Terminology

Year

  • Year the vessel entered into service
  • Abandoned – vessel has been abandoned incomplete
  • Authorised – vessel has been authorised but a contract for building has yet to be finalised. (Warships)
  • Building – vessel is currently under construction
  • Cancelled – contract was cancelled before vessel was completed (further details are sometimes available under ‘build comments’)
  • Launched – vessel has been launched but is yet to be completed
  • Ordered – vessel has been ordered but construction has yet to commence
  • Status Unknown – construction is presumed to be cancelled but can’t be confirmed

Contracting Yard

  • The primary contracted yard for the construction of the vessel

Hull Builder

  • Where the hull has been built at one yard and then moved to the contracting (outfitting) yard for completion.
  • Where two or more builders have provided parts of the hull
    • A – Aft
    • F – Forward
    • PC – Part Cargo

Type

  • Description of the type of vessel

GRT / Standard

  • Merchant Vessels – GRT (Gross Registered Tons)
  • Warships – Standard Displacement
  • Submarine – surface displacement

Owner

  • Merchant Vessels – Registered owner of the ship
  • Warships – Government of the owning nation

Company / Fleet

  • Merchant Vessels – As time allows we intend to build fleet lists of major shipping companies into the database; these will then be searchable.
  • Warships – Indicates the Navy operating the vessel. When the owner and fleet differ it indicates that the ship has been loaned from one navy to another.

Flag

  • Flag of the nationality of registry

IMO

  • International Maritime Organisation Number (previously known as Lloyds Register Number) – a unique number that is assigned to a hull under construction and remains with the vessel throughout its lifespan.

ENI

  • European inland vessels unique identifier.

Official Number

  • Number as issued by the nation of registry – more relevant to pre-IMO numbers and ships without IMO numbers

Name

  • The name provided is the as launched name. See ‘build comments’ for further explanations.

Conventions regarding names

  • When two or more initials follow each other spaces are omitted between the period and the following letter
  • A space is left between the period and anything other than an initial
  • When No. is in a vessel name to indicate number a space is left between the No. and the actual number
  • Except in the following circumstances vessels names are spelt in capitals
    • When No. (as in number) is used in a vessel name
    • When Jr (as in junior) is used in a vessel name
    • When a date is used in a vessel name (eg 2nd OF JULY)
    • When the name is clearly intended to have lowercase lettering (eg McALLISTER)

Pennant Number

  • Hull or identifying letters and/or numbers carried by warships
  • / indicates a change of pennant number (yyyy) indicates year of change if known

DWT / Full Load

  • Deadweight (merchant ships) N – signifies Net Register Tonnage
  • Full Load (warships)
  • Submerged Displacement (submarine)

LOA

  • Measured in metres unless specified otherwise (‘ feet “ inches)
  • Length overall
  • r – registered length

LBP/LWL

  • Measured in metres unless specified otherwise (‘ feet “ inches)
  • Length between perpendiculars (merchant ships)
  • Waterline length (warships)
  • w – waterline length

Beam

  • Measured in metres unless specified otherwise (‘ feet “ inches)
  • Measured hull beam
  • bm / bm – hull beam / maximum beam (used when significant overhangs are present eg aircraft carriers)

Draught

  • Measured in metres unless specified otherwise (‘ feet “ inches)
  • Given a summer draught for merchant vessels

Hull Material

  • Material that the hull is primarily constructed from

Machinery

  • C – Compound Steam Engine
  • CODAD – Combination Diesel and Diesel
  • CODAG – Combination Diesel and Gas
  • CODLAG
  • CODOG – Combination Diesel or Gas
  • D – Diesel
  • DE – Diesel Electric
  • D/E – Diesel or Electric (predominately submarines utilising Diesel on the surface and Electric submerged)
  • DESE – Double Expansion Steam Engine
  • DRST – Double Reduction Steam Turbine
  • E – Electric
  • G – Gas
  • GT – Geared Turbine
  • H – Hydraulic
  • I – Inverted
  • LP – Low Pressure Exhaust Steam Turbine
  • xM – (number of) Masts
  • NP – non-propelled
  • NST – Nuclear Steam Turbine
  • NTE – Nuclear Turbo Electric
  • O – Simple Oscillating Steam Engine
  • P – Petrol
  • QESE – Quadruple Expansion Steam Engine
  • S – Steam
  • ST – Steam Turbine
  • STE – Steam Turbine + Electric Motor
  • TD – Turbo Diesel
  • TE – Turbo Electric
  • TESE – Triple Expansion Steam Engine
  • XC – Diagonal Compound Steam Engine

Props

  • Fixed Pitch unless specified otherwise
  • A – Azimuthing
  • CP – Controllable Pitch
  • D – Directional
  • DE – Double Ended Vessel (number of props at each end)
  • F – Forward Props (when different from aft eg 2 / 1F – 2 props aft, 1 forward)
  • KN – Kort Nozzle
  • P – Paddlewheel
  • VS – Voith-Schneider
  • WJ – Water Jets
  • Z – Z-peller
  • + – combination of propeller types

Sail Area

  • Measured in m2.

Speed

  • Merchant Vessels – Service Speed
  • Warships – Maximum Speed
  • Submarines Surfaced / Submerged Speeds

TEU

  • Number of 20’ equivalent units (containers) carried
  • i.e. 1 40′ container = 2 TEU

Pax

  • Total number of passengers carried
  • B – number of passenger berths
  • C – number of cabins (e.g. 10C 20 = ten cabins 20 passengers)
  • D – number of berths for truck drivers
  • U – unberthed passengers (i.e no passenger accommodation)

Gear

  • Number and lifting capacity of cranes and derricks
  • Crane unless specified otherwise
  • A – A-frame
  • D – Derrick
  • G – Gantry

Holds

  • Number of cargo holds or tanks

Cargo Capacity

  • Nominal cargo capacity of the vessel.
  • L – Liquid
  • LG – Liquid (Gas)
  • B – Bale (The capacity of cargo spaces, measured to inside of cargo battens, to top of ceiling and to underside of beams including hatchways. Measured in cubic metres.)
  • G – Grain (The capacity of cargo spaces, measured to outside of frames, to top of ceiling and to top of beams including hatchways. Measured in cubic metres.)
  • R- Railway carriages
  • T – Trucks
  • V – Vehicles (mix of cars & trucks)
  • C – Cars

BP

  • Bollard Pull
  • Reference for towing power of tugs.

Armament

  • Figures in parenthesis () indicate barrel & turret numbers eg 6 (IIx3) indicates 3 turrets each with 2 barrels for a total of 6 guns
  • f – forward
  • a – aft
  • AA – Anti-Aircraft
  • ASM – Anti-Submarine Missile
  • ASW – Anti-Submarine Weapon
  • CIWS – Close In Weapons System
  • DC – Depth Charge
  • DCP – Depth Charge Projector
  • ffbnw – fitted for but not with
  • mg – machine gun/s
  • rcg – remotely controlled gun/s
  • rws – remote weapon system
  • RL – Rocket Launcher / Mortar
  • SAM – Surface to Air Missile
  • SSM – Surface to Surface Missile
  • sl – single arm missile launcher
  • tl – twin arm missile launcher
  • ql – quadruple missile launcher
  • ol – octuple missile launcher
  • SLCM – Ship/Submarine Launched Cruise Missile
  • SLBM – Ship/Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile
  • SLGM – Ship/Submarine Launched Guided Missile
  • VLS – Vertical Launch System

Aircraft

  • + indicates in addition to
  • / indicates either / or

Class / Design

  • Class Name or design

Build Comments

  • Details of names held prior to launch
  • Details pertaining to cancellation of order
  • Launch name – name changed between launching and completion
  • Completion name – name changed between completion and acceptance into service
  • mm/yy or yyyy del indicates expected delivery into service

Contract Date

  • Date original contract was signed between original order-er and contracted shipyard

Keel Laid

  • Official start of construction
  • Steel cutting often takes place between contract date and keel laying date

Launched

  • Date of launch

In Service / Commissioned Date

  • Merchant vessels – date handed over to owner by the shipyard
  • Warships – date of official commissioning

Out of Service / Decommissioned Date

  • Merchant vessels – Date of loss or removal from service
  • Warships – Date of loss or official decommissioning

Out of Service Reason

  • Scrapped
  • Sunk – Accident
  • Sunk – Action
  • Sunk – Lost
  • Sunk
  • Grounded
  • Scuttled

Breaker Yard

  • Name of ship breaker

Breaker Location

  • Location at which vessel was broken up / scrapped

Sale Date

  • Date sale to breaker is reported

Arrival Date

  • Date on which vessel arrived at the breaker’s yard

Beaching Date

  • Date on which the vessel was beached for breaking or breaking commenced

Out of Service Comments

  • Description of loss
  • May include a general area in which the loss occurred (see Lat & Long)

Lat

  • Latitude of loss

Long

  • Longtitude of loss