Ship Hull Designations

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Confederacy Ship Hull Designations

   Most government vessels large enough to be called a 'ship' are assigned a "hull number" which is a combination of alphabetic type code and hull serial number.  Note that for most series, the hull numbers start from a designated first number, often '1' or '100' or '101' or similar.
   Many of the type codes were copied from the US Navy/NATO hull designation system.  That system was created in 1921 for use by the US Navy and was adopted with few changes by all NATO navies after World War 2 and NATO's creation.
   The following list shows all hull type codes used by the Confederacy Navy during the Swarm War.

(This list is incomplete -ZM User (talk) 21:05, 23 April 2024 (PDT))

AF - Auxiliary, Freight (cargo)


AFS - Auxiliary, Freight (cargo), (???)


AGI - Auxiliary, General-Purpose, Intelligence (gathering)


AGS - Auxiliary, General-Purpose, Surveying and Exploring


AH - Auxiliary, Hospital


AKE - Auxiliary, Freight (cargo), (???)


AKF - Auxiliary, Freight (Cargo), Fast


ALS - Auxiliary, Livestock Transport, (???)


AP - Auxiliary, Personnel Transport


APAM . Auxiliary, Personnel, Archaic, Medium

  • 01-02+ Corona or "Colony" Class


APC - Auxiliary, Personnel Transport, Courier


APF - Auxiliary, Personnel Transport, (colony) Founder


APM - Auxiliary, Personnel Transport, Medium


APL - Auxiliary, Personnel Transport, Large


AVT - Auxiliary, aViation, Tender


BB - Battleship


BC - Battlecruiser


BCB - Battlecruiser, Beerat (source)


CC - Cruiser, Command

  • 001-014+ Goddess Class (used as BCE, escort battlecruiser)
  • 050-060+ Hero Class (used as BC, battlecruiser)


CG - Cruiser, Guided Missile


CH - Cruiser, Heavy


CHB - Cruiser, Heavy, Beerat (source)


CL - Cruiser, Light


CLAA - Cruiser, Light, Anti-Aircraft (small craft)

  • Atlanta Class


CM - Cruiser, Medium


CNV (I have no idea what this code means -ZM)


CSS - "Captured Sa'arm Ship"


CVA - Small-Craft Carrier, Attack (large/armored) (Note 1)


CVC - Small-Craft Carrier, Command


CVF - Small-Craft Carrier, Marine Close Support


CVI - Small-Craft Carrier, Illustrious Class


CVL - Small-Craft Carrier, Light (small)


DD - Destroyer


DE - Destroyer Escort

  • 001-100, 200+ Castle (actually 'Patrol Corvettes')
  • 101-119+ Patrician Class (actually 'Patrol Corvette, Missile')
  • 201-230+ Shiro Class (actually 'Patrol Frigate')
  • 1000-2999 Ainsworth Class (actually 'Patrol Corvettes')


FF - Frigate


LHA - Assault Ship (Note 2)


LFR - Assault Support, Fire Support Ship, Railgun

  • 001-041+ [[Absecon Class


LHA - Assault Support, (Helicopter), Assault


MMF - "Massive Manufacturing Facility"?


PCM - Patrol/Combatant, Missile


   Note 1: The hull type code "CV" is a leftover from the US Navy's original type code system created in 1921.  At that time, naval aircraft were of marginal use and their motherships were assigned to the scouting fleet as scout cruisers with really long-range binoculars.  Ergo, their designation as "Cruiser, aViation". "CA" would have made more sense but "CA" was already in use for "Cruiser, Armored (heavy)".  By the time aircraft carriers were recognized as a major combatant class in the 1930s, the designation "CV" was already entrenched.

   Note 2: The hull type code "L" is a leftover from the US Navy's original type code system created in 1921.  When ships that would allow the 'Allies' to force a landing on a defended shore, "Amphibious Landing" ships, were first envisioned in the 1930s during the leadup to World War 2, the desired "A" was already in use for 'Auxiliary' ships.  It was decided that all 'landing' ships would instead carry the leading designation 'L' for 'Amphibious Landing'.  Transferred to the Confederacy buildup for the Swarm War, the 'L' was kept for space-borne assaults but it now means "Assault Support".
   The only actual water-floating "Landing" ships the Confederacy built for the Swarm War were built on Earth for use by planetary militia.  WW2-style LSTs built with Confederacy materials saw extensive use in the Great Lakes during the fight for Chicago and Milwaukee until the 'Kitten' system of self-propelled transporters was developed and released to militia use.  Even afterwards, LSTs were used to transfer newly-built tanks and other ground vehicles from the east side of Lake Michigan where they were built or delivered to the west side where they were used in combat.  After the fighting in North America moved away from the Great Lakes, LSTs were used for the same purposes for the rest of the Earth-side war to deliver ground and ground-effect vehicles to S'arm-held shores.