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]
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 Miguel Malvar	Frigate	Commissioned on May 20 2025 and built by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan South Korea, the BRP Miguel Malvar is the Philippine Navy's newest frigate and the most capable in its fleet. She is the successor of the Navy's previous frigate, BRP Jose Rizal. Despite outweighing the Jose Rizal-class frigate by 600 tons, the Miguel Malvar-class was previously designated as corvettes.
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 officially as America's 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

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	LÉ 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
Latvian Naval Forces	LVNS Virsaitis	Minesweeper	1919-1940
Lithuanian Navy	LNS Prezidentas Smetona	Minesweeper	1927-1940
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

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".
^ "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
^ 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.
^ https://www.navylookout.com/hms-prince-of-wales-becomes-the-royal-navys-flagship/#:~:text=HMS%20Prince%20of%20Wales%20arrived,inclement%20weather%20forecast%20for%20today.
^ "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.
^ [1]. navy.mil]
^ 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.

[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] ttp://2-news.ru/cgi-sys/suspendedpage.cgi

[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] ttps://www.navylookout.com/hms-prince-of-wales-becomes-the-royal-navys-flagship/#:~:text=HMS%20Prince%20of%20Wales%20arrived,inclement%20weather%20forecast%20for%20today.

[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] [1]. navy.mil]

[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.

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Current permanent flagships

Former permanent flagships

See also

References