What are Ship Prefixes for Naval and Merchant Vessels?

Ship prefixes generally refer to the abbreviations carved in front of the ship names, be it naval or merchant vessel, comprising of few letters compounded to denote a particular meaning. The prefixes can also refer to a few letters used to denote a specific fact.

Ship prefixes used on merchant vessels mainly point out the propulsion technique employed in the ship, such as the abbreviation “SS”, which means “steamship”, indicating that the ship runs on steam propulsion. Ship prefixes can also include the type of ship, such as “RV”, which denotes “research vessel“, and it affirms the ship’s purpose, which in this case is to acquire knowledge systematically and scientifically. Merchant ship prefixes though frequent in usage, may differ in style; for instance, a slash can be introduced in between, viz. “M/S”.

Usage of abbreviations in Naval Ships

On the other hand, the naval ship prefixes are extensively used to shorten the longer titles into accessible short forms for convenient utilization. The “His/Her Majesty’s Ship” is an example of the long headings used in the Royal Navy, and thus, ship names such as H.M.S (or HMS) have become everyday use.

The ship prefix in naval shipping also points out the ship type like the “U.S.F” (United States Frigate) referred to as the frigates employed under the Navy section of The United States of America. Nowadays, only an exclusive ship prefix represents all the warships of the Navy of a particular nation. In the case of auxiliaries and the vessels of allied services, various ship names, such as the “coast guards”, can be introduced.

It is not a compulsory rule that ship prefixes are to be attached to every vessel, and the Imperial Japanese Navy and the Kriegsmarine from Third Reich are good examples. Thus, the ship-naming process is not followed universally. Few English writers promote ship prefixes like the “IJN”, which stands for “Imperial Japanese Navy” fleet, “HIJMS”, referring to “His Imperial Japanese Majesty’s Ship”, and the “DKM” signifying “Deutsche Kriegsmarine” vessels. Interestingly, the names result from logical coherence and agreement with abbreviations like “HMS” or “USS”. Most of the writers follow the basic norms prescribed by the Navy and leave out the ship prefixes.

Alternative identification codes

Although after the onset of the 20^th century, most navy organizations are inclined towards recognizing vessels by their specific hull numbers. These hull numbers are a type of identification code marked on the ship’s sides. Using hull numbers for identification purposes differs from one Navy to another. For instance, the Navy of the United States of America prefers the usage of hull classification symbols. At the same time, Europe’s Royal Navy and a few more European countries opt for the pennant numbering system.

Nomenclature for Merchant Vessels

In 1939, the Shipping Ministry of Britain introduced a standard system of nomenclature that signified that all merchant vessels built in Britain on account of the Government should have the prefix “Empire” attached to their names. This was deemed mandatory, except for tiny merchant vessels. This new naming system applied to the purchased vessels or ships acquired through an authoritative request or demand, older vessels from The United States of America, modern leased vessels, ships won as a prize, salvaged and outfitted vessels, seized enemy vessels etc.

List of Ship Prefixes

Today, many ship prefixes are used for naval and merchant vessels worldwide. Some of the main used ones are as follows:

MT – Motor Tanker

MV/MS – Motor vessel/Motor Ship

LB- Lifeboat

NS – Nuclear Ship

RV- Research Vessel

LPG/C – Liquefied Petroleum Gas Carrier

LNG/C – Liquefied Natural Gas Carrier

NS- Nuclear Ship

PSV- Platform Supply Vessel

MY- Motor Yacht

AHT- Anchor Handling Tug

CS – Cable Ship

DSV- Diving Support Vessel/ Deep Submerge Vessel

FV- Fishing Vessel

GTS- Gas Turbine Ship

RMS – Royal Mail Ship

SS- Steam Ship

PSV – Platform Support Vessel

TS- Training Ship

SV- Sailing Vessel

References for the Full List of Ship Prefixes:

Ship Prefixes – Wikipedia

Ship Acronyms

Naval nomenclature in some other countries

In the Royal Navy from the Netherlands, the English prefix used is “HLNMS”, while the original Dutch one is “Hr. Ms” (or “Zr. Ms”). Since the Dutch names cannot be used on a broader platform or in documents written in English, the English ones are coined from Dutch translations. It is a rule that unless a particular Dutch vessel from the Navy is launched into active service, it does not implement its ship prefixes. The ship name “NUSHIP” is used in Australia to categorize the noncommissioned vessels in the fleet.

In 1901, Theodore Roosevelt, the then President of the United States, passed a new law bill changing the agenda of the naval vocabulary of the country. Following this, a large number of ship prefixes went out of use, except the ones like “USRC”, “USS”, “USNV”, and “USNS”. Later, even “USRC” was declared obsolete and “USCGC” replaced it. This happened in 1915 when the Revenue Cutter Service became the United States Coast Guard. A noncommissioned vessel in the United States of America does not bear the right to use USS yet, and uses the “PCU” title meaning “Pre-Commissioned Unit”.

This implies that if a new aircraft-carrier vessel named Flattop is under construction in the US shipyard, it will continue to be called PCU Flattop until it receives a commission. The “USS” prefix is only awarded when the vessel is introduced into active service in the maritime sphere. According to the strict law, the United States Navy may not be able to buy foreign ships but can hire them under the United States Naval Vessels section.

It is a known observation that the United States Navy generally uses the ship prefixes without putting them in articles. However, an article “the” has been included in the “USS The Sullivans” vessel – as a tribute to the famous Sullivan brothers who lost their lives during the Second World War. It is an exceptional case of American ship nomenclature. Also, the equivalent British name of the vessel (“The HMS Flattop”) is not applicable as it would denote “The Her Majesty’s Ship”, and it would be grammatically wrong.

Ship Prefix for retired ships

When a particular ship is declared out of active service, a prefix of “ex-” is attached to its name. This is done to separate the stricken vessel from any other ship bearing the same name and in service at that time. For instance, the USS Constellation vessel (CV-64) came to be known as the “ex-Constellation” vessel after it accepted retirement in 2003.

Each country has a different method for naming both naval and merchant vessels using ship prefixes. However, some ship prefixes are most commonly used and accepted worldwide.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are ship prefixes?

Ship prefixes generally refer to the abbreviations carved in front of the ship names, be it naval or merchant vessel, comprising of few letters compounded to denote a particular meaning. The prefixes can also refer to a few letters used to denote a specific fact.

2. What do the ship prefixes tell us?

Ship prefixes used on merchant vessels mainly point out the propulsion technique employed in the ship, such as the abbreviation “SS”, which means “steamship”, indicating that the ship runs on steam propulsion. Ship prefixes can also include the type of ship, such as “RV”, which denotes “research vessel”.

3. What prefix is added to a ship’s name when it goes out of service?

When a particular ship is declared out of active service, a prefix of “ex-” is attached to its name. This is done to separate the stricken vessel from any other ship bearing the same name and in service at that time.

4. What are the naval ship prefixes used for?

The naval ship prefixes are extensively used to shorten the longer titles into accessible short forms for convenient utilization. The “His/Her Majesty’s Ship” is an example of the long headings used in the Royal Navy, and thus, ship names such as H.M.S (or HMS) have become common.

5. Do all vessels need to have prefixes?

It is not a compulsory rule that ship prefixes are to be attached to every vessel, and the Imperial Japanese Navy and the Kriegsmarine from Third Reich are good examples. Thus, the ship-naming process is not followed universally.