This list of auxiliary vessels of Second World War contains major military vessels of the war, arranged alphabetically and by type. The list includes armed vessels that served during the war and in the immediate aftermath, inclusive of localized ongoing combat operations, garrison surrenders, post-surrender occupation, colony re-occupation, troop and prisoner repatriation, to the end of 1945. For smaller vessels see also list of World War II ships of less than 1000 tons. Some uncompleted Axis ships are included, out of historic interest. Ships are designated to the country under which they operated for the longest period of the Second World War, regardless of where they were built or previous service history.[1][2][3][4]
| Ship | Country or organization | Class | Type | Displacement (tons) | First commissioned | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alcantara |  Royal Navy
|
armed merchant cruiser | 22,181 | 1927 | Scrapped 1958 | |
| Anacapa |  United States Navy
|
Q-ship | 7,500 | 31 August 1942 | 21 March 1946 | |
| Antoine | Royal Navy
|
Special Service Ship | 1,030 | paid off March 1941 | ||
| Asterion | United States Navy
|
Q-ship | 6,610 | March 1942 | transferred to Coast Guard 16 December 1943 converted to weather ship | |
| Atik | Q-ship | 6,610 | 5 March 1942 | sunk 26 March 1942 | ||
| Atlantis |  Kriegsmarine
|
auxiliary cruiser | 7,862 | 19 December 1939 | Sunk 21 November 1941 | |
| Big Horn | United States Navy
|
Q-ship | 15 April 1942 | 6 May 1946 | ||
| Brutus | Royal Navy
|
Special Service Ship | 5,945 | paid off March 1941 | ||
| Captor | United States Navy
|
Q-ship | 319 | 5 March 1942 | paid off 4 October 1944 | |
| Chatsgrove | Royal Navy
|
P | Special Service Ship | 610 | 1918 | paid off March 1941 |
| Coronel | Kriegsmarine
|
auxiliary cruiser | 12,700 | 13 August 1938 | ran aground 21 November 1984 | |
| Cyprus | Royal Navy
|
Special Service Ship | 4,398 | paid off March 1941 | ||
| Dunvegan Castle | armed merchant cruiser | 15,007 | 7 September 1939 | sunk 28 August 1940 | ||
| Edgehill | Special Service Ship | 4,702 | sunk 29 June 1940 | |||
| Fidelity | Special Service Ship | 2,456 | 24 September 1940 | sunk 30 December 1942 | ||
| Hansa | Kriegsmarine
|
auxiliary cruiser | 9,138 | 2 February 1944 | scrapped 1971 | |
| Irene Forsyte | United States Navy
|
Q-ship | 283 | 26 August 1943 | 16 December 1943 | |
| Jervis Bay | Royal Navy
|
armed merchant cruiser | 14,164 | October 1940 | sunk 5 November 1940 | |
| Komet | Kriegsmarine
|
auxiliary cruiser | 7,500 | 2 June 1940 | sunk 14 October 1942 | |
| Kormoran | auxiliary cruiser | 19,900 | 9 October 1940 | 19 November 1941 | ||
| Lambridge | Royal Navy
|
Special Service Ship | 5,119 | paid off March 1941 | ||
| Looe | Special Service Ship | 1,030 | paid off March 1941 | |||
| Maunder | Special Service Ship | 5,072 | paid off March 1941 | |||
| Michel | Kriegsmarine
|
auxiliary cruiser | 10,900 | 7 September 1941 | sunk 17 October 1943 | |
| Monowai |  Royal New Zealand Navy
|
armed merchant cruiser | 4,925 | 30 August 1940 | Decommissioned 18 June 1943, then landing ship | |
| Orion | Kriegsmarine
|
auxiliary cruiser | 15,700 | 9 December 1939 | sunk 4 May 1945 | |
| Patroclus | Royal Navy
|
armed merchant cruiser | 11,314 | 12 September 1939 | sunk 4 November 1940 | |
| Pinguin | Kriegsmarine
|
auxiliary cruiser | 17,600 | 6 February 1940 | sunk 8 May 1941 | |
| Pretoria Castle | Royal Navy
|
armed merchant cruiser | 23,450 | 28 November 1939 | training merchant aircraft carrier from July 1943, reconverted to passenger liner | |
| Prince David |  Royal Canadian Navy
|
armed merchant cruiser | 5,736 | 28 December 1940 | Broken up 1951 | |
| Prince Henry | armed merchant cruiser | 6,893 | 3 November 1940 | paid off July 1946 | ||
| Prince Robert | armed merchant cruiser | 6,892 | December 1940 | paid off 10 December 1945 | ||
| Prunella | Royal Navy
|
Special Service Ship | 4,443 | sunk 21 June 1940 | ||
| Rajputana | armed merchant cruiser | 16,568 | December 1939 | sunk 13 April 1941 | ||
| Ramb I |  Regia Marina
|
armed merchant cruiser | 3,667 | 10 June 1940 | sunk 27 February 1941 | |
| Ramb II | armed merchant cruiser | 3,667 | 10 June 1940 | to Japanese as Calitea II; sunk on 12 January 1945 | ||
| Ramb III | armed merchant cruiser | 3,667 | 10 June 1940 | to Germany 9 September 1943, then in post-war service with the Yugoslav Navy | ||
| Stier | Kriegsmarine
|
auxiliary cruiser | 11,000 | 25 November 1939 | sunk 27 September 1942 | |
| Thor | auxiliary cruiser | 9,200 | 15 March 1940 | accidentally burnt 30 November 1942 | ||
| Transylvania | Royal Navy
|
armed merchant cruiser | 16,923 | 5 October 1939 | sunk 10 August 1940 | |
| Widder | Kriegsmarine
|
auxiliary cruiser | 16,800 | 30 November 1939 | became repair ship Neumark 1941 |
References
edit- ^ "Royal Navy operations in the Second World War". The National Archives. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
- ^ "Hulls Listed by Name". Naval Vessel Register. Archived from the original on 30 June 2007.
- ^ "US Navy Inactive Classification Symbols". Naval Vessel Register. NAVSEA Shipbuilding Support Office. Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
- ^ "Index". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
Bibliography
edit- Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
- "NavSource Naval History".
- Whitley, M. J. (2000). Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 1-85409-521-8.
- Whitley, M. J. (1995). Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 1-85409-225-1.
- Helgason, Guðmundur (1995–2007). "Allied Warships". Uboat.net.
- "Battleships-Cruisers.co.uk". Cranston Fine Arts. 2001–2007.