Jump to content

List of flagships

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In its strictest sense, a flagship is any naval vessel on which a flag officer is embarked. Some navies have permanent flagships, a designation which may be either functional (ships specifically intended for use by a fleet commander) or ceremonial (a fleet's most prestigious vessel due to its age, size, or some special characteristic).

Current permanent flagships

[edit]
Fleet Ship Class Notes References

Algerian National Navy

Kalaat Béni Abbès
Amphibious assault ship

Argentine Navy

ARA Libertad
Barque

Royal Australian Navy

HMAS Canberra
Landing helicopter dock Canberra was designated flagship of the Royal Australian Navy in March 2015. [1]

Royal Bahamas Defence Force

HMBS Bahamas
Patrol ship

Royal Bahrain Naval Force

RBNS Sabha
Frigate

Bangladesh Navy

BNS Bangabandhu
Frigate

Belgian Naval Component

Leopold I
Frigate

Brazilian Navy

Atlântico
Amphibious assault ship

Royal Brunei Navy

KDB Darussalam
Patrol ship

Royal Canadian Navy (Ceremonial)

HMCS Haida
Destroyer Haida is a WW II era Tribal Class Destroyer. She was designated flagship of the Royal Canadian Navy in May 2018. She is not an operational ship. [2]

Canadian Coast Guard

CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent
Icebreaker

Chilean Navy

Almirante Williams
Frigate

People's Liberation Army Navy

Liaoning
Aircraft carrier

Republic of China Navy

ROCS Panshih
Fast combat support ship

Colombian Navy

ARC Gloria
Barque [3]

Royal Danish Navy

HDMS Absalon
Frigate

Dominican Navy

Almirante Didiez Burgos
Patrol ship

Ecuadorian Navy

BAE Guayas
Barque

Egyptian Navy


ENS Gamal Abdel Nasser
Amphibious assault ship

Estonian Navy

EML Admiral Cowan
Minehunter

Finnish Navy

Hämeenmaa
Minelayer

French Navy

Charles de Gaulle
Aircraft carrier [4]

German Navy

Gorch Fock
Barque [5]

Ghana Navy

GNS Achimota
Fast attack craft

Hellenic Navy (Ceremonial)

HS Georgios Averof
Cruiser Georgios Averof is a ceremonial ship in service as the flagship of the Hellenic Navy.

Guyana Coast Guard

GDFS Essequibo
Minesweeper

Icelandic Coast Guard

ICGV Þór
Patrol ship

Indian Navy

INS Vikramaditya
Aircraft carrier

Indonesian Navy

KRI Banda Aceh
Landing platform dock

Italian Navy

Cavour
Aircraft carrier

Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

IRIS Jamaran
Frigate

Iraqi Navy

Fateh
Patrol ship [6]

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force

JS Izumo
Aircraft carrier

Latvian Naval Forces

Virsaitis
Minelayer

Libyan Navy

Al Hani
Frigate Al Hani was captured by Libyan rebels in 2011 following the death of Muammar Gaddafi and assumed the role as Libya's new flagship.

Lithuanian Naval Force

Jotvingis
Minelayer

Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta

P61
Patrol ship

Montenegrin Navy

Jadran
Barque

Royal Moroccan Navy

Mohammed VI
Frigate

Myanmar Navy

UNS Aung Zeya
Frigate

Royal Netherlands Navy

HNLMS Karel Doorman
Multi-role support ship

Royal New Zealand Navy

HMNZS Aotearoa
Replenishment ship

Nigerian Navy

NNS Thunder
High endurance cutter [7]

Royal Norwegian Navy

HNoMS Maud
Replenishment ship

Royal Navy of Oman

RNOV Shabab Oman
Barquentine

Paraguayan Navy

ARP Humaitá
Gunboat ARP Humaitá has remained the Paraguayan flagship since her commissioning in 1931.

Peruvian Navy

BAP Almirante Grau
Frigate The frigate BAP Montero was rechristened Almirante Grau following the decommissioning of the cruiser BAP Almirante Grau in 2017. Under Peruvian law, there must always be a ship named for Admiral Miguel Grau Seminario active in the Peruvian Navy, and it must assume the role as the flagship. [8]

Philippine Navy

BRP Jose Rizal
Frigate

Philippine Coast Guard

BRP Teresa Magbanua
Patrol ship

Polish Navy (Ceremonial)

ORP Błyskawica
Destroyer Błyskawica is Poland's ceremonial flagship, with an active duty crew, but no longer has functioning boilers.

Portuguese Navy

NRP Sagres
Barque

Romanian Naval Forces

Regele Ferdinand
Frigate

Russian Navy

Admiral Kuznetsov
Aircraft carrier [9]

Russian Navy (Ceremonial)

Aurora
Cruiser In 2013, the Russian Navy recommissioned Aurora and made her the ceremonial flagship of the Russian Navy. [10]

Serbian River Flotilla

Kozara
Command ship

South African Navy

SAS Amatola
Frigate

Republic of Korea Navy

ROKS Dokdo
Amphibious assault ship

Spanish Navy

Juan Carlos I
Amphibious assault ship Juan Carlos I assumed the role as Spain's flagship following the decommissioning of the Príncipe de Asturias in 2013.

Sri Lankan Navy

SLNS Sayurala
Patrol ship

Swedish Royal Navy

HSwMS Carlskrona
Patrol ship
,
Royal Thai Navy

HTMS Chakri Naruebet
Aircraft carrier

Tongan Maritime Force

Ngahau Koula
Patrol ship

Turkish Naval Forces

TCG Anadolu
Amphibious assault ship She is a drone-carrying amphibious assault ship. [11]

Royal Navy

HMS Prince of Wales
Aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales took over as the Royal Navy's flagship on Wednesday 2 December 2024. Flagship title will rotate between her and HMS Queen Elizabeth every few years. [12]

Royal Navy (Ceremonial)

HMS Victory
Ship of the line HMS Victory is the oldest commissioned warship in the world, and although no longer sails, remains the flagship of the First Sea Lord.

United States Coast Guard

USCGC Eagle
Barque Eagle is one of only two commissioned sailing vessels in the United States armed forces, the other being the U.S. Navy's USS Constitution. [13]

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (United States)

NOAAS Ronald H. Brown
Research vessel in NOAA fleet. [14]

United States Navy (Ceremonial)
USS Constitution
Sailing Frigate Commissioned in 1797, oldest active warship in the US Navy and afloat in the world. Designated as the official Ship of State under the National Defense Authorization Act of 2009.[15]

National Navy of Uruguay

ROU General Artigas
Replenishment ship

Bolivarian Navy of Venezuela

ARV Mariscal Sucre
Frigate

Former permanent flagships

[edit]
Fleet Ship Class Notes References

Argentine Navy

ARA Rivadavia
Battleship 1914-1952

Argentine Navy

ARA Independencia
Aircraft carrier 1958-1969

Argentine Navy

ARA Veinticinco de Mayo
Aircraft carrier 1969-1997

Royal Australian Navy

HMAS Australia
Battlecruiser 1913-1921

Royal Australian Navy

HMAS Sydney
Aircraft carrier 1948-1955

Royal Australian Navy

HMAS Melbourne
Aircraft carrier 1955-1982 [16]

Belgian Navy

Lieutenant ter zee Victor Billet
Frigate 1947-1958

Brazilian Navy

Riachuelo
Battleship 1889-1910

Brazilian Navy

Minas Geraes
Battleship 1910-1951

Brazilian Navy

Almirante Tamandaré
Cruiser 1951-1976

Brazilian Navy

Minas Gerais
Aircraft carrier 1976-2001

Brazilian Navy

São Paulo
Aircraft carrier 2001-2017

Royal Canadian Navy

HMCS Uganda
Cruiser 1944-1946

Royal Canadian Navy

HMCS Warrior
Aircraft carrier 1946-1948

Royal Canadian Navy

HMCS Magnificent
Aircraft carrier 1948-1957

Royal Canadian Navy

HMCS Bonaventure
Aircraft carrier 1957-1970

Royal Canadian Navy

HMCS Iroquois
Destroyer 1972-2015

Royal Canadian Navy

HMCS Athabaskan
Destroyer 2015-2017

Chilean Navy

Capitán Prat
Battleship 1893-1920

Chilean Navy

Almirante Latorre
Battleship 1920-1958

Chilean Navy

O'Higgins
Cruiser 1958-1992

Chilean Navy

Blanco Encalada
Destroyer 1992-2003

Imperial Chinese Navy

Dingyuan
Battleship 1885-1895, sunk in action

Republic of China Navy

CNS Ning Hai
Cruiser 1932-1937, sunk in action

Republic of China Navy

CNS Chung King
Cruiser 1948-1949, sunk in action

Dominican Navy

Presidente Trujillo / Mella
Frigate 1946-1998

Royal Danish Navy

HDMS Niels Juel
Coastal defense ship 1923-1943, sunk in action

Ethiopian Navy

Ethiopia
Frigate 1962-1991

Estonian Navy
(Ceremonial)

EML Lembit
Submarine 1994-2011

Estonian Navy

EML Admiral Pitka
Frigate 2000-2013

Finnish Navy

Väinämöinen
Coastal defense ship 1932-1947

French Navy

Béarn
Aircraft carrier 1940-1943

French Navy

Richelieu
Battleship 1943-1946

French Navy

Arromanches
Aircraft carrier 1946-1961

French Navy

Clemenceau
Aircraft carrier 1961-1997

French Navy

Foch
Aircraft carrier 1997-2000

Royal Hellenic Navy

HS Elli
Cruiser 1951-1965

Indian Navy

INS Delhi
Cruiser 1948-1961

Indian Navy

INS Vikrant
Aircraft carrier 1961-1987

Indian Navy

INS Viraat
Aircraft carrier 1987-2013 [17]

Indonesian Navy

KRI Irian
Cruiser 1963-1970

Irish Naval Service

Eithne
Patrol ship 1984-2022 [18]

Italian Navy

Giuseppe Garibaldi
Cruiser 1961-1969

Italian Navy

Vittorio Veneto
Cruiser 1969-1985

Italian Navy

Giuseppe Garibaldi
Aircraft carrier 1985-2008

Imperial Japanese Navy

Mikasa
Battleship 1904-1905

Imperial Japanese Navy

Yamato
Battleship 1942-1943, 1944-1945, sunk in action

Imperial Japanese Navy

Musashi
Battleship 1943-1944, sunk in action

Royal Netherlands Navy

HNLMS Karel Doorman
Aircraft carrier 1948-1968

Royal Norwegian Navy

HNoMS Norge
Coastal defense ship 1900-1940, sunk in action

Royal Norwegian Navy

HNoMS Stord
Destroyer 1943-1959

Pakistan Navy

PNS Babur
Cruiser 1956-1985

Peruvian Navy

BAP Almirante Grau
Cruiser 1906-1958

Peruvian Navy

BAP Almirante Grau
Cruiser 1959-1973

Peruvian Navy

BAP Almirante Grau
Cruiser 1973-2017

Portuguese Navy

NRP Vasco da Gama
Cruiser 1876-1935

Romanian Naval Forces

ROS Mărășești
Destroyer 1985-2001. Still in active service.

Spanish Navy

Pelayo
Battleship 1888-1914

Spanish Navy

España
Battleship 1914-1923

Spanish Republican Navy

Jaime I
Battleship 1933-1937, sunk in action

Spanish Navy

Canarias
Cruiser 1939-1967

Spanish Navy

Dédalo
Aircraft carrier 1967-1989

Spanish Navy

Príncipe de Asturias
Aircraft carrier 1989-2013

Swedish Royal Navy

HSwMS Gustav V
Coastal defense ship 1939-1945, 1947-1957

Turkish Naval Forces

TCG Yavuz
Battlecruiser 1914-1950

Ukrainian Navy

Hetman Sahaidachniy
Frigate 1993-2022. Scuttled during the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. Final Status TBD

Royal Navy

HMS Iron Duke
Battleship 1914-1917

Royal Navy

HMS Queen Elizabeth
Battleship 1917-1919

Royal Navy

HMS Hermes
Aircraft carrier 1982

Royal Navy

HMS Invincible
Aircraft carrier 1993-2005

Royal Navy

HMS Ark Royal
Aircraft carrier 2005-2007, 2009-2010

Royal Navy

HMS Illustrious
Aircraft carrier 2007-2009

Royal Navy

HMS Albion
Amphibious transport dock 2010-2011, 2018-2021

Royal Navy

HMS Bulwark
Amphibious transport dock 2011-2015

Royal Navy

HMS Ocean
Amphibious assault ship 2015-2018

Royal Navy

HMS Queen Elizabeth
Aircraft carrier 2021-2024 Will rotate out as flagship with HMS Prince of Wales every few years.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (United States)

NOAAS Oceanographer
Research vessel Prior to serving as flagship of the NOAA fleet, Oeanographer was flagship of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. [19]

Uruguayan Navy

ROU Uruguay
Frigate 2008-2022

Royal Yugoslav Navy

KB Dubrovnik
Destroyer leader 1932-1941, captured in action

Yugoslav Navy

JRM Split
Destroyer leader 1958-1980

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "HMAS Canberra (III)". navy.gov.au. Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  2. ^ "Canadian World War II destroyer becomes ceremonial flagship". navaltoday.com. Naval Today. 28 May 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  3. ^ Crampton, Liz (July 1, 2014). "Crowd of hundreds greets Tampa arrival of tall ship 'Gloria'". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  4. ^ "Everything you need to know about the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier".
  5. ^ ""Handfeste Affäre": Der "Gorch Fock"-Skandal weitet sich aus". Yacht Online. January 14, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  6. ^ "Italian vessel to be Iraqi navy's flagship".
  7. ^ "allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Navy Flagship Leaves Calabar for Military Exercise in Australia". Archived from the original on 2013-08-26.
  8. ^ "Janes | Latest defence and security news". Archived from the original on 2017-09-28.
  9. ^ Gady, Franz-Stefan (April 2, 2018). "Modernization of Russia's Sole Aircraft Carrier Still Facing Delays". The Diplomat. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  10. ^ http://2-news.ru/cgi-sys/suspendedpage.cgi [dead link]
  11. ^ Trevithick, Joseph (2024-11-19). "TB3 Operates From Turkey's 'Drone Carrier' Amphibious Assault Ship For The First Time". The War Zone. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  12. ^ https://www.navylookout.com/hms-prince-of-wales-becomes-the-royal-navys-flagship/#:~:text=HMS Prince of Wales arrived,inclement weather forecast for today.
  13. ^ "Tall Ship Eagle". uscga.edu. United States Coast Guard Academy. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  14. ^ "Ronald H. Brown". washington.edu. University of Washington. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  15. ^ https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Blogs/Detail/Article/2268206/uss-constitution-marks-10-years-as-americas-ship-of-state/#:~:text=On Oct. 28, 2009, Congress passed the,USS Constitution as America's Ship of State.
  16. ^ Hall, Timothy (1982). HMAS Melbourne. North Sydney, NSW: George Allen & Unwin. ISBN 0-86861-284-7. OCLC 9753221.
  17. ^ Mambra, Shamseer (November 17, 2017). "INS Viraat – 'Mother' Air Craft Carrier Of Indian Navy". Marine Insight. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  18. ^ "Ageing Naval Service Flaghip LÉ Eithne to Be Replaced By MRV, Opens to Public This Saturday". afloat.ie. Afloat. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  19. ^ "Oceanographer". noaa.gov. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 23, 2019.