List of flagships

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

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]
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]
Irish Naval Service	LÉ Eithne	Patrol ship		^[7]
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force	JS Izumo	Helicopter 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	File:UMS Aung Zeya(F-11).jpg 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		^[8]
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.	^[9]
Philippine Navy	BRP Gregorio del Pilar	High endurance cutter
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		^[10]
Russian Navy (Ceremonial)	Aurora	Cruiser	In 2013, the Russian Navy recommissioned Aurora and made her the ceremonial flagship of the Russian Navy.	^[11]
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	TCG Anadolu will assume the role as Turkey's flagship upon her commissioning in 2020.
Ukrainian Navy	Hetman Sahaidachniy	Frigate	Scuttled during the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. Final Status TBD
Royal Navy	HMS Queen Elizabeth	Aircraft carrier	HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) took over as the Royal Navy's flagship on Wednesday 27 January 2021.	^[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]
United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration	NOAAS Ronald H. Brown	Research vessel		^[14]
United States Navy (Ceremonial)	USS Constitution	Frigate	USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned ship in the United States Navy and has become the very symbol of the navy, serving as the de facto flagship.
Uruguayan Navy	ROU Uruguay	Frigate
Bolivarian Navy of Venezuela	ARV Mariscal Sucre	Frigate

Former permanent flagships

Fleet	Ship	Class	Notes	References
Royal Australian Navy	HMAS Melbourne	Aircraft carrier		^[15]
Indian Navy	INS Viraat	Aircraft carrier		^[16]
California Naval Militia	Oregon	Battleship
United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration	NOAAS Oceanographer	Research vessel	Prior to serving as flagship of the NOAA fleet, Oeanographer was flagship of the Coast and Geodetic Survey.	^[17]

References

^ "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".
^ "Ageing Naval Service Flaghip LÉ Eithne to Be Replaced By MRV, Opens to Public This Saturday". afloat.ie. Afloat. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
^ "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.
^ "Oceanographer". noaa.gov. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 23, 2019.

[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] "Ageing Naval Service Flaghip LÉ Eithne to Be Replaced By MRV, Opens to Public This Saturday". afloat.ie. Afloat. Retrieved March 23, 2019.

[8] "allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Navy Flagship Leaves Calabar for Military Exercise in Australia". Archived from the original on 2013-08-26.

[9] "Janes | Latest defence and security news". Archived from the original on 2017-09-28.

[10] Gady, Franz-Stefan (April 2, 2018). "Modernization of Russia's Sole Aircraft Carrier Still Facing Delays". The Diplomat. Retrieved March 23, 2019.

[11] ttp://2-news.ru/cgi-sys/suspendedpage.cgi ^{[dead link]}

[12] "HMS Queen Elizabeth assumes role as new Fleet Flagship". Royal Navy. January 27, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.

[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] Hall, Timothy (1982). HMAS Melbourne. North Sydney, NSW: George Allen & Unwin. ISBN 0-86861-284-7. OCLC 9753221.

[16] Mambra, Shamseer (November 17, 2017). "INS Viraat – 'Mother' Air Craft Carrier Of Indian Navy". Marine Insight. Retrieved March 23, 2019.

[17] "Oceanographer". noaa.gov. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 23, 2019.

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Current permanent flagships

Former permanent flagships

See also

References