Ship class designations
Ship designations in Wing Commander approximately follow US Navy designations, namely,
US Navy ship designations
(Source: AerospaceWeb's aircrat carrier designations page.)
| BB-xx | Battleship |
|---|---|
| DD-xx | Destroyer |
| SS-xx | Submarine |
| DE-xx | Escort Destroyer |
| DDG-xx | Guided Missile Destroyer |
| CL-xx | Light Cruiser |
| CA-xx | Heavy Cruiser |
| CG-xx | Guided Missile Cruiser |
| CGN-xx | Nuclear Powered Guided Missile Cruiser |
| CV-xx | Carrier, aViation (First carrier designation, later re-labeled “Fleet Carrier”) |
| CVL -xx | Light Carrier |
| CVE-xx | Escort Carrier (for convoy defense) |
| CVB-xx | Large Aircraft Carrier (like USS Midway) |
| CVA -xx | Attack Aircraft Carrier (larger than CVB, ex. USS Forrestal) |
| CVAN-xx | Nuclear Powered Attack Aircraft Carrier (ex. USS Enterprise) |
| CVS -xx | Anti-submarine Aircraft Carrier (modified CV's) |
However, in Wing Commander there are departures from the above:
- CVL is used for ultra-light, pre-war carriers
- CV is used for “light carriers”, like the Ranger class light carrier (CV-40)
- CVS is used for “strike carrier”, such as the Bengal class strike carrier (CVS-07). “Strike carrier” denotes a carrier design that's better armed that standard fleet carriers, and are therefore more suitable to operate without capital ship escorts.
- CVX… Super-carriers like the Midway class super-carrier (CVX-1) use CVX rather than CVB or CVA.
See also the ship size classes page, for carrier sub-types' descriptions.
To be continued…
