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

FleetShipClassNotesReferences

Algerian National Navy
Kalaat Béni Abbès		Amphibious assault ship

Argentine Navy
ARA Libertad		Barque

Royal Australian Navy
HMAS Canberra		Landing helicopter dockCanberra was designated flagship of the Royal Australian Navy in March 2015.

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		DestroyerHaida 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.

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

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

German Navy
Gorch Fock		Barque

Ghana Navy
GNS Achimota		Fast attack craft

Hellenic Navy (Ceremonial)
HS Georgios Averof		CruiserGeorgios 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 Raden Eddy Martadinata		Frigate

Italian Navy
Cavour		Aircraft carrier

Iraqi Navy
Fateh		Patrol ship

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
JS Izumo		Aircraft carrier

Kazakh Naval Forces
Kazakhstan		Missile boat

Latvian Naval Forces
Virsaitis		Minelayer

Libyan Navy
Al Hani		FrigateAl 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

Mexican Navy
ARM Benito Juárez		Frigate

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

Royal Norwegian Navy
HNoMS Maud		Replenishment ship

Royal Navy of Oman
RNOV Shabab Oman		Barquentine

Pakistan Navy
PNS Moawin		Replenishment ship

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

Peruvian Navy
BAP Almirante Grau		FrigateThe 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.

Philippine Navy
BRP Miguel Malvar		FrigateCommissioned 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		DestroyerBłyskawica is Poland's ceremonial flagship, with an active duty crew, but no longer has functioning boilers.

Portuguese Navy
NRP Sagres

(Cerimonial)

 Barque

Romanian Naval Forces
Regele Ferdinand		Frigate

Russian Navy
Admiral Kuznetsov		Aircraft carrier

Russian Navy (Ceremonial)
Aurora		CruiserIn 2013, the Russian Navy recommissioned Aurora and made her the ceremonial flagship of the Russian Navy.

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 shipJuan 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 shipShe is a drone-carrying amphibious assault ship.

Ukrainian Navy
Hetman Ivan Mazepa		CorvetteOnce completed, will assume role as flagship.

Royal Navy
HMS Prince of Wales		Aircraft carrierHMS 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.

Royal Navy (Ceremonial)
HMS Victory		Ship of the lineHMS 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		BarqueEagle is one of only two commissioned sailing vessels in the United States armed forces, the other being the U.S. Navy's USS Constitution.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (United States)
NOAAS Ronald H. Brown		Research vessel in NOAA fleet.

United States Navy (Ceremonial)
USS Constitution		Sailing FrigateCommissioned 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.

National Navy of Uruguay
ROU General Artigas		Replenishment ship

Bolivarian Navy of Venezuela
ARV Mariscal Sucre		Frigate

Former permanent flagships

FleetShipClassNotesReferences

Argentine Navy
ARA Rivadavia		Battleship1914-1952

Argentine Navy
ARA Independencia		Aircraft carrier1958-1969

Argentine Navy
ARA Veinticinco de Mayo		Aircraft carrier1969-1997

Royal Australian Navy
HMAS Australia		Battlecruiser1913-1921

Royal Australian Navy
HMAS Sydney		Aircraft carrier1948-1955

Royal Australian Navy
HMAS Melbourne		Aircraft carrier1955-1982

Belgian Navy
Lieutenant ter zee Victor Billet		Frigate1947-1958

Brazilian Navy
Riachuelo		Battleship1889-1910

Brazilian Navy
Minas Geraes		Battleship1910-1951

Brazilian Navy
Almirante Tamandaré		Cruiser1951-1976

Brazilian Navy
Minas Gerais		Aircraft carrier1976-2001

Brazilian Navy
São Paulo		Aircraft carrier2001-2017

Royal Canadian Navy
HMCS Uganda		Cruiser1944-1946

Royal Canadian Navy
HMCS Warrior		Aircraft carrier1946-1948

Royal Canadian Navy
HMCS Magnificent		Aircraft carrier1948-1957

Royal Canadian Navy
HMCS Bonaventure		Aircraft carrier1957-1970

Royal Canadian Navy
HMCS Iroquois		Destroyer1972-2015

Royal Canadian Navy
HMCS Athabaskan		Destroyer2015-2017

Chilean Navy
Capitán Prat		Battleship1893-1920

Chilean Navy
Almirante Latorre		Battleship1920-1958

Chilean Navy
O'Higgins		Cruiser1958-1992

Chilean Navy
Blanco Encalada		Destroyer1992-2003

Imperial Chinese Navy
Dingyuan		Battleship1885-1895, sunk in action

Republic of China Navy
CNS Ning Hai		Cruiser1932-1937, sunk in action

Republic of China Navy
CNS Chung King		Cruiser1948-1949, sunk in action

Dominican Navy
Presidente Trujillo / Mella		Frigate1946-1998

Royal Danish Navy
HDMS Niels Juel		Coastal defense ship1923-1943, sunk in action

Ethiopian Navy

Ethiopia		Frigate1962-1991

Estonian Navy
(Ceremonial)
EML Lembit		Submarine1994-2011

Estonian Navy

EML Admiral Pitka		Frigate2000-2013

Finnish Navy
Väinämöinen		Coastal defense ship1932-1947

French Navy
Béarn		Aircraft carrier1940-1943

French Navy
Richelieu		Battleship1943-1946

French Navy
Arromanches		Aircraft carrier1946-1961

French Navy
Clemenceau		Aircraft carrier1961-1997

French Navy
Foch		Aircraft carrier1997-2000

Royal Hellenic Navy
HS Elli		Cruiser1951-1965

Indian Navy
INS Delhi		Cruiser1948-1961

Indian Navy
INS Vikrant		Aircraft carrier1961-1987

Indian Navy
INS Viraat		Aircraft carrier1987-2013

Indonesian Navy
KRI Gadjah Mada		Destroyer1951-1961

Indonesian Navy
KRI Irian		Cruiser1963-1970

Irish Naval Service
LÉ Eithne		Patrol ship1984-2022

Italian Navy
Giuseppe Garibaldi		Cruiser1961-1969

Italian Navy
Vittorio Veneto		Cruiser1969-1985

Italian Navy
Giuseppe Garibaldi		Aircraft carrier1985-2008

Imperial Japanese Navy
Mikasa		Battleship1904-1905

Imperial Japanese Navy
Yamato		Battleship1942-1943, 1944-1945, sunk in action

Imperial Japanese Navy
Musashi		Battleship1943-1944, sunk in action

Latvian Naval Forces
LVNS Virsaitis		Minesweeper1919-1940

Lithuanian Navy
LNS Prezidentas Smetona		Minesweeper1927-1940

Royal Malaysian Navy
KD Hang Tuah		Frigate1963-1977

Royal Malaysian Navy
KD Hang Tuah		Frigate1977-2018

Mexican Navy
ARM Guadaloupe		Frigate1842-1847

Mexican Navy
ARM Zaragoza		Corvette1892-1924

Mexican Navy
ARM Anáhuac		Coastal defense ship1924-1938

Royal Netherlands Navy
HNLMS Karel Doorman		Aircraft carrier1948-1968

Royal New Zealand Navy
HMNZS Bellona		Cruiser1946-1956

Royal New Zealand Navy
HMNZS Canterbury		Multi-role ship2007-2020

Royal Norwegian Navy
HNoMS Norge		Coastal defense ship1900-1940, sunk in action

Royal Norwegian Navy
HNoMS Stord		Destroyer1943-1959

Pakistan Navy
PNS Babur		Cruiser1956-1985

Peruvian Navy
BAP Almirante Grau		Cruiser1906-1958

Peruvian Navy
BAP Almirante Grau		Cruiser1959-1973

Peruvian Navy
BAP Almirante Grau		Cruiser1973-2017

Philippine Navy
BRP Ang Pangulo		Presidential yacht1959-1960, still in service

Philippine Navy
RPS Rajah Soliman		High-speed transport1960-1964, lost in accident

Philippine Navy
BRP Datu Kalantiaw		Destroyer escort1967-1981, lost in accident

Philippine Navy
BRP Rajah Lakandula		Destroyer escort1981-1988

Philippine Navy
BRP Rajah Humabon		Destroyer escort1988-2011

Philippine Navy
BRP Gregorio del Pilar		High endurance cutter2011-2020, still in service

Philippine Navy
BRP Jose Rizal		Frigate2020-2025, still in service

Portuguese Navy
Vasco da Gama		Ironclad1876-1935

Romanian Naval Forces
ROS Mărășești		Destroyer1985-2001. Still in active service.

Spanish Navy
Pelayo		Battleship1888-1914

Spanish Navy
España		Battleship1914-1923

Spanish Republican Navy
Jaime I		Battleship1933-1937, sunk in action

Spanish Navy
Canarias		Cruiser1939-1967

Spanish Navy
Dédalo		Aircraft carrier1967-1989

Spanish Navy
Príncipe de Asturias		Aircraft carrier1989-2013

Swedish Royal Navy
HSwMS Gustav V		Coastal defense ship1939-1945, 1947-1957

Turkish Naval Forces
TCG Yavuz		Battlecruiser1914-1950

Ukrainian Navy
Hetman Sahaidachniy		Frigate1993-2022. Scuttled during the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. Final Status TBD

Royal Navy
HMS Iron Duke		Battleship1914-1917

Royal Navy
HMS Queen Elizabeth		Battleship1917-1919

Royal Navy
HMS Hermes		Aircraft carrier1982

Royal Navy
HMS Invincible		Aircraft carrier1993-2005

Royal Navy
HMS Ark Royal		Aircraft carrier2005-2007, 2009-2010

Royal Navy
HMS Illustrious		Aircraft carrier2007-2009

Royal Navy
HMS Albion		Amphibious transport dock2010-2011, 2018-2021

Royal Navy
HMS Bulwark		Amphibious transport dock2011-2015

Royal Navy
HMS Ocean		Amphibious assault ship2015-2018

Royal Navy
HMS Queen Elizabeth		Aircraft carrier2021-2024Will rotate out as flagship with HMS Prince of Wales every few years.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (United States)
NOAAS Oceanographer		Research vesselPrior to serving as flagship of the NOAA fleet, Oceanographer was flagship of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey.

Uruguayan Navy
ROU Uruguay		Frigate2008-2022

Royal Yugoslav Navy
KB Dubrovnik		Destroyer leader1932-1941, captured in action

Yugoslav Navy
JRM Split		Destroyer leader1958-1980

See also

References

  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. ↑ "Kementerian Pertahanan Republik Indonesia". www.kemhan.go.id (in Indonesian). 7 April 2017. Retrieved 2026-01-01.
  7. ↑ "Italian vessel to be Iraqi navy's flagship".
  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. ↑ http://2-news.ru/cgi-sys/suspendedpage.cgi [dead link]
  12. ↑ 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.
  13. ↑ https://www.navylookout.com/hms-prince-of-wales-becomes-the-royal-navys-flagship/#:~:text=HMS%20Prince%20of%20Wales%20arrived,inclement%20weather%20forecast%20for%20today.
  14. ↑ "Tall Ship Eagle". uscga.edu. United States Coast Guard Academy. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Ronald H. Brown". washington.edu. University of Washington. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  16. ↑ . navy.mil
  17. ↑ Hall, Timothy (1982). HMAS Melbourne. North Sydney, NSW: George Allen & Unwin. ISBN 0-86861-284-7. OCLC 9753221.
  18. ↑ Mambra, Shamseer (November 17, 2017). "INS Viraat – 'Mother' Air Craft Carrier Of Indian Navy". Marine Insight. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  19. ↑ "Ageing Naval Service Flaghip LÉ Eithne to Be Replaced By MRV, Opens to Public This Saturday". afloat.ie. Afloat. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  20. ↑ "Oceanographer". noaa.gov. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 23, 2019.