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.
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. ISBN0-304-35308-6. OCLC45306859.
^Bishop, Chris; Chant, Christopher (2004). Aircraft carriers: the world's greatest naval vessels and their aircraft. Grand Rapids, MI: Zenith. p. 63. ISBN0-7603-2005-5. OCLC56646560.
^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. ISBN1-85367-252-1. OCLC35068270.
^Layman, R. D. (1976). "HMS Ark Royal – Pegasus 1914–1950". Warship International (XIII (2)). Toledo: International Naval Research Organization: 90–114. ISSN0043-0374.
^Brown, David K. (1995). The Design And Construction Of British Warships 1939–1945. Vol. 1 Major Surface Vessels. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. p. 25. ISBN1-55750-160-2.
^Parkes, Oscar (1990) [1957]. British Battleships. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. p. 644. ISBN1-55750-075-4.
^Taylor, Bruce (2008). The Battlecruiser HMS Hood: An Illustrated Biography, 1916–1941. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. p. 26. ISBN978-1-86176-216-0.
^Raven, Alan; Roberts, John (1980). British Cruisers of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. p. 51. ISBN0-87021-922-7.
^Marriott, Leo (2005). Treaty Cruisers: The first international warship building competition. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Maritime. p. 35. ISBN1-84415-188-3.
^Waters, Conrad (2019). British Town Class Cruisers: Design, Development & Performance; Southampton & Belfast Classes. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. pp. 7–8. ISBN978-1-5267-1885-3.
^Brown, David K. (1995). The Design And Construction Of British Warships 1939–1945, Vol 1 Major Surface Vessels. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN1-55750-160-2.
^Freidman, Norman (2010). British Cruisers in Two World Wars & After. Seaforth. ISBN978-1848320789.
^Osborne, Richard; Spong, Harry; Grover, Tom (2007). Armed Merchant Cruisers 1878–1945. Windsor, UK: World Warship Society. ISBN978-0-9543310-8-5.
^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. ISBN0-905617-44-4.
^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. ISBN0-87021-782-8.
^Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. ISBN0-87021-459-4.
^ abcRaven, Alan; Roberts, John (1978). War Built Destroyers O to Z Classes. London: Bivouac Books. ISBN0-85680-010-4.
^English, John (2001). Obdurate to Daring: British Fleet Destroyers 1941–45. Windsor, UK: World Ship Society. ISBN978-0-9560769-0-8.
^Hobbs, David (2012). C Class Destroyers. Liskeard, UK: Maritime Books. ISBN978-1904459491.
^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. ISBN978-0-85052-615-8.
^Elliott, Peter (1972). "The Lend-Lease Captains". Warship International. International Naval Research Organization. ISSN0043-0374. OCLC1647131.[page needed]
^ abCocker, M. P. (1993). Mine Warfare Vessels of the Royal Navy: 1908 to Date. Shrewsbury, England: Airlife Publishing. ISBN1-85310-328-4.
^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. ISBN1-59114-119-2.
^Elliott, Peter (1979). Allied Minesweeping in World War 2. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN978-0-87021-904-7.
^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. ISBN978-0-7153-4353-1.
^ 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. ISBN0-88254-392-X.
^ abLund, Paul; Ludlam, Harry (1976). War of the Landing Craft. London, UK: New English Library. ISBN978-0-450-03039-0.
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. ISBN0-85177-146-7.
Gardiner, Robert, ed. (1984). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946. Naval Institute Press. ISBN0-87021-913-8.
Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Robert, eds. (1985b). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946. ISBN0-85177-245-5.
Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen (1995). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press. ISBN1-55750-132-7.
Blair, Clay (1998). Hitler's U-boat war, The Hunted 1942–1945 (1st ed.). New York: Random House. ISBN0-679-45742-9.
Burt, R. A. (2012). British Battleships, 1919–1939 (2nd ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN978-1-59114-052-8.
Burt, R. A. (1993). British Battleships, 1919–1939. London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN1-85409-068-2.
Cocker, Maurice (1981). Destroyers of the Royal Navy, 1893-1981. Ian Allan. ISBN0-7110-1075-7.
Cocker, Maurice (2008). Aircraft-Carrying Ships of the Royal Navy. Stroud, Gloucestershire: The History Press. p. 79. ISBN978-0-7524-4633-2.
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. ISBN978-1-86176-281-8.
English, John (1993). Amazon to Ivanhoe: British Standard Destroyers of the 1930s. Kendal, UK: World Ship Society. ISBN0-905617-64-9.
Friedman, Norman (1988). British Carrier Aviation: The Evolution of the Ships and Their Aircraft. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. p. 172. ISBN0-87021-054-8.
Friedman, Norman (2006). British Destroyers & Frigates: The Second World War and After. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN1-86176-137-6.
Friedman, Norman (2009). British Destroyers From Earliest Days to the Second World War. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN978-1-59114-081-8.
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. ISBN0-905617-67-3.
Konstam, Angus (2010). British Motor Gun Boat 1939-45. Osprey Publishing Limited. ISBN978-1-84908-077-4.
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. ISBN1-85367-277-7.
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. ISBN0-7110-1322-5.
Mitchell, W. H.; Sawyer, L. A. (1990). The Empire Ships. Lloyd's of London Press. ISBN1-85044-275-4.
Roberts, John (1997). Battlecruisers. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN1-55750-068-1.