Warships for Export 1880-1939

These lists were compiled as part of an analysis of naval shipbuilding trends, and the international naval arms trade. They list warships laid down for foreign customers in peace time during the period from 1 January 1880 to the outbreak of WW2.

The list is limited to those ships that were either laid down specifically for a foreign country or (in a very few cases) private venture vessels that were purchased by a foreign country while still under construction.

Warships laid down in the United Kingdom for other members of the British Empire/Commonwealth are not included. Nor are warships originally laid down for the country in which they were built, but subsequently sold to foreign countries after completion.

Unfortunately these lists are not complete – some of the information required is very difficult to obtain – in some cases even shipbuilders records of the relevant dates have not survived. Furthermore, secondary sources often conflict with respect to details, and although every effort has been taken to try and get the most reliable information available, the inevitability of errors cannot be avoided.

Note that population of the tables is known to be incomplete for vessels under 100t displacement. They were originally excluded from consideration, and while they are now being added progressively, a systematic search for candidate vessels has not yet been completed.

Any additional information which might either correct inaccuracies in this list, or else fill in some of the gaps, would be most welcome.