The lead ship or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. Almost always, this is only applicable for military ships and larger civilian craft. A ship class is a group of ships of a similar design. ... For other uses, see Ship (disambiguation). ...

Overview

Large ships are complicated internally and may take as much as five to ten years to construct. Any changes or advances that are available when building a ship are likely to be included, so it is rare to have two that are completely identical. Constructing one ship is also likely to reveal better ways of doing things, and even errors. For example, when the United States built the USS Ohio as the lead ship of her class of submarines, they found that the access hatches were not large enough to load some internal components only after construction was nearly complete.^{[citation needed]} USS Ohio (SSBN-726), the lead ship of her class of nuclear-powered fleet ballistic missile submarines, was the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named for the 17th state. ... The United States has 18 Ohio class submarines: 14 nuclear-powered SSBNs, each armed with 24 Trident II SLBMs; they are also known as Trident submarines, and provide the sea-based leg of the nuclear triad of the United States strategic deterrent forces 4 nuclear-powered SSGNs, each armed with... It has been proposed below that SSBN be renamed and moved to Ballistic missile submarine. ...

The second and later ships are often started before the first one is completed, launched and tested. Nevertheless, building copies is still more efficient and cost-effective than building prototypes, and the lead ship will usually be followed by copies with some improvements rather than radically different versions. The improvements will sometimes be retrofitted to the lead ship. Occasionally, the lead ship will be launched and commissioned for shakedown testing before following ships are completed, making the lead ship a combination of template and prototype, rather than expending resources on a prototype that will never see actual use. A shakedown is a period of testing or a trial journey undergone by a ship, aircraft or other craft and its crew before being declared operational. ...

Naming

Ship classes are typically named in one of two ways; echoing the name of the lead ship, such as the Pennsylvania-class battleships, whose lead ship was USS Pennsylvania, or defining a theme by which vessels in the class are named, as in the Royal Navy's Tribal-class frigates, named after tribes of the world, such as HMS Mohawk. If a ship class is produced for another fleet, the first active unit will become the lead ship for that fleet; for example, the Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates are known as the Adelaide-class in the Royal Australian Navy. Larger civilian craft, such as the Pacific Sun, the lead ship of the Sun-class cruise ships sometimes follow this convention as well. The Pennsylvania-class battleships, of the United States Navy, were an enlargement of the Nevada class; having two additional 14 in (356 mm) 45 caliber main battery guns, greater length and displacement, four propellers and slightly higher speed. ... The second USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) was the lead ship of her class of US Navy super-dreadnought battleships. ... This article is about the navy of the United Kingdom. ... The Type 81, or Tribal class, was a class of seven general-purpose frigates for the Royal Navy designed during the 1950s that served throughout the 1960s and 1970s with limited service during the 1980s. ... The USS McInerney (FFG 8), an Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate. ... The Adelaide class is the name given to the Oliver Hazard Perry class frigates in service in the Royal Australian Navy. ... The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. ... Pacific Sun (formerly Jubilee) is a Holiday class cruise ship built in 1986. ... The Sun class is a class of cruise ships operated primarily by Princess Cruises, a subsidiary of Carnival. ... Pacific Sky sails under Sydney Harbour Bridge A cruise ship or a cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ships amenities are considered an essential part of the experience. ...

The same custom is often followed in fiction: the Constitution-class cruiser is the basis for the Enterprise of Star Trek, and the Eclipse-class Star Destroyer appears in Star Wars. The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) The Constitution class was a series of Starfleet vessel in the Star Trek fictional universe, first put into service in the mid-23rd century. ... The USS Enterprise, (NCC-1701) is a fictional starship in the television series Star Trek, which chronicles the vessels most famous assignment, its Five-Year mission. ... The current Star Trek franchise logo Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series and media franchise. ... It has been suggested that Executor (Star Wars) be merged into this article or section. ... This article is about the series. ...

External Links

1. Example of a lead ship announcement from US Navy
2. The USS Pennsylvania BB-38