Souvenir felt naval pennant - HMAS Melbourne

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1955 - 1982

Overview

Triangular souvenir naval pennant in horizontal orientation made from a dark blue felt base with printed pale blue, red and gold detailing.
The graphics and text on the pennant are screen-printed using oil-based paint or thick lacquer ink.
The wide end of the pennant would have had two fabric ties attached to the edge for hanging, but these are missing.
On the left is the official crest of HMAS Melbourne. It features a depiction of the upper body of a gold kangaroo holding a St. Edwards Crown with a pale blue background. A rope circle encompasses this, surmounted by the British Naval crown.
Between the crown and the rope circle is a small, curved pale blue scroll with the name 'MELBOURNE' .Beneath the central circle sits a pair of crossed Australian indigenous clubs/weapons interlocked with a boomerang. The motto 'VIRES ACQUIRIT EUNDO' (Latin for 'She gathers strength as she goes') is printed in a large, curved pale blue ribbon scroll underneath the tools.
'HMAS MELBOURNE' is printed in a stylised Gothic font to the right of the crest.
The reverse is plain aside from remnants of the ties and a maker's tag.

Historical information

HMAS Melbourne (II) was a Modified Majestic Class Light Fleet Aircraft Carrier.
She was laid down on 15 April 1943, under the name HMS Majestic and launched 28 February 1945.
She was nearing completion when construction was virtually brought to a halt at the end of wartime hostilities.
In 1947, Australia decided to acquire two aircraft carriers. Two Majestic class vessels, HMS Terrible and HMS Majestic, were acquired and renamed Sydney and Melbourne respectively. On 28 October, 1955 the ship was officially named and commissioned into the RAN as HMAS Melbourne. She served as the flagship of the Royal Australian Navy RAN).
She was in operation from 1955 until 1982, and was the third and final conventional aircraft carrier to serve Australia. Despite never firing a shot in anger, her operational timeline is internationally unique; she remains the only peacetime naval vessel to have struck and sunk two friendly warships in separate catastrophic collisions (HMAS Voyager 1964 and USS Frank E. Evans 1969).
She was decommisioned on 30 June 1982.

Felt naval pennants were highly popular wartime souvenirs throughout the British Commonwealth—most notably across New Zealand and Australia - during and post WWII.
They were frequently purchased by service members, merchant mariners, or civilians as patriotic keepsakes, homefront memorabilia, or gifts for family members to commemorate maritime service.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-119-RoW01113

Item type

Collectibles

Ephemera

Pennants

Souvenirs

Themes

Defence > Navy

Social History

Transport