This is a list of all British ship classes that served in World War II. This list includes all British ship classes including those which did not serve with the Royal Navy or British military in general.
Merchant aircraft carrier Empire MacColl sometime between 1943-1945
Merchant aircraft carriers
Merchant aircraft carriers (MAC) were grain ships or tankers with a flying deck mounted on top; they were operated by civilian crew with some naval personnel.[23][24]
Seaplane carriers
Pegasus in 1918 when it was called Ark Royal; it was renamed before World War II
HMS Pegasus - used as training ship and aircraft transport[25]
HMS Albatross - ex-RAN, converted to "Landing Ship (Engineering)" to be repair ship for invasion of France[26]
HMS Suffolk (55) was one of the Kent subclass of the County-class heavy cruisers
Heavy cruisers were defined by international agreement pre-war for the purposes of arms limitation as those with guns greater than 6-inch (152 mm); ships of guns of 6-inch or less were light cruisers.
^Friedman, Norman (1983). U.S. Aircraft Carriers: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-739-9. p. 145.
^Hobbs, David (2013). British Aircraft Carriers: Design, Development and Service Histories. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth. p. 109.
^Robbins, Guy (2001). The Aircraft Carrier Story: 1908–1945. London: Cassel & Co. p. 91. ISBN 0-304-35308-6. OCLC45306859.
^Bishop, Chris; Chant, Christopher (2004). Aircraft carriers: the world's greatest naval vessels and their aircraft. Grand Rapids, MI: Zenith. p. 63. ISBN 0-7603-2005-5. OCLC56646560.
^Brand, Stanley (2009). Achtung Swordfish!: Merchant Aircraft Carriers. Leeds, UK: Propagator Press. ISBN 9781-86029-805-9.
^Hobbs, David (1996). Aircraft carriers of the Royal and Commonwealth navies : the complete illustrated encyclopedia from World War I to the present. London: Greenhill Books. ISBN 1-85367-252-1. OCLC35068270.
^Layman, R. D. (1976). "HMS Ark Royal – Pegasus 1914–1950". Warship International (XIII (2)). Toledo: International Naval Research Organization: 90–114. ISSN0043-0374.
^Parkes, Oscar (1990) [1957]. British Battleships. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. p. 644. ISBN 1-55750-075-4.
^Taylor, Bruce (2008). The Battlecruiser HMS Hood: An Illustrated Biography, 1916–1941. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. p. 26. ISBN 978-1-86176-216-0.
^Raven, Alan; Roberts, John (1980). British Cruisers of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. p. 51. ISBN 0-87021-922-7.
^Marriott, Leo (2005). Treaty Cruisers: The first international warship building competition. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Maritime. p. 35. ISBN 1-84415-188-3.
^Waters, Conrad (2019). British Town Class Cruisers: Design, Development & Performance; Southampton & Belfast Classes. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. pp. 7–8. ISBN 978-1-5267-1885-3.
^Brown, David K. (1995). The Design And Construction Of British Warships 1939–1945, Vol 1 Major Surface Vessels. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-160-2.
^Freidman, Norman (2010). British Cruisers in Two World Wars & After. Seaforth. ISBN 978-1848320789.
^Osborne, Richard; Spong, Harry; Grover, Tom (2007). Armed Merchant Cruisers 1878–1945. Windsor, UK: World Warship Society. ISBN 978-0-9543310-8-5.
^English, John (1987). The Hunts: A History of the Design, Development and Careers of the 86 Destroyers of This Class Built for the Royal and Allied Navies During World War II. World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-44-4.
^Hague, Arnold (1988). Destroyers for Great Britain: A History of the 50 Town Class Ships Transferred From the United States to Great Britain in 1940. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-782-8.
^Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-459-4.
^ abcRaven, Alan; Roberts, John (1978). War Built Destroyers O to Z Classes. London: Bivouac Books. ISBN 0-85680-010-4.
^English, John (2001). Obdurate to Daring: British Fleet Destroyers 1941–45. Windsor, UK: World Ship Society. ISBN 978-0-9560769-0-8.
^Hobbs, David (2012). C Class Destroyers. Liskeard, UK: Maritime Books. ISBN 978-1904459491.
^Collingwood, Donald (1998). The Captain-class frigates in the second world war: an operational history of the American-built destroyer escorts serving under the White Ensign from 1943–46. Leo Cooper. ISBN 978-0-85052-615-8.
^Elliott, Peter (1972). "The Lend-Lease Captains". Warship International. International Naval Research Organization. ISSN0043-0374. OCLC1647131.
^ abCocker, M. P. (1993). Mine Warfare Vessels of the Royal Navy: 1908 to Date. Shrewsbury, England: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-328-4.
^Brown, David; Majeski, David V.; Buxton, Ian L.; Smythe, A. J. (2001). "Question 30/00: Cruiser-Minelayer HMS Adventure". Warship International. XXXVIII (3). International Naval Research Organization: 246. ISSN0043-0374.
^ abRohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
^Elliott, Peter (1979). Allied Minesweeping in World War 2. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-904-7.
^Colledge, J.J. (1969). Ships of the Royal Navy: A Historical Index, Volume one: Major Ships (excluding trawlers, drifters, tugs, etc.). Devon, England: David & Charles. ISBN 978-0-7153-4353-1.
^ abcdeColledge, J.J. Ships of the Royal Navy: An Historical Index Volume 2: Navy-built Trawlers, Drifters, Tugs and Requisitioned Ships. Newton Abbot: David & Charles.
^ abcLadd, JD (1976). Assault From the Sea: 1939–1945. New York: Hippocrene Books, Inc. ISBN 0-88254-392-X.
^ abLund, Paul; Ludlam, Harry (1976). War of the Landing Craft. London, UK: New English Library. ISBN 978-0-450-03039-0.
Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Randal (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.
Gardiner, Robert; Chesneau, Roger (1980). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
Gardiner, Robert, ed. (1984). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-913-8.
Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Robert, eds. (1985b). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen (1995). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
Blair, Clay (1998). Hitler's U-boat war, The Hunted 1942–1945 (1st ed.). New York: Random House. ISBN 0-679-45742-9.
Burt, R. A. (2012). British Battleships, 1919–1939 (2nd ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-052-8.
Burt, R. A. (1993). British Battleships, 1919–1939. London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 1-85409-068-2.
Cocker, Maurice (1981). Destroyers of the Royal Navy, 1893-1981. Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-1075-7.
Cocker, Maurice (2008). Aircraft-Carrying Ships of the Royal Navy. Stroud, Gloucestershire: The History Press. p. 79. ISBN 978-0-7524-4633-2.
Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Revised ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
English, John (1993). Amazon to Ivanhoe: British Standard Destroyers of the 1930s. Kendal, UK: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-64-9.
Friedman, Norman (1988). British Carrier Aviation: The Evolution of the Ships and Their Aircraft. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. p. 172. ISBN 0-87021-054-8.
Friedman, Norman (2006). British Destroyers & Frigates: The Second World War and After. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-86176-137-6.
Friedman, Norman (2009). British Destroyers From Earliest Days to the Second World War. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-081-8.
Hague, Arnold (1993). Sloops: A History of the 71 Sloops Built in Britain and Australia for the British, Australian and Indian Navies 1926–1946. Kendal: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-67-3.
Konstam, Angus (2010). British Motor Gun Boat 1939-45. Osprey Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-84908-077-4.
Lenton, H. T.; Colledge, J.J. (1968). British and Dominion Warships of World War II. Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company.
Lenton, H. Trevor (1998). British and Empire Warships of the Second World War. Greenhill Books. ISBN 1-85367-277-7.
March, Edgar J. (1966). British Destroyers: A History of Development, 1892–1953; Drawn by Admiralty Permission From Official Records & Returns, Ships' Covers & Building Plans. London: Seeley Service. OCLC164893555.
Marriott, Leo (1983). Royal Navy Frigates 1945-1983. Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-1322-5.
Mitchell, W. H.; Sawyer, L. A. (1990). The Empire Ships. Lloyd's of London Press. ISBN 1-85044-275-4.
Roberts, John (1997). Battlecruisers. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-068-1.
Whitley, M. J. (1995). Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. London: Cassell. ISBN 1-86019-874-0.
Whitley, M. J. (1999). Destroyers of World War Two : an international encyclopedia. London: Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-521-8.