KIRAMEKI

(November 30, 2025)Japanese-English Glossary of Imperial Japanese Navy Ship Types

by Bill Lise

This glossary is a work in progress and will be updated and more or less completed in a few days.

浮ドック
floating dock?
運送艦
cargo ship
運送戦
曳船
tugboat
海防艦
escort [Showa era]; coastal defense ship [earlier than Showa]
海洋観測船
marine observation ship?
起重機船
急設網艦
minelayer (net layer)
救難船
rescue ship
魚雷艇
motor torpedo boat
空母
aircraft carrier
駆潜艇
subchaser
駆潜特務艇
auxiliary subchaser
駆逐艦
destroyer
軍艦
warship [Not a ship type, but rather refers to a special category of ship, with special connotations with regard to things such as whether the chrysanthemum crest was applied to the bow. The types of ships classified as gunkan changed from time to time.]"
航空母艦
aircraft carrier
工作艦
repair ship
工作船
repair ship
交通船
砕氷艦
icebreaker
雑役船
miscellaneous ship
雑役船舟
miscellaneous ship
重油船
巡洋艦
cruiser
巡洋戦艦
battlecruiser
哨戒艇
patrol boat
哨戒特務艇
auxiliary patrol boat
小艦
small warship
水上機母艦
seaplane tender
水線
水雷艇
torpedo boat
水雷母艦
torpedo boat tender
戦艦
battleship
潜水艦
submarine
潜水作業船
underwater repair ship?
潜水艇
light submarine?
潜水母艦
submarine tender
潜水母艇
light submarine tender
掃海艇
minesweeper
掃海特務艇
auxiliary minesweeper
測量艦
surveying ship
測量船
surveying ship
大艦
large warship
中艦
medium warship
通報艦
dispatching ship
電纜敷設艇
cable layer
特務艦艇
auxiliary ship
内火艇
病院船
hospital ship
標的艦
target ship
敷設艦
minelayer
敷設艇
light minelayer
敷設特務艇
auxiliary minelayer
砲艦
gunboat
捕獲網艇
?net-laying ship?
輸送艦
transport ship; cargo ship
練習巡洋艦
training cruiser
練習船
training ship
練習戦艦
training battleship
練習特務艦
auxiliary training ship