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 ] 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 [14] 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 [15] Indonesian Navy KRI Irian Cruiser 1963-1970 Irish Naval Service LÉ Eithne Patrol ship 1984-2022 [16] 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 Spanish Navy Pelayo Battleship 1888-1914 Spanish Navy España Battleship 1914-1923 Spanish Republican Navy Jaime I Battleship 1933-1937 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 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 . [17] 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 ] ^ "HMAS Canberra (III)" . navy.gov.au . Royal Australian Navy . Retrieved March 23, 2019 . ^ "Canadian World War II destroyer becomes ceremonial flagship" . navaltoday.com . Naval Today. 28 May 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2019 . ^ Crampton, Liz (July 1, 2014). "Crowd of hundreds greets Tampa arrival of tall ship 'Gloria' " . Tampa Bay Times . Retrieved March 23, 2019 . ^ "Everything you need to know about the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier" . ^ " "Handfeste Affäre": Der "Gorch Fock"-Skandal weitet sich aus" . Yacht Online . January 14, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2019 . ^ "Italian vessel to be Iraqi navy's flagship" . ^ "allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Navy Flagship Leaves Calabar for Military Exercise in Australia" . Archived from the original on 2013-08-26. ^ "Janes | Latest defence and security news" . Archived from the original on 2017-09-28. ^ Gady, Franz-Stefan (April 2, 2018). "Modernization of Russia's Sole Aircraft Carrier Still Facing Delays" . The Diplomat . Retrieved March 23, 2019 . ^ http://2-news.ru/cgi-sys/suspendedpage.cgi [dead link ] ^ "HMS Queen Elizabeth assumes role as new Fleet Flagship" . Royal Navy . January 27, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021 . ^ "Tall Ship Eagle" . uscga.edu . United States Coast Guard Academy . Retrieved March 23, 2019 . ^ "Ronald H. Brown" . washington.edu . University of Washington . Retrieved March 23, 2019 . ^ Hall, Timothy (1982). HMAS Melbourne . North Sydney, NSW: George Allen & Unwin. ISBN 0-86861-284-7 . OCLC 9753221 . ^ Mambra, Shamseer (November 17, 2017). "INS Viraat – 'Mother' Air Craft Carrier Of Indian Navy" . Marine Insight . Retrieved March 23, 2019 . ^ "Ageing Naval Service Flaghip LÉ Eithne to Be Replaced By MRV, Opens to Public This Saturday" . afloat.ie . Afloat. Retrieved March 23, 2019 . ^ "Oceanographer" . noaa.gov . National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . Retrieved March 23, 2019 .