World War II Ships
![]() |
Battleships and Battlecruisers These ships of the line were still considered the central components of the navies of all world powers at the start of the war, but by the war's end, these floating fortresses found their roles dramatically changed at the face of air power. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
Carriers At Taranto, Kuantuan, and Pearl Harbor, the world powers realized major naval combat was no longer restricted to surface engagements only. Aviation vessels of all different sizes turned from a novelty of the 1930s to the centerpieces of fleets. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
Cruisers Situated between the size of battleships and agility of destroyers, cruisers played a flexible role. They were equally well suited as task force flagships as anti-aircraft screens. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
Destroyers Though lightly armored and carried small guns compared to their larger cousins, destroyers were present in all theaters of WW2. Submarine hunter, forward torpedo attacker, anti-aircraft screen ship, search and rescue ship, and amphibious support were some of destroyers' capabilities. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
Submarines In WW1, submarines nearly strangled Britain into submission. In this new war, technology advances made these undersea predators even more ferocious and dangerous for all nations. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
Other These ships of other classifications, whether transports, minelayers, or landing ships were considered by many as "miscellaneous" ships, but their importance in the war could not be discounted. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
List by Country Use the dropdown menu above to list ship by country. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
List by Name
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
List All Ships Use the link above to see a list of all ships without filtering by category or country. |
Search WW2DB

News
- » Wreck of Teruzuki Found (27 Jul 2025)
- » USS Orlean's Bow Found (22 Jul 2025)
- » The Emperor of Japan Planned to Honor WW2-era Japanese POWs in Mongolia (4 Jul 2025)
- » US State Lawmaker John Winter Caught Using Racial Slur "Jap" and Apologized (11 Jun 2025)
- » US Government Plans to Purge WW2 Information (17 Mar 2025)
- » See all news
Random Photograph
Aerial reconnaissance photograph of Majdanek Concentration Camp, Lublin, Poland, 24 Jun 1944Current Site Statistics
- » 1,181 biographies
- » 337 events
- » 45,102 timeline entries
- » 1,246 ships
- » 350 aircraft models
- » 207 vehicle models
- » 376 weapon models
- » 123 historical documents
- » 261 facilities
- » 470 book reviews
- » 28,470 photos
- » 365 maps
Famous WW2 Quote
"Goddam it, you'll never get the Purple Heart hiding in a foxhole! Follow me!"Captain Henry P. Jim Crowe, Guadalcanal, 13 Jan 1943
Support Us

Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!

Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!