The Auxiliary Navy of Euzkadi (and the Basque Maritime Police) was atypical in the Spanish Civil War. However, throughout history there have been many other examples of naval forces that shared some of the primary characteristics of the Auxiliary Navy. These are:
- A temporary naval force, created in wartime and disbanded at the end of the conflict. In some cases, these forces went on to become the official navy of a new state after the war.
- A small force organized with precarious resources, generally comprising armed civilian vessels or refurbished warships, mostly manned by civilian marine personnel.
- Created by a government body not recognized as a state by the international community, whose territorial jurisdiction was not the same as either the country it supported or that it was fighting against.
- Entrusted with the naval defence of what this governmental entity considered to be their territory, its operations generally confined to the coastal or inland waters of the country in conflict.
Over the last 150 years, there have been around fifty examples of this type of "atypical naval force" scattered around the world, of very different political hue. The following is a complete list (when known, the original name is given in brackets):
The full list of auxiliary navies:
- South Carolina Navy, 1860-61-(South Carolina Navy)
- Florida Navy, 1861-(Florida Navy)
- Georgia Navy, 1861-(Georgia Navy)
- Confederate States Navy, 1861-65-(Confederate States Navy)
- Commonwealth of Virginia Navy, 1861-(Commonwealth of Virginia Navy)
- North Carolina Navy, 1861-(North Carolina Navy)
- Louisiana Provisional Navy, 1862-(Louisiana Provisional Navy)
- Cretan Central Committee cruisers, 1866-69
- Fenian ships, 1866-83-(Fenian ships)
- Southern Haitian State Navy, 1868-(Marine de l’Etat Méridional du Sud Haïti)
- North Haitian Republican Navy, 1869-(Marine de la Republique du Nord Haïti)
- Japanese Feudal Navies, 1867-70
- Ezo Republican Navy, 1868-69-(Ezo Kyowakoku Kaigun)
- Cuban Navy, 1869-78 & 1895-98-(Marina de Guerra Mambisa)
- Commune Flotilla, 1871-(Flottille de la Commune)
- Cantonal Fleet, 1873-74-(Flota Cantonal)
- Carlist Navy, 1874-76-(Comandancia General de las Costas de Vizcaya y Guipúzcoa)
- Mahdist Naval Forces, 1885-98
- Navy of the Northern Republic of Haiti, 1888-89-(Marine de la République Septentrionale d’Haïti)
- Philippine Revolutionary Navy, 1898-99-(Marina Revolucionaria Filipina)
- Acre Independent State Navy, 1899-1903-(Marinha do Estado Independente do Acre)
- Don Naval Flotilla, 1918-20
- Ukrainian Navy, 1918-21
- Estonian Navy, 1918-20
- Azerbaijan Navy, 1918-20
- Georgian Navy, 1918-21
- Flotilla of Soviet Latvia, 1919
- Latvian Navy, 1919-20
- Naval Force of Armenia, 1919-20
- Naval Forces of the Czech Legion, 1919
- Navy of the Italian Regency of Carnaro, 1919-20-(Marina de la Reggenza Italiana del Carnaro)
- Red Fleet of Soviet Azerbaijan, 1920
- Naval Forces of the Maritime Republic, 1920-23
- Naval Forces of the Far Eastern Republic, 1920-22
- Navy of the Rif Republic, 1922-26
- River Defence Fleet and Maritime Police of Manzhouguo, 1932-45-(江防舰队 = Jiangfang Jiandui / 江上軍 = Jiang Shangjun & 海上警察隊 = Haishang Jingchadui)
- North China Special Gunboat Corps, 1938-40-(華北特別炮艇隊=Huabei Tebie Paotingdui)
- Naval Patrol Corps, 1939-40-(水巡隊=Shui Xundui)
- Higher Naval Inspection Corps, 1939-40-(水上巡查隊=Shuishang Xunchadui)
- Republic of China Navy (Nanjing), 1940-45-(中華民國海軍=Zhonghua Minguo Haijun)
- Free French Naval Forces 1940-43-(Forces Navales Françaises Libres)
- Croatian Navy & Croatian Naval Legion, 1941-45-(Hrvatska Pomorska Legija & Hrvatska Ratna Mornarica)
- Yugoslavian People's Liberation Navy, 1942-45-(Mornarica Narodnooslobodilačke Vojske Jugoslavije)
- National Popular Liberation Navy, 1943-45-(Εθνικό Λαϊκό Απελευθερωτικό Ναυτικό = Ellinikós Laïkós Apeleftherotikós Naftikós = ELAN)
- Sea Companies, 1943-48-(פלוגת הים = Plugat HaYam o פלי"ם = Palyam)
- Sea Forces of the Indonesian Republic, 1945-49-(Badan Keamanan Rakyat-Laut=BKR-Laut/Tentara Keamanan Rakyat-Laut=TKR-Laut/Tentara Laut Republik Indonesia=TLRI or Angkatan Laut Republik Indonesia=ALRI)
- Naval Forces of the Republic of South Moluccas, 1950
- People’s Revolutionary Navy, 1963-74-(Marinha Nacional Popular)
- Biafra Navy, 1967-70-(Biafra Navy)
- Bangladesh Naval Forces, 1971-72
- East Timor Navy, 1975-(Marinha de Timor-Leste)
- Naval Force of the Sahrawi People’s Liberation Army, 1977-91
- Navy of the Lebanese Forces, 1978-91
- Naval Forces of the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front, 1988-93
- Naval Forces of the Somali National Movement, 1989-91
- Sea Tigers of Tamil Eelam, 1990-2009-(கடற்புலிகள்)
- Abkhazian Navy, 1992-2008-(Военно-морской флот Абхазии)
- Somaliland Navy, 1993-(Ciidanka Bada ee Somaliland)
- Puntland Maritime Police Forces, 2009-(Puntland Maritime Police Force)