Famous Types of Naval Ships

A naval ship is a ship used by a navy - a fleet of military ships. Here are some types of navy ships:

Barque : a type of ship with three or more masts. Its foremasts are rigged square and only the aftermast is rigged fore-and-aft.
Barquentine : a ship with three or more masts. It has a square rigged foremast and fore-and-aft rigged main, mizzen and any other masts.
Bireme : an ancient warship with two decks of oars. Phoenicians invented it.
Bomb vessel : a wooden sailing ship armed with mortars and used for bombarding fixed positions on land.
Brig : a sailing ship with two square-rigged masts popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries.
Brigantine : a two-masted ship with foremast fully square rigged and her mainmast rigged with both a fore-and-aft mainsail and a square topsail. It could also have a topgallant sail.
Caravel : a ship with two, three or four masts with lateen sails (a triangular sails set on a long yard mounted at an angle on the mast).
Clipper : fast sailing ship that had three or more masts and a square rig. Used in 19th century.
Dromon : a type of galley and the most important warship of the Byzantine navy from the 5th to 12th century.
Galley : a type of ship that is propelled mainly by rowing. Used since 8th century.
Galleon : from “galeone” meaning "big galley" - a large, multi-decked sailing ship.
Junk : an ancient Chinese sailing ship with different junk rig configurations.
Quadrireme : an ancient warship with four decks of oars. The main warship of the Rhodian navy.
Quinquereme : Same but with five decks of oars.
Man-of-war : a powerful warship of a British Royal Navy.
Rocket vessel : a ship equipped with rockets from 19th century.
Schooner : a type of sailing ship with fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts.
Sloop-of-war : a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns.
Trireme : an ancient warship with three decks of oars.
Aircraft carrier : a warship that can carry aircrafts and serve as a seagoing airbase.
Battlecruiser : a large capital ship with less armor and faster that battleship but with ame kind of heavy guns.
Battleship : a large armored warship with heavy caliber guns.
Corvette : a small, lightly armed warship.
Destroyer : a fast and maneuverable ship intended as an escort for larger vessels in a fleet.
Dreadnought : a battleship of the early 20th century with heavy arms and steam turbine propulsion.
Escort aircraft carrier : a small and slow type of aircraft carrier used in the Second World War.
Gunboat : a ship designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets.
Hospital ship : a ship used in or near war zones as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital.
Ironclad : a steam-propelled wooden warship protected by iron or steel armor plates. Popular in the second half of the 19th century.
PT Boat : a Patrol Torpedo boat. Torpedo-armed fast attack boat, invented in Second World War with purpose to attack larger surface ships.
Seaplane tender : ancestor of an airplane carrier. Basically a ship that provides facilities for operating seaplanes. Appeared for the first time before the First World War.
Submarine : a boat capable of independent operation underwater. The first one appeared as early as 17th century.
Submarine chaser : a small and fast ship designed for anti-submarine warfare. It is armed with a 3-pounder gun, paravane for destroying mines and with depth charges.
Minesweeper : a small ship used for minesweeping. Often made out of wood, fiberglass or non-ferrous metals it uses mechanical or influence sweeps to detonate mines and keep waterways clear for shipping.