Military

The Swiftest Naval Warships Around the Globe: Ranked from Slowest to Fastest

24/7 Wall St. Staff

Published: June 25, 2024 10:13 am

On June 19th, U.S. and Canadian warships tracked a Russian nuclear-powered submarine as it traveled along the Florida coast. The sub had recently been docked in Havana, Cuba, with a Russian flotilla following planned military drills in the Atlantic Ocean. The Miami Herald reported the U.S. Northern Command is closely monitoring the Russian fleet and that the ships do not pose a threat to the U.S. The timing of the exercises near Cuba comes at a tense moment between Russia and the U.S. regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Naval fleets have long been critical to the world’s economic system while also protecting nations’ defenses. (See the countries with the largest naval fleets.) 24/7 Wall St. compiled a list of the fastest naval warships around the globe. To create our list, we used data from Modern Warships & Submarines compiled by Military Factory, an online database of military vehicles, aircraft, arms, and more. We ranked warship classes based on top speeds and only included ships that are currently in service with top speeds of over 41 miles per hour. We’ve also included supplemental information about the year the ship entered service, personnel, displacement, and which navies employ these ships (via Military Factory.)

Vessels on the list are currently in active service from countries around the world, such as the U.S., China, Russia, Iran, India, Turkey, and South Korea. While the U.S. has the highest number of ships on the list, China boasts the swiftest ship. China’s type 726 landing craft, air-cushioned amphibious vessel can reach an impressive 92.1 miles per hour (80 knots).

On the other hand, the U.S.’ fastest ship is the Sea Fighter-class littoral combat ship with a top speed of 63.3 miles per hour (55 knots). The Sea Fighter represents a new, more flexible type of warship in the U.S. Navy, meant for speed and agility, rather than the more conventional large battleships of the past. This modern ship can get closer to shore and operate on stealthier missions. (These are the oldest ships and submarines still operating in the U.S. Navy.)

Why This Matters

Source: FOTOGRIN / Shutterstock.com

The world’s largest and most technologically advanced navies protect their nation’s maritime interests and can also show a force of power in the ocean, all while staying in international waters. Today’s newest warships need to factor in the need for speed and agility with the use of heavy armor and weapons. This result means the most useful navy ship may not be the swiftest.

Here are the fastest military ships and submarines in the world:

19. Houbei-class fast attack missile boat

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Top speed: 41.4 mph (36 knots)
• Year entered service: 2004
• Navy(s) serving in: China
• Personnel: 12
• Displacement: 225 tons

18. Sina-class fast attack missile boat

Iranian Separ Cruiser010... (CC BY 4.0) by Tasnim News Agency

• Top speed: 41.4 mph (36 knots)
• Year entered service: 2003
• Navy(s) serving in: Iran
• Personnel: 31
• Displacement: 275 tons

17. Alvand-class light frigate warship

IRIS 72 Alborz and IRIS 73 (CC BY 4.0) by Iran Front Page

• Top speed: 44.9 mph (39 knots)
• Year entered service: 1971
• Navy(s) serving in: Iran
• Personnel: 135
• Displacement: 1,100 tons

16. CB90-class shallow-draught fast assault craft

Riverine patrol boats are repu... (CC BY 2.0) by Official U.S. Navy Page

• Top speed: 46.0 mph (40 knots)
• Year entered service: 2007
• Navy(s) serving in: United States
• Personnel: 24
• Displacement: 22 tons

15. Naval special warfare special forces inflatable insertion-extraction boat

RIB at speed. (CC BY 2.0) by Les Chatfield

• Top speed: 46.0 mph (40 knots)
• Year entered service: 1992
• Navy(s) serving in: United States
• Personnel: 13
• Displacement: 09 tons

14. Patrol boat light light-class patrol boat

BEST OF THE MARINE CORPS - May... (CC BY 2.0) by Expert Infantry

• Top speed: 46.0 mph (40 knots)
• Year entered service: 1990
• Navy(s) serving in: United States
• Personnel: 11
• Displacement: 06 tons

13. LCAC hovercraft

A Landing Craft Air Cushion ap... (CC BY 2.0) by Official U.S. Navy Page

• Top speed: 46.0 mph (40 knots)
• Year entered service: 1987
• Navy(s) serving in: United States
• Personnel: 5
• Displacement: 87 tons

12. Stridsbat-90H-class personnel fast landing craft

IRIS 72 Alborz and IRIS 73 (CC BY 4.0) by Iran Front Page

• Top speed: 46.0 mph (40 knots)
• Year entered service: 1991
• Navy(s) serving in: United States
• Personnel: 25
• Displacement: 16,865 tons

11. Tarantul-class guided-missile corvette warship

Sevastopol 207 (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Alexxx Malev

• Top speed: 48.3 mph (42 knots)
• Year entered service: 1977
• Navy(s) serving in: India, Russia, Turkey
• Personnel: 50
• Displacement: 550 tons

10. Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport

USNS Spearhead (T-EPF-1) (CC BY 2.0) by R'lyeh Imaging

• Top speed: 49.5 mph (43 knots)
• Year entered service: 2012
• Navy(s) serving in: United States
• Personnel: 350
• Displacement: 2,362 tons

9. Independence-class littoral combat ship

USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10... (CC BY 2.0) by Official U.S. Navy Page

• Top speed: 50.6 mph (44 knots)
• Year entered service: 2017
• Navy(s) serving in: United States
• Personnel: 75
• Displacement: 3,300 tons

8. Yoon Youngha-class patrol vessel

Gum... (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Helznite at English Wikipedia

• Top speed: 50.6 mph (44 knots)
• Year entered service: 2011
• Navy(s) serving in: South Korea
• Personnel: 40
• Displacement: 630 tons

7. Tuo Chiang-class stealth coastal guided-missile corvette

ROCN Ta Chiang (CC BY-SA 4.0) by Kenchen945

• Top speed: 51.8 mph (45 knots)
• Year entered service: 2014
• Navy(s) serving in: Taiwan
• Personnel: 41
• Displacement: 567 tons

6. Freedom-class littoral combat ship

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Top speed: 54.1 mph (47 knots)
• Year entered service: 2008
• Navy(s) serving in: United States
• Personnel: 125
• Displacement: 3,000 tons

5. Patrol Boat Mark V high-speed insertion-extraction vessel

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Top speed: 57.5 mph (50 knots)
• Year entered service: 1995
• Navy(s) serving in: United States
• Personnel: 22
• Displacement: 68 tons

4. Sea Fighter-class littoral combat ship

Source: Stocktrek Images / Stocktrek Images via Getty Images

• Top speed: 63.3 mph (55 knots)
• Year entered service: 2005
• Navy(s) serving in: United States
• Personnel: 26
• Displacement: 1,600 tons

3. Zubr-class air-cushioned landing craft

Zubr-class LCAC 'Eugeniy Koche... (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Andrey Korchagin

• Top speed: 69.0 mph (60 knots)
• Year entered service: 1988
• Navy(s) serving in: Greece, Ukraine, Russia, China
• Personnel: 31
• Displacement: 415 tons

2. Skjold-class stealth coastal patrol corvette

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

• Top speed: 74.8 mph (65 knots)
• Year entered service: 1999
• Navy(s) serving in: Norway
• Personnel: 14
• Displacement: 300 tons

1. Type 726 landing craft, air-cushioned amphibious vessel

PLAN Type 726 LCAC (CC BY 3.0) by China News Service

• Top speed: 92.1 mph (80 knots)
• Year entered service: 2010
• Navy(s) serving in: China
• Personnel: 5
• Displacement: 150 tons