War Ensign (Malaysia) (original) (raw)

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Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia, Royal Malaysian Navy

Last modified: 2025-08-16 by zachary harden
Keywords: [tentera laut diraja malaysia](keywordt.html#tentera laut diraja malaysia) | [royal malaysian navy](keywordr.html#royal malaysian navy) | [canton (malaysia)](keywordc.html#canton %28malaysia%29) | [crescent: points to fly (yellow)](keywordc.html#crescent: points to fly %28yellow%29) | [star: 14 points (yellow)](keywords.html#star: 14 points %28yellow%29) | [anchor: fouled (blue)](keyworda.html#anchor: fouled %28blue%29) | [dagger (blue)](keywordd.html#dagger %28blue%29) | [kris (blue)](keywordk.html#kris %28blue%29) |
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[ [War Ensign (Malaysia)]](../images/m/my~.gif) 1:2 image by Zoltan Horvath, 4 July 2024

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Introduction

Some further information on the Royal Malaysian Navy that I have gleaned is:

Ralph Kelly, 7 November 2003

A few more gleanings for that Royal Malaysian Navy file:

Sources: National Archives (PRO) ADM 1/9012, ADM 1/12995, ADM 1/16053, ADM 1/23988, ADM 1/24019, ADM 1/27041, CO 323/1830/17.
David Prothero, 10 November 2003

We have constructed the following sequential list of the naval flags used by local forces in the Malayan area.

  1. With British Blue and White Ensigns : Blue with a St George's cross hoist.
  2. With Federation Ensign : Blue with gold crescent and eleven point gold star at the hoist.
  3. With Malaysian Ensign : Blue with gold crescent and fourteen point gold star at the hoist.
  4. With Singapore Ensign : Red with white crescent and five stars at the hoist. Notes.
    1. The Blue Jack, with Straits Settlements or Singapore badge, could be square or rectangular.
    2. The Malayan Federation was constituted 1 February 1948, but had no distinctive flag until 1950.
    3. The Royal Malayan Navy of 1952-1958 while funded by the colonial government of Singapore was a pan-Malayan force thus the name Malayan. - There was probably confusion over the Royal Malayan Navy (of British Malaya and British Singapore) of 1952 - 1958 with the Royal Malayan Navy (of the independent Federation of Malaya since 1957) of 1958-1963.
    4. The Federation of Malaya became independent on 31 August 1957, but the Royal Malayan Navy was based in Singapore, which was not part of the Federation. Transfer of control of the RMN from Britain to the Federation was delayed until 1 July 1958, when a naval base had been established at Port Swettenham, now Pelabohan Kelang.

Navy Lists 1934 - 1963, CRO List 1962, Colony of Singapore Annual Reports 1948-1956, National Archives (PRO) ADM 1/8716/199, ADM 1/8794, ADM 1/9012, ADM 1/12995, ADM 1/16053, ADM 1/19766, ADM 1/23731, ADM 1/23988, ADM 1/24019, ADM 1/26825, ADM 1/27041, ADM 1/27530, CO 323/1830/17.

Herman Felani M.Y. and David Prothero, 22 December 2003

Description

The emblem on Malaysia's naval ensign consists of an anchor and two crossed traditional daggers (called kris). In Jane's Fighting Ships [jfs] the colour of the emblem is black, but I think dark blue is the appropriate colour. At least it is depicted as blue in Pedersen 1970 [ped70]. According to Pedersen, the naval ensign was introduced in 1968. The national flag in the canton is outlined with a thin red line, so that the bottom white stripe appears correctly on the white field.
Jan Oskar Engene, 19 September 1996

White ensign with the national flag in the canton and a blue emblem in the lower fly. The emblem consists of a fouled anchor and two kris daggers in saltire. Source: Album des Pavillons 2000 [pay00]. The Shipmate flag chart [vdv00] shows (online image here) a somewhat more elaborate emblem than the one in Album des Pavillons 2000 [pay00], with decorated daggers, more intricate pomels and both stand on top of the anchor, which is made clear using white fimbriations. On the other hand, Smith 1982 [smi82] shows the emblem without any "void" parts in the daggers, and remarkably, the canton is about only 1/3 of hoist high (while still half the length long). Was there ever such unusually cantoned flag?
Željko Heimer, 25 May 2002

I received on 24 May 2002 a photo of the naval ensign taken by Michel Lupant in his recent trip to Malaysia: the canton was half as high as the hoist and the daggers had no "void" parts. On that photo, actually taken on a warship in Malaysia, the kriss (knife) drawn on the naval ensign is very simplified (as in Album des Pavillons 2000 [pay00]) and there is no fimbriation between canton and field.
Armand du Payrat, editor of [pay00], 27 May 2002 and 15 May 2003

Here is a photo of a Malaysian naval ensign. Notice there is no red fimbriation between it and the white background. This is standard. I have seen perhaps a dozen white ensigns. None of them have fimbriated cantons. Also, notice the gold detail in the anchor/swords badge.
Clay Moss, 21 September 2004

According to Barraclough and Crampton 1981 [bcr81] the Malaysian jack is the same as the national flag. (Source)
Santiago Dotor, 4 May 1999

Commissioning Pennant

[ [Commissioning Pennant (Malaysia)]](../images/m/my~p.gif)image by Zachary Harden, 21 November 2017

With regards to the Commissioning Pennant of the Malaysian Navy, it is available on my website.
Herman Felani M.Y., 6 November 2003

Second Royal Malaysian Navy Sovereign's Colour

The book Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia 55 Tahun 1990 [tld90], pp. 28, 118 and 120, shows the second Royal Malaysian Navy Sovereign's Colour. Caption from page 28: "His Majesty, Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah, blessing the Royal Malayan Navy's new Royal colours at Woodlands Naval Base (Singapore) when he was the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong". It was not mentioned exactly when the new TLDM Colours were granted. Basically, the field was yellow, the centre charged with the Malaysian Coat-of-Arms. In addition, a small Service emblem of the Royal Malaysian Navy (not the emblem appearing on the current Naval Ensign) is charged in the canton. The fringes, cords and tassels were like those of the first Sovereign's Colour. In my opinion, I suppose it was presented once the new Naval Ensign was adopted.
Herman Felani M.Y., 6 November 2003

Navy aviation roundel & fin flash

[ [Commissioning Pennant (Malaysia)]](../images/m/my^n88.gif)image by Nozomi Kariyasu, 3 July 2024

The Malaysia Naval aviation uses a variant of the old air force roundel, with an anchor charged upon the 14 pointed star. The service flag serves as the fin flash.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 3 July 2024

[ [Commissioning Pennant (Malaysia)]](../images/m/my^n88e.jpg)image locatedby Nozomi Kariyasu, 3 July 2024