What ships were used in World war 2 and Vietnam?

Answer 1

For the first time since the US Civil War, the US Navy had two navies in Vietnam: It's regular navy (which some historians have labeled the "Blue Water Navy") and it's "Brown Water Navy." The Blue Water Navy consisted of the regular US warships that everyone is familiar with; aircraft carriers, battleships (yes one, the world's ONLY active duty battleship at the time, and the only Vietnam veteran battleship; the USS New Jersey), cruisers, destroyers, submarines, minesweepers, ocean going tugs, etc. The Brown Water Navy operated the war's "Riverine Forces." They consisted of: Swift Boats-PCF/Patrol Craft Fast (all aluminum, 50 feet long, one officer, five crewmen, two engines, two .50 machineguns and one 81mm mortar); PBR's/Patrol Boat Fast (all fiberglass, 32 feet long, 4 to 5 crewmen, water jet propulsion (no propellers) and seen in the film: Apocalypse Now); Alpha Boats-ASPB/Assault Support Patrol Boats (all steel construction, and the only riverine boats in the war SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED & BUILT for the Vietnam War, primarily used for minesweeping due to their solid construction...the Swifts and PBRs were adapted from pre-existing civilian designs); Monitor-a cannon armed river battleship built from an existing WWII LCM (Landing Craft Medium/all steel construction). WWII Gearing Class destroyers (5" guns) were were used in Vietnam. The Essex and Midway class aircraft carriers were used in Vietnam. The heavy 8 inch gun cruisers (USS Saint Paul, as one example) and the 6" gun cruisers (USS Oklahoma City, as one example) of WWII were used in Vietnam. The only US battleship to work the gunline in Vietnam was the WWII Iowa class battleship, the USS New Jersey; which fired nearly 6,000 sixteen inch shells and 15,000 five inch shells at the enemy during her tour on the line. No USN warships were sunk during the war, although the cruiser OKLAHOMA and the destroyer HIGBEE were bombed by a North Vietnamese MiG-17 jet in 1972 (500 lb bombs); many US warships exchanged artillery fire with shore batteries, and several were hit by them. Most losses were from the riverine forces; at least 10 US Navy Swift Boats were destroyed during the war, one possibly from a North Vietnamese Helicopter in 1968. A dozen or more PBRs, ALPHA Boats, and some Monitors were also lost during the war.

Answer 2

Ships were used for every conceivable purpose in WW2. They were cargo transports, troop transports, weapons transports, rocket launching ships, tank landing ships. minehunters. minelayers, sub hunters, fast attack ships, destroyers, frigates, control and comms ships, cruisers, battleships, aircraft carriers, sub tenders, anti aircraft gunships and many more specialised uses.