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Who Rules the Waves? U.S. and Chinese Fleets, by Tonnage
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China’s third aircraft carrier recently began its sea trials, and there are reports that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy already has more ships than the United States, but how do these superpower rivals stack up, ton for ton?
This graphic from Chris Dickert looks at the Chinese and U.S. navies by tonnage using data from the International Institute for Security Studies.
Key Takeaways
- The U.S. Navy has over 3.6 million (U.S.) tons of ships in its fleet, nearly twice the size of China’s combined fleets of just over 2 million tons.
- While China boasts the largest number of ships, 1,015 between both the PLA Navy and the Chinese Coast Guard, against the U.S. Navy’s 364, they are generally smaller and less advanced than their U.S. counterparts.
- The Chinese Coast Guard has received many of the PLA Navy’s older ships, however the vast majority of their ships are patrol and coastal combatants that average 711 tons apiece and aren’t able to sail far from China’s coast.
- Even as the U.S. Navy edges out the PLA Navy across almost every ship type, China does hold a 16:1 edge in tonnage of landing ships and craft, reflecting the Asian superpower’s stated policy goal of reunifying Taiwan with the mainland.
| Branch | Ship Type | Number | Tonnage (U.S. short ton) |
|---|---|---|---|
| China Coast Guard (CCG) | Landing Ships | 2 | 9,600 |
| China Coast Guard (CCG) | Logistics and Support | 27 | 20,990 |
| China Coast Guard (CCG) | Patrol and Coastal Combatants | 545 | 387,371 |
| PLA Navy | Landing Crafts | 78 | 21,407 |
| PLA Navy | Landing Ships | 50 | 164,720 |
| PLA Navy | Principal Amphibious Ships | 11 | 320,000 |
| PLA Navy | Corvettes | 142 | 93,504 |
| PLA Navy | Aircraft Carriers | 2 | 137,500 |
| PLA Navy | Cruisers | 8 | 104,000 |
| PLA Navy | Destroyer | 42 | 304,860 |
| PLA Navy | Frigates | 49 | 189,190 |
| PLA Navy | Strategic Submarine | 12 | 108,000 |
| PLA Navy | Tactical Submarine | 47 | 141,997 |
| U.S. Navy | Amphibious | 3 | 96,050 |
| U.S. Navy | Landing Craft | 141 | 11,692 |
| U.S. Navy | Principal Amphibious Ships | 31 | 843,580 |
| U.S. Navy | Aircraft Carriers | 11 | 1,100,000 |
| U.S. Navy | Cruisers | 15 | 159,390 |
| U.S. Navy | Destroyer | 73 | 619,964 |
| U.S. Navy | Frigates | 24 | 77,600 |
| U.S. Navy | Strategic Submarine | 14 | 262,500 |
| U.S. Navy | Tactical Submarine | 52 | 431,124 |
| 1,379 | 5,605,039 |
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