

Prototype destroyer

River-class frigate river-class-frigate

Type: Royal Navy

Era: 1942–1960s

River-class Frigate | Royal Navy History

Loch-class frigate

Type: Frigate

Era: WWII

Anti-submarine escort

Black Swan-class sloop

Type: Sloop

Era: WWII

Convoy escort

Flower-class corvette

Type: Corvette

Era: WWII

Atlantic convoy escort

Castle-class corvette

Type: Corvette

Era: WWII

Improved corvette design

Invincible-class battlecruiser

Type: Battlecruiser

Era: Early 20th Century

First battlecruisers

Indefatigable-class battlecruiser

Type: Battlecruiser

Era: Early 20th Century

Improved early battlecruiser

Lion-class battlecruiser

Type: Battlecruiser

Era: WWI

Powerful WWI battlecruiser

Queen Mary-class battlecruiser

Type: Battlecruiser

Era: WWI

Jutland loss

Tiger-class battlecruiser

Type: Battlecruiser

Era: WWI

Final British battlecruiser WWI

Renown-class battlecruiser

Type: Battlecruiser

Era: WWI / WWII

Fast capital ships

Admiral-class battlecruiser

Type: Battlecruiser

Era: WWI / WWII

Largest battlecruiser

Courageous-class battlecruiser

Type: Battlecruiser

Era: WWI / Interwar

Converted carriers

Ark Royal-class aircraft carrier

Type: Aircraft Carrier

Era: WWII

Fleet carrier operations

Hermes-class aircraft carrier

Type: Aircraft Carrier

Era: Interwar / WWII

First purpose-built carrier

Colossus-class aircraft carrier

Type: Aircraft Carrier

Era: WWII / Postwar

Light fleet carrier

Majestic-class aircraft carrier

Type: Aircraft Carrier

Era: Post-WWII

Exported carrier class

Invincible-class aircraft carrier

Type: Aircraft Carrier

Era: Modern

STOVL carrier

Type 22 frigate

Type: Frigate

Era: Cold War

ASW frigate

Type 12 frigate

Type: Frigate

Era: Cold War

ASW development

Whitby-class frigate

Type: Frigate

Era: Cold War

ASW frigate

Rothesay-class frigate

Type: Frigate

Era: Cold War

Improved ASW frigate

Type 41 frigate

Type: Frigate

Era: Cold War

General-purpose frigate

Type 61 frigate

Type: Frigate

Era: Cold War

Air direction frigate

Type 14 frigate

Type: Frigate

Era: Cold War

Second-rate ASW frigate

Type 81 frigate

Type: Frigate

Era: Cold War

Tribal-class frigate

Type 26 frigate

Type: Frigate

Era: Modern

Future ASW frigate

Type 31 frigate

Type: Frigate

Era: Modern

General-purpose frigate

V-class destroyer

Type: Destroyer

Era: WWI

Late WWI destroyer

W-class destroyer

Type: Destroyer

Era: WWI

WWI destroyer development

Tribal-class destroyer 1936

Type: Destroyer

Era: WWII

Heavy destroyer design

J-class destroyer

Type: Destroyer

Era: WWII

WWII fleet destroyer

K-class destroyer

Type: Destroyer

Era: WWII

WWII destroyer class

N-class destroyer

Type: Destroyer

Era: WWII

Allied service destroyer

Battle-class destroyer

Type: Destroyer

Era: WWII / Cold War

AA destroyer

Daring-class destroyer (1949)

Type: Destroyer

Era: Cold War

Postwar destroyer

Trafalgar-class submarine

Type: Submarine

Era: Cold War

SSN class

Swiftsure-class submarine

Type: Submarine

Era: Cold War

SSN class

Valiant-class submarine

Type: Submarine

Era: Cold War

Early SSN

Resolution-class submarine

Type: Submarine

Era: Cold War

SSBN

Upholder-class submarine

Type: Submarine

Era: Cold War

Diesel-electric submarine

Oberon-class submarine

Type: Submarine

Era: Cold War

Diesel-electric submarine

River-class offshore patrol vessel

Type: Patrol Vessel

Era: Modern

OPV

Sandown-class minehunter

Type: Mine Countermeasure

Era: Modern

Minehunter

Hunt-class mine countermeasure vessel

Type: Mine Countermeasure

Era: Modern

Mine warfare

Fort Victoria-class replenishment ship

Type: Auxiliary

Era: Modern

Fleet support

Wave-class tanker

Type: Auxiliary

Era: Modern

Fleet tanker

Bay-class landing ship

Type: Amphibious

Era: Modern

Amphibious support

Albion-class landing platform dock

Type: Amphibious

Era: Modern

Amphibious flagship

Bulwark-class landing platform dock

Type: Amphibious

Era: Modern

Amphibious assault