Ship Hull Designations
We are
frequently asked what the hull designation letters DD and FF stand for and
whether they are abbreviations.
Some believe,
incorrectly, that FF stands for Fast Frigate. It does not. Compared to
destroyers, while fast enough to do their assigned tasks, frigates are not
fast. The designations are simply because the navy uses a minimum of two
letters to designate a ship type.
For example,
battleships are BB and auxiliaries such as fleet oilers and ammunition ships
are AO and AE, respectively. When both tasks are combined into one vessel it
is an AOE. Nuclear-powered vessels will have the designator “N” as the final
letter.
To aid in
identifying the types here is a partial list that includes the more common
ship types:
|
Hull Designation |
Description |
| BB |
Battleship |
| CV,
CVA, CVN |
Aircraft Carrier |
| CVE |
Escort Carrier (sometimes called jeep carriers) |
| CA |
Heavy Cruiser |
| CL |
Light Cruiser |
| CG |
Guided Missile Cruiser |
| DD,
DDE, DDK, DDR |
Destroyer |
| DDG |
Guided Missile Destroyer |
| DL |
Destroyer Leader |
| DLG |
Guided Missile Destroyer Leader |
| DE,
DER |
Destroyer Escort |
| DEG |
Guided Missile Destroyer Escort |
| EDD |
Experimental Destroyer |
| FF |
Frigate |
| FFG |
Guided Missile Frigate |
| LCS |
Littoral Combat Ship |
| SS,
SSN, SSBN, SSGN |
Submarines (B=Ballistic Missile) |
