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).
| Fleet | Ship | Class | Notes | References | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Algerian National Navy | |||||
Argentine Navy | |||||
Royal Australian Navy | HMAS Canberra | Canberra was designated flagship of the Royal Australian Navy in March 2015. | [1] | ||
Royal Bahamas Defence Force | |||||
Royal Bahrain Naval Force | |||||
Bangladesh Navy | |||||
Belgian Naval Component | |||||
Brazilian Navy | |||||
Royal Brunei Navy | |||||
Royal Canadian Navy (Ceremonial) | HMCS Haida | 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 | ||||
Chilean Navy | |||||
People's Liberation Army Navy | |||||
Republic of China Navy | |||||
Colombian Navy | ARC Gloria | [3] | |||
Royal Danish Navy | Frigate | ||||
Dominican Navy | Almirante Didiez Burgos | ||||
Ecuadorian Navy | |||||
Egyptian Navy | |||||
Estonian Navy | |||||
Finnish Navy | |||||
French Navy | [4] | ||||
German Navy | Gorch Fock | [5] | |||
Ghana Navy | GNS Achimota | ||||
Hellenic Navy (Ceremonial) | Georgios Averof is a ceremonial ship in service as the flagship of the Hellenic Navy. | ||||
Guyana Coast Guard | |||||
Icelandic Coast Guard | |||||
Indian Navy | |||||
Indonesian Navy | |||||
Italian Navy | |||||
Islamic Republic of Iran Navy | |||||
Iraqi Navy | [6] | ||||
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force | |||||
Latvian Naval Forces | |||||
Libyan Navy | 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 | |||||
Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta | |||||
Montenegrin Navy | |||||
Royal Moroccan Navy | |||||
Myanmar Navy | Frigate | ||||
Royal Netherlands Navy | Multi-role support ship | ||||
Royal New Zealand Navy | |||||
Nigerian Navy | [7] | ||||
Royal Norwegian Navy | |||||
Royal Navy of Oman | |||||
Paraguayan Navy | ARP Humaitá has remained the Paraguayan flagship since her commissioning in 1931. | ||||
Peruvian Navy | 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 | ||||
Polish Navy (Ceremonial) | Błyskawica is Poland's ceremonial flagship, with an active duty crew, but no longer has functioning boilers. | ||||
Portuguese Navy | |||||
Admiral Kuznetsov | [9] | ||||
Russian Navy (Ceremonial) | In 2013, the Russian Navy recommissioned Aurora and made her the ceremonial flagship of the Russian Navy. | [10] | |||
Kozara | |||||
Juan Carlos I | Juan Carlos I assumed the role as Spain's flagship following the decommissioning of the Príncipe de Asturias in 2013. | ||||
| She is a drone-carrying amphibious assault ship. | [11] | ||||
| 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 is the oldest commissioned warship in the world, and although no longer sails, remains the flagship of the First Sea Lord. | ||||
USCGC Eagle | 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] | ||
| Fleet | Ship | Class | Notes | References | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Argentine Navy | ARA Rivadavia | 1914-1952 | |||
Argentine Navy | ARA Independencia | 1958-1969 | |||
Argentine Navy | ARA Veinticinco de Mayo | 1969-1997 | |||
Royal Australian Navy | HMAS Australia | 1913-1921 | |||
Royal Australian Navy | HMAS Sydney | 1948-1955 | |||
Royal Australian Navy | HMAS Melbourne | 1955-1982 | [16] | ||
Belgian Navy | Lieutenant ter zee Victor Billet | 1947-1958 | |||
Brazilian Navy | Riachuelo | 1889-1910 | |||
Brazilian Navy | Minas Geraes | 1910-1951 | |||
Brazilian Navy | Almirante Tamandaré | 1951-1976 | |||
Brazilian Navy | Minas Gerais | 1976-2001 | |||
Brazilian Navy | São Paulo | 2001-2017 | |||
Royal Canadian Navy | 1944-1946 | ||||
Royal Canadian Navy | HMCS Warrior | 1946-1948 | |||
Royal Canadian Navy | HMCS Magnificent | 1948-1957 | |||
Royal Canadian Navy | HMCS Bonaventure | 1957-1970 | |||
Royal Canadian Navy | HMCS Iroquois | 1972-2015 | |||
Royal Canadian Navy | HMCS Athabaskan | 2015-2017 | |||
Chilean Navy | 1893-1920 | ||||
Chilean Navy | 1920-1958 | ||||
Chilean Navy | 1958-1992 | ||||
Chilean Navy | 1992-2003 | ||||
Imperial Chinese Navy | Dingyuan | 1885-1895, sunk in action | |||
Republic of China Navy | CNS Ning Hai | 1932-1937, sunk in action | |||
Republic of China Navy | CNS Chung King | 1948-1949, sunk in action | |||
Dominican Navy | Presidente Trujillo / Mella | 1946-1998 | |||
Royal Danish Navy | HDMS Niels Juel | 1923-1943, sunk in action | |||
Ethiopian Navy | Ethiopia | 1962-1991 | |||
Estonian Navy (Ceremonial) | EML Lembit | 1994-2011 | |||
Estonian Navy | EML Admiral Pitka | 2000-2013 | |||
Finnish Navy | Väinämöinen | 1932-1947 | |||
French Navy | Béarn | 1940-1943 | |||
French Navy | Richelieu | 1943-1946 | |||
French Navy | Arromanches | 1946-1961 | |||
French Navy | Clemenceau | 1961-1997 | |||
French Navy | Foch | 1997-2000 | |||
Royal Hellenic Navy | HS Elli | 1951-1965 | |||
Indian Navy | INS Delhi | 1948-1961 | |||
Indian Navy | INS Vikrant | 1961-1987 | |||
Indian Navy | INS Viraat | 1987-2013 | [17] | ||
Indonesian Navy | KRI Irian | 1963-1970 | |||
Irish Naval Service | LÉ Eithne | 1984-2022 | [18] | ||
Italian Navy | Giuseppe Garibaldi | 1961-1969 | |||
Vittorio Veneto | 1969-1985 | ||||
Giuseppe Garibaldi | 1985-2008 | ||||
Mikasa | 1904-1905 | ||||
Yamato | 1942-1943, 1944-1945, sunk in action | ||||
Musashi | 1943-1944, sunk in action | ||||
HNLMS Karel Doorman | 1948-1968 | ||||
HNoMS Norge | 1900-1940, sunk in action | ||||
| 1943-1959 | |||||
PNS Babur | 1956-1985 | ||||
BAP Almirante Grau | 1906-1958 | ||||
BAP Almirante Grau | 1959-1973 | ||||
BAP Almirante Grau | 1973-2017 | ||||
NRP Vasco da Gama | 1876-1935 | ||||
ROS Mărășești | 1985-2001. Still in active service. | ||||
Pelayo | 1888-1914 | ||||
España | 1914-1923 | ||||
Jaime I | 1933-1937, sunk in action | ||||
Canarias | 1939-1967 | ||||
Dédalo | 1967-1989 | ||||
Príncipe de Asturias | 1989-2013 | ||||
HSwMS Gustav V | 1939-1945, 1947-1957 | ||||
TCG Yavuz | 1914-1950 | ||||
| 1993-2022. Scuttled during the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. Final Status TBD | |||||
| 1914-1917 | |||||
| 1917-1919 | |||||
| 1982 | |||||
| 1993-2005 | |||||
| 2005-2007, 2009-2010 | |||||
| 2007-2009 | |||||
| 2010-2011, 2018-2021 | |||||
| 2011-2015 | |||||
| 2015-2018 | |||||
| 2021-2024 | Will rotate out as flagship with HMS Prince of Wales every few years. | ||||
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (United States) | NOAAS Oceanographer | Prior to serving as flagship of the NOAA fleet, Oeanographer was flagship of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. | [19] | ||
| 2008-2022 | |||||
KB Dubrovnik | 1932-1941, captured in action | ||||
JRM Split | 1958-1980 |