Types of Warships Explained: Destroyer vs Frigate vs Cruiser

Short answer: The main types of warships in a modern navy are aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, frigates, corvettes and other small combatants, amphibious assault ships, submarines and support ships. In the U.S. Navy, carriers carry the air wing, cruisers and destroyers are the large multi-mission escorts, frigates are smaller and cheaper escorts, and submarines split into ballistic missile boats and attack boats. As of October 1, 2025, the Navy counted 293 battle force ships.

Last updated: October 27, 2026

Types of warships at a glance

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) sorts U.S. Navy ships into one strategic type, the ballistic missile submarine, and several “general-purpose” types that handle every other mission. The force-level goals in the table come from CRS’s Navy force structure report of January 2026.

Type	Hull code	Main job	Navy goal (381-ship plan, 2023)
Aircraft carrier	CVN	Floating air base for 60+ aircraft	12
Cruiser and destroyer (large surface combatants)	CG, DDG	Air and missile defense, strike, anti-submarine warfare	87
Frigate	FFG	Smaller escort and patrol ship	58
Littoral Combat Ship	LCS	Small, fast near-shore ship	15
Amphibious ships	LHA/LHD, LPD/LSD	Carry Marines and land them ashore	31 large, plus 18 Medium Landing Ships
Attack submarine	SSN	Hunt ships and submarines, strike land, gather intelligence	66
Ballistic missile submarine	SSBN	Nuclear deterrence	12
Combat logistics ships	T-AO, T-AKE, T-AOL	Refuel and resupply the fleet at sea	46

CRS notes that the Navy fell below 300 battle force ships in August 2003 and has generally stayed between 270 and 300 since. A forthcoming “Golden Fleet” goal is to replace the 381-ship plan; as of January 2026, the Navy had released only two parts of it: 15 to 25 battleships and 50 to 65 frigates.

Aircraft carriers

The carrier is the largest warship. CRS says each U.S. carrier embarks an air wing of more than 60 aircraft, typically including 40 or more strike fighters. For where each U.S. carrier is today, see our tracker of U.S. aircraft carrier locations, and for the drone tanker joining their decks, the MQ-25 Stingray.

Cruisers

Cruisers were once much bigger and more powerful than destroyers, but that gap has closed. CRS explains that after World War II, cruiser designs got smaller while destroyer designs got bigger. Since the 1980s the two have overlapped so much that the Navy now groups them together as “large surface combatants.”

The U.S. Navy’s only cruisers are the Ticonderoga (CG-47) class. CRS says 27 were procured between FY1978 and FY1988, and just 7 remained in service at the end of FY2025. Like the newer destroyers, they carry the Aegis combat system.

Destroyers

Destroyers are now the backbone of the U.S. surface fleet. At the end of FY2025, the Navy’s large surface combatant force of 84 ships included 75 Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) class destroyers and 2 Zumwalt (DDG-1000) class destroyers, according to the CRS destroyer report. The Zumwalts are larger than the cruisers.

The Navy’s DDG-51 fact file, updated July 7, 2026, lists 74 ships delivered. It gives these figures:

Arleigh Burke-class destroyer	Figure
Length	505–509.5 feet, depending on flight
Displacement	8,230–9,700 long tons, full load
Speed	30+ knots
Crew	329 (Flight I/II) to 359 (Flight IIA/III)
Newest radar	AN/SPY-6 on Flight III ships
First commissioned	July 4, 1991 (USS Arleigh Burke)

The Navy is developing a successor called DDG(X). Its destroyers fire the SM-6 missile for air and missile defense.

Destroyer vs frigate vs cruiser

The simplest way to tell them apart is size and job.

	Cruiser	Destroyer	Frigate
U.S. class	Ticonderoga (CG-47)	Arleigh Burke (DDG-51), Zumwalt (DDG-1000)	Constellation (FFG-62); planned FF(X)
Navy grouping	Large surface combatant	Large surface combatant	Small surface combatant
Role	Air-defense command, strike	Multi-mission escort, missile defense	Escort, patrol, anti-submarine work
In service (end FY2025)	7	77	None yet
Trend	Being retired	Still in production	Program restructured in 2025

A destroyer vs cruiser comparison now comes down mostly to age and command role, since the Navy treats them as one category. A destroyer vs frigate comparison is about cost and capability: frigates are smaller, carry fewer missiles and cost less.

Frigates and small combatants

CRS defines small surface combatants as frigates, Littoral Combat Ships, mine warfare ships and patrol craft. The U.S. frigate plan changed sharply in late 2025. According to CRS’s frigate report, the Navy procured six Constellation-class frigates through FY2025. It then said it wanted to cut the program to no more than two ships and start a new FF(X) frigate based on the Coast Guard’s National Security Cutter, with a notional total of 50 to 65.

Navy Secretary John Phelan said the Constellation class “was 80% of the cost of a [larger DDG-51 class] destroyer and 60% of the capability.” CRS reported that the first ship was about 12% complete as of November 25, 2025.

Corvettes, smaller than frigates, are common in other navies but not in the U.S. fleet. The U.S. Navy is also adding uncrewed vessels; see our report on the MUSV drone ship order.

Amphibious ships

CRS says amphibious ships exist to “transport Marines and their equipment and supplies to distant operating areas” and support their movement ashore. The largest, the LHA and LHD amphibious assault ships, look like small carriers and operate helicopters, tiltrotors and F-35B jets.

Submarines

Submarines are warships too. Ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) have the single mission of nuclear deterrence, and the U.S. has 14 Ohio-class boats now, with the Columbia class to replace them. Attack submarines (SSNs) such as the Virginia class hunt ships and other submarines, fire cruise missiles and collect intelligence.

Peter’s World’s view

Analysis: Peter’s World’s assessment, based on the sources above.

The old textbook ladder of battleship, cruiser, destroyer and frigate no longer describes the U.S. fleet. Cruisers are fading out, destroyers do almost everything, and frigates have been restarted twice in two decades. The plan to bring back battleships under the Golden Fleet would reverse a category the Navy dropped decades ago, so the next official shipbuilding plan is the document to watch.

Frequently asked questions

What are the main types of warships?

The main families are listed in the table above. In the U.S. fleet, destroyers far outnumber cruisers, and the cruiser force is shrinking.

What is the difference between a destroyer and a frigate?

A destroyer is larger, carries more missiles and handles air and missile defense as well as other missions. A frigate is smaller and cheaper and is used mainly for escort, patrol and anti-submarine work.

Is a cruiser bigger than a destroyer?

Historically, yes. Today they overlap. The U.S. Navy’s Zumwalt-class destroyers are larger than its Ticonderoga-class cruisers, and the Navy groups both as large surface combatants.

How many ships does the U.S. Navy have?

The 293 figure in the short answer is the battle force count, which covers deployable combat and support ships and leaves out many smaller craft.

Does the U.S. Navy still have battleships?

No. Battleships are only a goal for now, as noted in the fleet-size section above, and none were part of the earlier 355- or 381-ship plans.

How many destroyers does the U.S. Navy have?

CRS counted 75 Arleigh Burke-class and 2 Zumwalt-class destroyers at the end of FY2025. The Navy’s July 2026 fact file lists 74 Arleigh Burkes delivered.

This article was written by Peter with AI assistance and checked against the sources linked. See our AI use disclosure.

Types of Warships: Carriers, Cruisers, Destroyers and Frigates