Editing Encyclopedia:Naming conventions (ships) (section)

===Hull number only, alphanumeric names===
Many types of ship, such as American [[PT boat]]s and German [[U-boat]]s, are officially known only by a hull number. In these cases, it can be best to spell out the ship type (e.g. {{xt|[[German submarine U-238|German submarine ''U-238'']]}}), but be sure the ship type name is correct.  In many cases, the designation is not an abbreviation and may not relate directly to a ship's class or even type.  For example, ''{{xt|[[PT-658]]}}'' can be a redirect to the main article {{xt|[[Motor Torpedo Boat PT-658|Motor Torpedo Boat ''PT-658'']]}}, but {{xt|[[U-238]]}} must be disambiguated, because ''U-238'' also refers to [[Uranium 238]].

Articles about vessels with [[alphanumeric]] names should use the prefix followed by the name, such as {{xt|{{HMS|A1}}}}, {{xt|{{HMS|E11}}}}, {{xt|{{HMS|M1}}}}.