List of Royal Navy vessels active in 1981

The following vessels were in commission, planned or under construction for Her Majesty's Royal Navy in 1981.

Aircraft Carriers

 * Centaur-class aircraft carrier – HMS Hermes (R12).
 * Invincible-class aircraft carrier – HMS Invincible (R05), HMS Illustrious (R06), & HMS Ark Royal (R07).

Destroyers

 * Type 82 – HMS Bristol (D23).
 * Type 42 – HMS Sheffield (D80), HMS Birmingham (D86), HMS Newcastle (D87), HMS Glasgow (D88), HMS Exeter (D89), HMS Southampton (D90), HMS Liverpool (D92), HMS Cardiff (D108), & HMS Coventry (D118).
 * County-class destroyer – HMS London (D16), HMS Antrim (D18), HMS Glamorgan (D19), HMS Fife (D20) & HMS Norfolk (D21).

Frigates

 * Type 22 – HMS Broadsword (F88), HMS Battleaxe (F89), HMS Brilliant (F90), HMS Brazen (F91), HMS Boxer (F92) & HMS Beaver (F93).
 * Type 21 – HMS Amazon (F169), HMS Antelope (F170), HMS Active (F171), HMS Ambuscade (F172), HMS Arrow (F173), HMS Alacrity (F174), HMS Ardent (F184) & HMS Avenger (F185).
 * Leander-class frigate (Type 12I) –
 * Batch 1 (Ikara Group): HMS Aurora (F10), HMS Euryalus (F15), HMS Galatea (F18), HMS Arethusa (F38), HMS Naiad (F39), HMS Dido (F104), HMS Leander (F109) & HMS Ajax (F114).
 * Batch 2 (Exocet Group): HMS Cleopatra (F28), HMS Sirius (F40), HMS Phoebe (F42), HMS Minerva (F45), HMS Danae (F47), HMS Juno (F52), HMS Argonaut (F56) & HMS Penelope (F127).
 * Batch 3 (Broad-Beamed Group): HMS Achilles (F12), HMS Diomede (F16), HMS Andromeda (F57), HMS Hermione (F58), HMS Jupiter (F60), HMS Bacchante (F69), HMS Apollo (F70), HMS Scylla (F71), HMS Ariadne (F72) & HMS Charybdis (F75).
 * Rothesay-class frigate – HMS Yarmouth (F101), HMS Lowestoft (F103), HMS Brighton (F106), HMS Rothesay (F107), HMS Londonderry (F108), HMS Falmouth (F113), HMS Berwick (F115), HMS Plymouth (F126) & HMS Rhyl (F129).
 * Salisbury-class frigate – HMS Lincoln (F99).
 * Whitby-class frigate – HMS Torquay (F43).

Amphibious Units

 * Fearless-class landing platform dock – HMS Fearless (L10) & HMS Intrepid (L11).
 * Round Table-class landing ship logistics (RFA) – RFAUX Sir Bedivere (L3004), RFAUX Sir Galahad (1966), RFAUX Sir Geraint (L3027), RFAUX Sir Lancelot (L3029), RFAUX Sir Percivale (L3036) & RFAUX Sir Tristram (L3505).
 * Logistic Landing Craft (RCT) – HMAV Ardennes & HMAV Arakan.
 * LCM (9) Type – 14 craft
 * LCM (7) Type – 2 craft
 * Avon-class RPL – Avon, Bude, Clyde, Dart, Eden, Forth, Glen, Hamble, Itchen, Kennet, London & Medway.
 * LCVP –
 * LCVP 1: 9 craft
 * LCVP 2: 8 craft
 * LCVP 3: 9 craft
 * LCP(R) – 3 craft

Mine Warfare Forces

 * HMS Abdiel (N21).
 * Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel – HMS Brecon (M29), HMS Ledbury (M30), HMS Cattistock (M31), HMS Cottesmore (M32), HMS Brocklesby (M33), HMS Middleton (M34), HMS Chiddingfold (M37), HMS Dulverton (M35) & HMS Hurworth (M39).
 * HMS Wilton (M1116).
 * Ton-class minesweeper –
 * Mine Hunters: Bilderston, Brereton, Brinton, Bronington, Bossington, Gavinton, Hubberston, Iverston, Kedleston, Kellington, Kirkliston, Maxton, Nurton & Sheraton.
 * Minesweepers: Alfringston, Bickington, Crichton, Cuxton, Glasserton, Hodgeston, Laleston, Pollington, Shavington, Upton, Walkerton, Wotton, Soberton, Stubbington, Lewiston & Crofton.
 * Venturer-class minesweeper – St. David & Venturer.
 * Ley-class minehunter – Aveley.
 * Ham-class minesweeper – Dittisham, Flintham & Thornham.

Ice Patrol Ship

 * HMS Endurance (1967)

Offshore Patrol Vessels

 * Castle-class - Leeds Castle, Dumbarton Castle
 * Island-class - HMS Anglesey, HMS Alderney, HMS Jersey, HMS Guernsey, HMS Shetland, HMS Orkney, HMS Lindisfarne

Submarine Service

 * Resolution-class submarine – HMS Resolution (S22), HMS Repulse (S23), HMS Renown (S26) & HMS Revenge (S27).
 * Trafalgar-class submarine – HMS Trafalgar (S107), HMS Turbulent (S87) , + 1.
 * Swiftsure-class submarine – HMS Swiftsure (S126), HMS Sovereign (S108), HMS Superb (S109), HMS Sceptre (S104), HMS Spartan (S105) & HMS Splendid (S106).
 * Valiant-class submarine – HMS Valiant (S102) & HMS Warspite (S103).
 * Churchill-class submarine – HMS Churchill (S46), HMS Conqueror (S48) & HMS Courageous (S50).
 * HMS Dreadnought (S101)
 * Oberon-class submarine – HMS Oberon (S09), HMS Odin (S10), HMS Orpheus (S11), HMS Olympus (S12), HMS Osiris (S13), HMS Onslaught (S14), HMS Otter (S15), HMS Oracle (S16), HMS Ocelot (S17), HMS Otus (S18), HMS Opossum (S19), HMS Opportune (S20) & HMS Onyx (S21).
 * Porpoise-class – HMS Porpoise (S01), HMS Sealion (S07) & HMS Walrus (S08).