List of active Royal Australian Navy ships

The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) fleet is made up of 46 commissioned warships and 3 non-commissioned .
The main strength is the eight frigates and three destroyers of the surface combatant force: eight "Anzac" class frigates and three "Hobart" class destroyers. Six "Collins"-class boats make up the submarine service, although due to the maintenance cycle not all submarines are active at any time. The issues have now been fixed and five submarines are available for service. Amphibious warfare assets include two "Canberra"-class landing helicopter dock ships and the landing ship . Thirteen "Armidale"-class patrol boats perform coastal and economic exclusion zone patrols, and four "Huon"-class vessels are used for minehunting and clearance (another two are commissioned but in reserve since October 2011). Replenishment at sea is provided by the and , while the two "Leeuwin"-class and four "Paluma"-class vessels perform survey and charting duties.
In addition to the commissioned warships, the RAN operates the sail training ship "Young Endeavour" and two Cape-class patrol boats. Other auxiliaries and small craft are not operated by the RAN, but by DMS Maritime, who are contracted to provide support services.
The lion's share of the RAN fleet is divided between Fleet Base East (, in Sydney) and Fleet Base West (, near Perth). Mine warfare assets are located at (also in Sydney), while in Cairns and in Darwin host the navy's patrol and survey vessels.
Submarines.
"Collins" class.
Australia operates a single class of diesel-electric submarines, the six "Collins"-class boats which began entering service in 1993. The "Collins" was designed by the Swedish submarine builder Kockums as the Type 471 specifically to meet Australian requirements, many of which were derived from Australia's need for great range without utilizing a nuclear propulsion system. The ships themselves were built in Australia by the Australian Submarine Corporation in Adelaide. The submarines are classified by the RAN as guided missile submarines (SSG), but are often referred to as hunter-killer submarines (SSK) in the international press. While these vessels represented a major increase in capability for the RAN, they have found themselves mired in numerous technical and operational problems. Meanwhile, the RAN has struggled to sufficiently crew their submarine fleet, with at times no more than two qualified crews available. The twelve-boat strong Future Submarine Program (SEA 1000) was initiated to replace the existing six Collins-class boats. The Shortfin Barracuda, the conventional-powered variant of the French Barracuda-class submarine, proposed by French shipbuilder DCNS, was chosen by the Australian government as the design for the new boats.
Amphibious warfare.
"Canberra" class.
The "Canberra" class are landing helicopter dock ships based on the design of . The hull of each ship was built by the designer, Navantia, then was transported to Australia by heavy lift ship for internal fitout and installation of the superstructure by BAE Systems Australia. Designed to transport and land an amphibious force of up to 1,600 soldiers by landing craft and helicopter, the "Canberra"s are the largest ships ever operated by the RAN. Lead ship was commissioned into the RAN in late 2014. The second ship of the class, , was commissioned at the end of 2015.
"Choules".
The Bay-class landing ship dock was acquired by the RAN in 2011. The ship was originally built by Swan Hunter for the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary, and entered British service in 2006 as RFA "Largs Bay". She was made redundant in the 2011 Strategic Defence and Security Review and sold to Australia. "Choules" represents a major increase in sealift capability for the RAN, particularly after mechanical issues in 2010 and 2011 forced the early retirement of the navy's two "Kanimbla"-class vessels, and put in dock for an extensive refit.
Surface combatants.
"Hobart Class".
The Australian Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD) project commenced in 2000, to replace the "Adelaide"-class frigates and restore the capability last exhibited by the "Perth"-class destroyers. The ship was assembled from 31 pre-fabricated modules ('blocks'): 12 for the hull, 9 for the forward superstructure, and 10 for the aft superstructure. The "Hobarts" are built around the Aegis combat system. The first ship HMAS Hobart was ordered on 4 October 2007 and commissioned on 23 September 2017.
"Anzac" class.
There are eight frigates of the "Anzac" class. These were commissioned from 1996 to 2006 as part of a joint program with New Zealand, whose navy operates an additional two examples. Derived from Blohm + Voss' MEKO modular ship family and designated the MEKO 200 ANZ by that company, the ships were built in Australia by Tenix in Williamstown, Victoria. They are designated as helicopter frigates (FFH) by the RAN, and are designed to be capable of both mid-level patrol and blue water operations. In 2010, these vessels began to receive upgrades to their anti-ship missile defence (ASMD) capabilities.
Patrol and defense.
"Armidale" class.
For patrol of Australia's vast coastline, territorial waters, and offshore territories, the RAN operates thirteen "Armidale"-class patrol boats. These replaced the "Fremantle" class from 2005 as the navy's primary asset for border protection, fisheries patrols, and interception of unauthorised arrivals by sea. Based on the "Bay"-class customs vessels, the "Armidale"s are significantly enlarged to allow for better range and seakeeping ability. Originally, twelve boats were to be built by Austal, but the establishment of a dedicated patrol force for the North West Shelf Venture saw another two ordered. The Australian Patrol Boat Group has divided the class into four divisions, with three ships' companies assigned for every two vessels to achieve higher operational availability. was decommissioned in December 2014 after being extensively damaged by an onboard fire. Ongoing problems with the patrol boats, including wear from high operational use and structural issues, prompted the RAN to acquire two Cape-class patrol boats from the Australian Border Force.
"Huon" class.
Mine countermeasures at sea are handled by the "Huon"-class minehunters, which began to enter RAN service from 1999. The class was based on the Italian Navy's "Gaeta"-class minehunter developed by Intermarine. Development was undertaken in partnership between Intermarine and Australian Defence Industries (ADI). The first hull was built in Italy, with fitting out the first and construction of the remaining five vessels of the class done by ADI in Newcastle, replacing the problematic Bay-class minehunters. In addition to the mine warfare role, individual have been deployed on occasion to support patrol and border protection operations. Four vessels operate out of , in Sydney. An additional two ships were placed in reserve in October 2011.
Replenishment.
"Sirius".
HMAS "Sirius" was initially built as a civilian oil tanker, but was purchased by the RAN during construction and converted into a replenishment ship for the west coast. Built by Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in South Korea, she was launched in 2004 and commissioned in 2006; costing half the price and becoming active three years before the RAN's original plan of a purpose-build ship.
"Supply" class.
Two "Supply" class replenishment ships were ordered from Navantia back in 2016 to replace the RAN's ageing replenishment vessels HMAS "Success" and HMAS "Sirius". The ships are designed to provide fuel, food, ammunition, and other stores to RAN vessels operating well beyond friendly ports. The two ships began commissioning in 2021.
Hydrographic survey.
"Leeuwin" class.
Two "Leeuwin"-class survey ships were built for the RAN by NQEA Australia of Cairns. Ordered in 1996, the ships were commissioned in a joint ceremony in 2000. They are capable of charting waters up to deep, and carry three "Fantome"-class survey boats for shallow-water work. In addition to hydrographic surveying duties, since 2001 both vessels have also operated in support of the RAN patrol force.
"Paluma" class.
The "Paluma"-class survey motor launches are large catamarans designed for survey operations around northern and eastern Australia. Four ships were built by Eglo Engineering at Port Adelaide, South Australia between 1988 and 1990. The vessels normally operate in pairs.
Non-commissioned vessels.
"Young Endeavour".
The Sail Training Ship "Young Endeavour" was built as a gift from the United Kingdom to Australia for the latter's 1988 bicentenary of colonisation. Built by British shipbuilder Brooke Marine, the brigantine rig vessel is operated by the RAN, but is used to facilitate the Young Endeavour Youth Scheme; a sail training program for Australian youth aged between 16 and 23. A 10-strong RAN crew is supplemented by 24–30 youth on ten-day voyages, with 500 applicants selected every year through two ballots.
Cape class.
Eight Cape-class patrol boats were built for the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (now the Australian Border Force) by Austal between 2012 and 2015, as replacements for the Bay class. Following the loss of and hull issues with the "Armidale" class requiring an intense remedial maintenance program, two Cape-class patrol boats were leased to the RAN from late 2015 until the end of 2016. In naval service, the two rotating crew groups for each of the two vessel are made up of RAN personnel, the patrol boats operate from , and are identified with the Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) prefix, but retain the blue-and-red customs colour scheme.
2 new boats were ordered on 2017 and the 2 leased were returned to the ABF.