Surface Forces of the Navy

surface ships, a combat arm of the navy.

Organizationally, surface ships belong to naval commands and large units, such as flotillas, squadrons, divisions, and brigades. In the US Navy and the navies of several other states, the main classes of surface ships are aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, frigates, landing ships, minelayers, and minesweepers. In the Soviet Navy surface combat ships are classified as missile ships (missile cruiser, missile cutter, etc.), antisubmarine ships (antisubmarine cruiser, patrol vessel, etc.), artillery and torpedo ships (cruiser, destroyer, artillery cutter, etc.), antimine ships (minesweeper, etc.), and landing ships.

Depending on their mission, surface ships are armed with missiles, artillery weapons, torpedoes, or mines and are provided with subaqueous ranging devices and a variety of radar equipment. Most surface ships have conventional engines; some have atomic power installations, which gives them a great cruising range at high speed. The main features of surface ships as a combat arm are great striking power, exceptional maneuverability, and a spatially wide scale of operations. The broad range of armaments enables surface ships to carry out a variety of combat missions: to search and destroy submarines, strike at surface ships, disembark naval landing parties and repulse the disembarcation of enemy landing parties, lay mine barriers and destroy enemy mines, support ground troops in combat along coastal axes, and protect transports and landing ships in sea crossings. The surface forces of the navy carry out their mission independently or in coordination with other combat arms of the navy.