History of United States Naval Operations: Korea
by James A. Field, Jr.
DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER
805 KIDDER BREESE SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
WASHINGTON DC 20374-5060
Introduction
Foreword
Preface
List of Maps
List of Tables
Chapters:
Glossary of Naval Abbreviations
Contents:
1. Ships
2. Aircraft
3. Miscellaneous
1. Ships
The designations of the various types of U.S. naval vessels are derived by compounding an initial letter indicative of general category (thus A, auxiliary; C, cruiser; D, destroyer; L, landing; P, patrol) with one or more modifiers descriptive of the particular species (thus C, command or craft; D, destroyer or dock; E, explosive or escort; H, hospital or helicopter; O, oiler or ocean; P, transport (i.e., personnel); T, tracked, tank, or torpedo; V, aviation). Type designators employed in this book are as follows:
AD Destroyer tender AE Ammunition ship AF Refrigerated stores ship AGC Amphibious force flagship AH Hospital ship AK Cargo ship AKA Attack cargo ship AKL Light cargo ship AM Fleet minesweeper AMS Motor minesweeper (formerly YMS) AN Net tender AO Oiler AOG Gasoline tanker AP Transport APA Attack transport APD Fast transport (destroyer escort conversion) ARG Internal combustion engine repair ship ARH Heavy hull repair ship ARL Landing craft repair ship ARS Salvage vessel ASR Submarine rescue vessel ATF Fleet tug AV Seaplane tender AVP Small seaplane tender BB Battleship CA Heavy cruiser CL Light cruiser CLAA Antiaircraft light cruiser CV Aircraft carrier CVE Escort aircraft carrier (merchant ship hull) CVL Light aircraft carrier (cruiser hull) DD Destroyer DE Destroyer escort DMS Fast minesweeper (destroyer conversion) DUKW Amphibious truck (manufacturer’s designation) JMS Japanese minesweeper (YMS type) LCVP Vehicle and personnel landing craft LPH Helicopter amphibious assault ship LSD Dock landing ship LSMR Rocket ship (medium landing ship conversion) LST Tank landing ship LSU Utility landing ship LVT Tracked landing vehicle LVTA Armored tracked landing vehicle MSC Coastal minesweeper (non-magnetic) MSI Inshore minesweeper (non-magnetic) MSO Ocean minesweeper (non-magnetic) PC Submarine chaser PCEC Amphibious control vessel (patrol escort modification) PF Frigate (patrol gunboat or corvette) PT Motor torpedo boat T—AP Transport assigned to MSTS T—APc Small coastal transport assigned to MSTS YMS Motor minesweeper (World War II designation)
2. Aircraft
Aircraft of the U.S. Navy are designated by a first letter indicative of functional category and by a second which identifies the manufacturer; to distinguish second and subsequent designs in the same category by the same company an intervening number is employed. Suffixed numbers and letters indicate changes to the basic model and special uses and configurations. Important categories of aircraft are:
A attack F fighter H helicopter U utility P patrol PB patrol bomber R transport
Relevant manufacturer’s designators are:
D Douglas F Grumman H McDonnell M Martin O Lockheed (former) S Sikorsky U Chance Vought V Lockheed (current) Y Consolidated
To illustrate, the AD is the first naval attack plane produced by Douglas after the Attack designation was set up by the Navy in September 1946; the F9F is the ninth Grumman-designed shipboard fighter; the F4U—5N is the night-configurated version of the fifth modification of the fourth naval fighter plane designed by Chance Vought.
In the Air Force a different series of letter prefixes is used to indicate function (B, bomber; C, cargo and transport; F, fighter; L, liaison; R, reconnaissance, and so on); these letters are followed by numbers running consecutively in each category, and in the event of model changes by a letter suffix. Thus, for example, the F—86A Sabre is the first modification of the basic design of the eighty-sixth in the sequence of Air Force fighters.
Soviet aircraft, regardless of type, are referred to by the designer’s model number: thus MIG for products of the establishment presided over by Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich; Yak for Aleksandir Sergeivich Yakovlev.
3. Miscellaneous
ACB Amphibious Construction Battalion (Navy) ADCOM Advance Command and Liaison Group (Army) Anglico Air and Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (Navy-Marine) AP Armor-piercing BLT Battalion Landing Team CAP Combat air patrol Cardiv Carrier Division CAS Close air support CCF Chinese Communist Forces CincFE Commander in Chief, Far East Command CincLantFleet Commander in Chief, Atlantic Fleet CincPac Commander in Chief, Pacific CincPacFleet Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet CincUNC Commander in Chief, United Nations Command CNO Chief of Naval Operations Com Commander (in compounds), as ComNavFE Commander Naval Forces Far East Crudiv Cruiser Division CTF Commander Task Force CTG Commander Task Group CW Continuous wave Desdiv Destroyer Division ECA Economic Cooperation Administration ESB Engineer Special Brigade (Army) EUSAK Eighth U .S Army in Korea FAFIK Fifth Air Force in Korea FEAF Far East Air Forces FEC Far East Command FLAW Fleet Logistic Air Wing FMF Fleet Marine Force FOSICFES Flag Officer Second in Command, Far Eastern Station (British) F /S Fire Support GCA Ground control approach GHQ General Headquarters HC High capacity IFF Electronic identification device JapLogCom Japan Logistical Command JCS Joint Chiefs of Staff JOC Joint Operations Center JTF Joint Task Forcc KMAG Korean Military Advisory Group (U.S. Army) KMC Korean Marine Corps Lant Atlantic (In compounds) MAG Marine Aircraft Group MATS Military Air Transport Service MAW Marine Aircraft Wing MDA (P ) Mutual Defense Assistance (Program) Mindiv Minecraft Division MLR Main line of resistance MSR Main supply route MSTS Military Sea Transportation Service MTACS Marinc Tactical Air Control Squadron NAF Naval Air Facility NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization NavFE Naval Forces Far Fast NCO Non-commissioned officer NKPA North Korean People's Army NMJ Naval Member, Joint Operations Center OCMH Office of the Chief of Military History (Army) OpAr ea Operating Area OPLR Outpost line of resistance OpNav Officc of Naval Operations OpPlan Operation plan OTC Officer in tactical command Pac Pacific (in compounds) PhibGru Amphibious Group POL Petroleum, oil, lubricants POW Prisoner of war RAF Royal Air Force RAN Royal Australian Navy RCN Royal Canadian Navy RCT Regimental Combat Team RN Royal Navy (Gt . Britain) RNZN Royal New Zealand Navy ROK Republic of Korea ROKN Republic of Korea Navy Scajap Shipping Control Administration, Japan SEATO Southeast Asia Treaty Organization ServPac Service Force, Pacific Fleet SHAPE Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers Europe SPB Shore Party Battalion (Marine) TAC Tactical Air Command TACP Tactical air control party Tacron Tactical Air Control Squadron (Navy) TADC Tactical air direction center TE Task Element TF Task Force TG Task Group UDT Underwater Demoltion Team UNC United Nations Command USNS U .S Naval Ship ("in Service, " i.e., non-commissioned vessel of MSTS nucleus fleet VHF Very high frequency VT Variable time (radar-controlled) fuse VMF Marine Fighter Squadron VMFN Marine Night Fighter Squadron VMO Marine Observation Squadron VMR Marine Transport Squadron VP Patrol Squadron
