With a $916 billion defense budget, more than the next nine highest spending countries combined, the United States is the world’s preeminent military power — and the U.S. Navy is an indispensable pillar of America’s military strength and capability.
The maritime branch of the armed forces, the U.S. Navy has a fleet of hundreds of vessels — including destroyers, cruisers, patrol boats, nuclear powered submarines, and aircraft carriers. One of the branch’s primary functions is to act as a deterrent against aggression from foreign adversaries. Should conflict break out, the U.S. Navy helps to sustain land-based combat operations by delivering food, equipment, fuel, and firepower. Even in peacetime, the U.S. Navy serves as a guarantor of global trade and commerce — 90% of which is transported by ship.
In service of its objectives, the U.S. Navy maintains a forward global presence, with approximately one-third of its fleet deployed around the world at any given time, and bases spanning four continents. Strategic placement of key naval vessels and outposts allows the United States to position itself virtually anywhere in the world on short notice, as American warships can cover thousands of miles in only days.
The navy’s sweeping global footprint is also necessitated by the logistical challenges posed by maritime travel. While certain bombers and fighter jets in the U.S. Air Force fleet can cover hundreds of miles in a single hour — and even exceed the speed of sound in some cases — the size of naval vessels, and the drag force created by water, create meaningful speed limitations for surface ships and submarines. While no U.S. Navy vessel can compete with the speed of military aircraft, or even most ground-based military vehicles, some ships are considerably faster than others.
Using data from the U.S. Navy, 24/7 Wall St. identified the 10 fastest American naval ships. We reviewed publicly available data on dozens of naval vessels and ranked them on their reported speed, converted to miles per hour. It is important to note that the U.S. Navy does not publish speed data for every type of vessel in its fleet, and only vessels with available data were included in this analysis. In the case of a tie, the larger vessel, as measured in displacement tons, ranks higher. All supplemental data, including armaments, crew size, vessel dimensions, displacement, and number of each vessel in the naval fleet are also as reported by the U.S. Navy.
Each of the 10 vessels on this list is a type of surface watercraft, including amphibious transporters, cruisers, destroyers, and smaller patrol boats and inflatable craft. Among them, reported speeds range from about 25 mph to 46 mph.
While the reported speeds of these vessels are not fast enough to keep up with cars on the U.S. Interstate Highway System, they are comparable to many recreational speed boats — an impressive feat given their size and weight. Most ships on this list are longer than a football field, and some can even transport helicopters or amphibious assault vehicles. Additionally, most of these vessels are so large and heavy that they displace thousands of tons of water.
The weaponry these boats and ships are equipped with includes machine guns of varying sizes and calibers, grenade launchers, vertical launch anti-submarine missiles, torpedoes, and Tomahawk cruise missiles. While some of the smaller boats on this list have a crew of fewer than 10, others have crews numbering in the hundreds.
These are the 10 fastest ships in the U.S. Navy.
Why It Matters
According to the Pentagon’s Fiscal 2026 budget request, the U.S. Navy is set to receive nearly $125 billion for weapons procurement and research and development in the coming year — or about 32% of all Defense Department weapons spending. The DOD’s planned investment in the navy is a direct reflection of the branch’s importance. With bases spanning four continents and ships deployed around the world, the U.S. Navy’s sweeping global footprint allows American military vessels to respond quickly to crises virtually anywhere in the world, despite the speed limitations inherent in maritime transportation.
10. San Antonio Class Amphibious Transport Dock
- Reported speed capability: 24.2 miles per hour
- Inventory in U.S. Navy fleet: 13 vessels
- Vessel size: 684 feet long, 105 feet wide
- Displacement: 27,888 tons
- Crew size: 386 people
- Armaments: 2 Mk 46 30mm guns, 2 Rolling Airframe Missile launchers, 10 .50 caliber machine guns
- Vehicles or aircraft on ship: 2 CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters, or 2 MV-22 Osprey tilt rotor aircraft, or up to 4 AH-1Z or UH-1Y or MH-60 helicopters; 14 Amphibious Assault Vehicles
- Primary contractor(s): HII
9. Blue Ridge Class Amphibious Command Ship
- Reported speed capability: 26.5 miles per hour
- Inventory in U.S. Navy fleet: 2 vessels
- Vessel size: 634 feet long, 108 feet wide
- Displacement: 18,874 tons
- Crew size: 597 people
- Armaments: 2 Phalanx CIWS, 2 25mm Mk38 guns
- Vehicles or aircraft on ship: N/A
- Primary contractor(s): Newport News Shipbuilding, Drydock Co., Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
8. Ticonderoga Class Cruiser
- Reported speed capability: 34.5 miles per hour
- Inventory in U.S. Navy fleet: 10 vessels
- Vessel size: 567 feet long, 55 feet wide
- Displacement: 10,752 tons
- Crew size: 330 people
- Armaments: MK41 vertical launching system Standard Missile (MR); Vertical Launch ASROC (VLA) Missile; Tomahawk Cruise Missiles; 6 MK 46 torpedoes (from two triple mounts); 2 MK 45 5-inch/54 caliber guns; 2 Phalanx close-in-weapons systems
- Vehicles or aircraft on ship: 2 SH-60 Sea Hawk aircraft
- Primary contractor(s): HII, Bath Iron Works
7. Arleigh Burke Class DDG 51 Destroyer
- Reported speed capability: 34.5 miles per hour
- Inventory in U.S. Navy fleet: 73 vessels
- Vessel size: 509.5 feet long, 59 feet wide
- Displacement: 10,864 tons
- Crew size: 359 people
- Armaments: Vertical Launch ASROC (VLA) missiles; Tomahawk Cruise Missiles; 6 MK-46 torpedoes (from two triple tube mounts); Close In Weapon System (CIWS); 5-in. MK 45 Gun; Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM)
- Vehicles or aircraft on ship: Two LAMPS MK III MH-60 R helicopters
- Primary contractor(s): General Dynamics, Bath Iron Works, HII
6. Zumwalt Class DDG 1000 Destroyer
- Reported speed capability: 34.5 miles per hour
- Inventory in U.S. Navy fleet: 3 vessels
- Vessel size: 610 feet long, 80.7 feet wide
- Displacement: 17,631 tons
- Crew size: 197 people
- Armaments: 80 advanced Peripheral Vertical Launch (PVLS) cells for Tomahawk, Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM), Standard Missiles, and Vertical Launch Anti-Submarine Rockets (ASROC) (VLA); Two 30mm Close-in Guns Systems (CIGS)
- Vehicles or aircraft on ship: One MH-60R aircraft
- Primary contractor(s): General Dynamics, Bath Iron Works
5. Naval Special Warfare Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB)
- Reported speed capability: 39.8 miles per hour
- Inventory in U.S. Navy fleet: N/A
- Vessel size: 36.1 feet long, 10.5 feet wide
- Displacement: 9 tons
- Crew size: 3 people
- Armaments: M60 7.62mm machine gun, MK19 40mm, M2 .50 cal. guns
- Vehicles or aircraft on ship: N/A
- Primary contractor(s): N/A
4. Mark VI Patrol Boat
- Reported speed capability: 40.3 miles per hour
- Inventory in U.S. Navy fleet: 12 vessels
- Vessel size: 84.8 feet long, 20.5 feet wide
- Displacement: 85 tons
- Crew size: 5 people
- Armaments: 4 MK 50 .50 cal Gun Weapon Systems; 2 MK 38 Mod 2 25mm Gun Weapon Systems; MK 44 Machine Gun System; Multiple Crew Served Weapon & Long Range Acoustic Hailing Device
- Vehicles or aircraft on ship: N/A
- Primary contractor(s): N/A
3. Riverine Command Boat
- Reported speed capability: 46 miles per hour
- Inventory in U.S. Navy fleet: N/A
- Vessel size: 53 feet long, 12 feet wide
- Displacement: N/A
- Crew size: N/A
- Armaments: 4 mounts for M2 .50 caliber guns, 7.62mm M240B, Mk19 40mm machine guns, or Mk 44 GAU-17 7.62mm guns
- Vehicles or aircraft on ship: N/A
- Primary contractor(s): N/A
2. Air Cushion Landing Craft
- Reported speed capability: 46 miles per hour
- Inventory in U.S. Navy fleet: 91 vessels
- Vessel size: 91.9 feet long, 48.2 feet wide
- Displacement: 195 tons
- Crew size: 5 people
- Armaments: 2 gun mounts compatible with: M2HB .50 Cal machine gun; M240 7.62 mm machine guns and MK-19 MOD3 40 mm grenade launchers
- Vehicles or aircraft on ship: N/A
- Primary contractor(s): Textron
1. Freedom Variant Littoral Combat Ship
- Reported speed capability: 46 miles per hour
- Inventory in U.S. Navy fleet: 10 vessels
- Vessel size: 387.6 feet long, 57.7 feet wide
- Displacement: 3,803 tons
- Crew size: N/A
- Armaments: N/A
- Vehicles or aircraft on ship: N/A
- Primary contractor(s): Lockheed Martin
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