U.S. Navy Ship Force Levels, 1917-1923 Date 4/6/17 11/11/18 7/1/19 7/1/20 7/1/21 7/1/22 7/1/23 Battleships 37 39 36 26 22 19 18 Monitors, Coastal 7 7 5 1 2@ - - Cruisers 33 31 28 27 10 12 13 Destroyers 66 110 161 189 68(208rc) 103 103 Frigates 17 17 - - - - - Submarines 44 80 91 58 69(11rc) 82(7rc) 69(5rc) Mine Warfare - 53 62 48 50(8rc) 36 38 Patrol 42 350 65 45 59(1rc) 43 41 Auxiliary 96 87 304 173 104 83 82 Surface Warships 160 204 230 243 102 134 134 Total Active 342 774 752 567 384(228rc) 379(7rc) 365(5rc) Events: U.S. enters WWI 6 April 1917. Bolshevik Revolution begins 28 October (Old Style) 1917. WWI ends 11 November 1918. Washington Treaty in force 17 August 1923. @ = The last Coast Defense Monitor went out of commission in 1921. * = Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine (nuclear powered). rc = Reduced Commission: not included in "active" total. Notes: The drop in ship numbers evident from 1920-21 is a post-WWI readjustment to a peacetime strength, with limited budgets and naval arms limitation. ----------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Navy Ship Force Levels, 1924-1930 Date 7/1/24 7/1/25 7/1/26 7/1/27 7/1/28 7/1/29 7/1/30 Battleships 18 18 15(3rc) 15(3rc) 16(2rc) 16(2rc) 16(2rc) Carriers, Fleet 1 1 1 1 3 3 3 Cruisers 16 18 18 16 16 16 20 Destroyers 103 105 106 106 106 103 103 Submarines 77(3rc) 76(3rc) 80 77 77 80 81 Mine Warfare 39 40 39 40 40 37 36 Patrol 37 37 37 32 33 32 29 Auxiliary 84 73 71 69 68 68 68 Rigid Airships 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 Total Active 376 370 368 357 360 356 357 (3rc) (3rc) (3rc) (3rc) (2rc) (2rc) (3rc) Surface Warships 137 141 139 137 138 135 139 Events: Battleship modernization program in effect 1926-1934. London Treaty in force 31 December 1930. rc= Reduced Commission: not included in "active" total. ----------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Navy Ship Force Levels, 1931-1937 Date 7/1/31 7/1/32 7/1/33 7/1/34 4/1/35* 7/1/36 9/1/37* Battleships 12(3rc) 11(4rc) 11(4rc) 14(1rc) 15 15 15 Carriers, Fleet 3 3 3 4 4 4 3@ Cruisers 20 19 20 24 25 26 27 Destroyers 87^ 102 101 102^^ 104 106 111 Submarines 56 55 55 54 52 49 52 Mine Warfare 33 33 26 26 26 26 30 Patrol 27(1rc) 24 26 24 23 23 22 Auxiliary 69 65 68 71 71 73 75 Rigid Airships 1 1 1 1 - - - Surface Warships 119# 132 132 140 144 147 153 Total Active 308 313 311 320 320 322 335 (4rc) (4rc) (4rc) (1rc) Events: Japan enters Manchuria 18 September 1931. Hitler to power 30 January 1933. Failure of the International Economic Conference to stabilize world currencies in July 1933 leads to growing instability. Vinson-Trammell Act, 27 March 1934, authorizes--though it does not fund--Navy construction to Treaty strength. Japan renounces Washington Treaty 29 December 1934, effective 31 December 1936. Germany renounces disarmament clauses of the Treaty of Versailles 16 March 1935. Spanish Civil War begins 18 July 1936. Japan begins large-scale military operations in China 7 July 1937. * Data for 1 July not available. @ = CV-1 to AV-1 (auxiliary). ^ = London Treaty exchange of new DD for older types allowed. ^^ = New DD begin to appear. # = Post-1921 low. rc = Reduced Commission: not included in "active" total. ----------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Navy Ship Force Levels, 1938-1944 Date 6/30/38 6/30/39 6/30/40 12/7/41 12/31/42 12/31/4312/31/44 Battleships 15 15 15 17 19 21 23 Carriers, Fleet 5 5 6 7 4 19 25 Cruisers 32 36 37 37 39 48 61 Destroyers 112 127 185 171 224 332 367 Submarines 54 58 64 112 133 172 230 Mine Warfare 27 29 36 135 323 551 614 Patrol 34 20 19 100 515 1050 1183 Auxiliary 101 104 116 210 392 564 993 Surface Warships 159 178 237 225 282 635 827 Total Active 380 394 478 790 1782 3699 6084 Events: WWII begins in Europe when Germany and the USSR invade Poland September 1939. ----------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Navy Ship Force Levels, 1945-1951 Date 8/14/45* 6/30/46 6/30/47 6/30/48 6/30/49 6/30/50 6/30/51 Battleships 23 10 4 2 1 1 3 Carriers, Fleet 28 15 14 13 11 11 17 Carriers, Escort 71 10 8 7 7 4 9 Cruisers 72 36 32 32 18 13 15 Destroyers 377 145 138 134 143 137 206 Frigates 361 35 24 12 12 10 38 Submarines 232 85 80 74 79 72 83 Mine Warfare 586 112 55 54 52 56 91 Patrol 1204 119 74 50 50 33 40 Amphibious 2547 275 107 86 60 79 208 Auxiliary 1267 406 306 273 257 218 269 Surface Warships 833 226 198 180 174 161 262 Total Active 6768 1248 842 737 690 634 980 Events: WWII in Europe ends 8 May 1945. V-J Day 14 August 1945 (15 August in western Pacific). Pacific War formally ends 2 September 1945. US-USSR relations deteriorate 1945-1950. Chinese Civil War won by communists 1949. Korean War begins 25 June 1950. * = V-J Day. Notes: The increase in fleet size after 1950 is due to the mobilization, begun after North Korea invaded South Korea on 25 June 1950. ----------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Navy Ship Force Levels, 1951-1957 Date 6/30/51 6/30/52 6/30/53 6/30/54 6/30/55 6/30/56 6/30/57 Battleships 3 4 4 4 3 3 2 Carriers, Fleet 17 19 19 20 21 22 22 Carriers, Escort 9 10 0 7 3 2 - Cruisers 15 19 19 18 17 16 16 Destroyers 206 243 247 247 249 250 253 Frigates 38 56 56 57 64 70 84 Submarines 83 104 108 108 108 108 113 SSG/SSBNs 1 1 2 2 1 2 2 Command Ships - - - - - 1 1 Mine Warfare 91 114 121 117 112 113 104 Patrol 40 29 23 22 15 11 12 Amphibious 208 189 226 223 175 139 134 Auxiliary 269 309 287 288 262 236 224 Surface Warships 262 322 326 326 333 339 355 Total Active 980 1097 1122 1113 1030 973 967 Events: Korean War Armistice signed 1953. Taiwan Straits patrol begins 1955. ----------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Navy Ship Force Levels, 1958-1964 Date 6/30/58 6/30/59 6/30/60 6/30/61 6/30/62 6/30/63 6/30/64 Carriers 24 23 23 24 26 24 24 Cruisers 15 12 13 12 13 18 24 Destroyers 245 237 226 223 240 222 215 Frigates 71 61 41 41 68 40 40 Submarines 109 109 106 105 104 102 102 SSG/SSBNs 2 4 7 10 14 17 23 Command Ships 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 Mine Warfare 77 82 81 83 84 84 84 Patrol 12 6 4 4 2 - - Amphibious 121 120 113 110 130 132 133 Auxiliary 213 205 197 206 218 216 212 Surface Warships 331 310 280 276 321 280 279 Total Active 890 860 812 819 900 857 859 Events: Lebanon landings 1958. Cuban quarantine October-December 1962. Tonkin Gulf incident 1964. ----------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Navy Ship Force Levels, 1965-1971 Date 6/30/65 6/30/66 6/30/67 6/30/68 6/30/69 6/30/70 6/30/71 Battleships - - - 1 1 - - Carriers 25 23 23 23 22 19 19 Cruisers 27 29 35 35 34 31 30 Destroyers 221 217 216 219 201 155 152 Frigates 39 42 46 50 43 47 61 Submarines 104 104 105 105 100 103 100 SSG/SSBNs 30 37 41 41 41 41 41 Command Ships 2 2 2 2 2 - - Mine Warfare 84 84 83 84 74 64 59 Patrol - - 3 6 7 15 17 Amphibious 135 159 162 157 153 97 95 Auxiliary 213 212 216 210 207 171 177 Surface Warships 287 288 296 304* 279 249 262 Total Active 880 909 931 932 885 743 752 Events: Carrier strikes on North Vietnam and Market Time 0perations begin 1965. Sea Dragon amphibious operations 1966-1968. * = Vietnam era high. Notes: The dramatic fall in ship numbers after 1968-1969 is due to the decision to limit the use of American military force in Vietnam and the decommissioning of many WWII-era ships. ----------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Navy Ship Force Levels, 1972-1978 Date 6/30/72 6/30/73 6/30/74 6/30/75 6/30/76 6/30/77 9/30/78^ Carriers 17 16 14 15 13 13 13 Cruisers 27 29 28 7 26 26 28 Destroyers 132 139 119 102 99 92 95 Frigates 66 71 64 64 64 64 65 Submarines 94 84 73 86 74 77 81 SSBNs 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 Mine Warfare 31 34 34 34 25 25 25 Patrol 16 14 14 14 13 6 3 Amphibious 77 65 65 64 65 65 67 Auxiliary 153 148 135 123 116 114 113 Surface Warships 225 239 211 193 189 182* 188 Total Active 654 641 587 570 536 523 531 Events: Last U.S. forces withdraw from South Vietnam following the ceasefire 1973. South Vietnam falls to North Vietnamese communists 1975. ^ = Beginning with FY 78, the fiscal year runs 1 October through 30 September. * = Post-Vietnam low for surface warships. ----------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Navy Ship Force Levels, 1979-1985 Date 9/30/79 9/30/80 9/30/81 9/30/82 9/30/83 9/30/84 9/30/85 Battleships - - - - 1 2 2 Carriers 13 13 12 13 13 13 13 Cruisers 28 26 27 27 28 29 30 Destroyers 97 94 91 89 71 69 69 Frigates 65 71 78 86 95 103 110 Submarines 80 82 87 96 98 98 100 SSBNs 41 40 34 33 34 35 37 Command Ships - 3 4 4 4 4 4 Mine Warfare 25 25 25 25 21 21 21 Patrol 3 3 1 4 6 6 6 Amphibious 67 63 61 61 59 57 58 Auxiliary 114 110 101 117 103 120 121 Surface Warships 190 191 196 202 195 203 211 Total Active 533 530 521* 555 533 557 571 Events: Grenada operation 1983. Attempted peacekeeping in Lebanon 1983. * = Post-Vietnam War low (total active ships). ----------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Navy Ship Force Levels, 1986-1992 Date 9/30/86 9/30/87 9/30/88 9/30/89 9/30/90 9/30/91 9/30/92 Battleships 3 3 3 4 4 1 - Carriers 14 14 14 14 13 15 14 Cruisers 32 36 38 40 43 47 49 Destroyers 69 69 69 68 57 47 40 Frigates 113 115 107 100 99 93 67 Submarines 101 102 100 99 93 87 85 SSBNs 39 37 37 36 33 34 30 Command Ships 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 Mine Warfare 21 22 22 23 22 22 16 Patrol 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 Amphibious 58 59 59 61 59 61 58 Auxiliary 23 127 114 137 137 112 102 Surface Warships 217 223^ 217 212 203 188 156 Total Active 583 594* 573 592 570 529 471 Events: Fall of the Berlin Wall and many East European communist governments, 1989-1990. Gulf mobilization and war, 1990-1991. Dissolution of the Soviet Union and end of the Cold War, 1991. ^= 1980s high for surface warships. * = 1980s high for total active ships. Notes: A rapid decline in force level is evident after the anticommunist revolutions in Eastern Europe and the collapse of the Soviet Union, 1989-1991. ----------------------------------------------------------- U.S. Navy Ship Force Levels, 1993-present Dates 9/30/93 9/30/94 9/30/95 -- - - Battleships - - - Carriers 13 12 12 Cruisers 52 35 32 Destroyers 37 41 47 Frigates 59 51 49 Submarines 88 88 83 SSBNs 22 18 16 Command Ships 4 4 4 Mine Warfare 15 16 18 Patrol 2 7 12 Amphibious 52 38 39 Auxiliary 110 94 80 Surface Warships 148 127* 128 Total Active 454 404 392^ Events: * = Low since 1931. ^ = Low since 1939.
Last Update: 1 October 96