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War Ensign (Papua New Guinea)

Last modified: 2025-09-20 by ian macdonald
Keywords: papua new guinea | canton: papua new guinea |
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[War Ensign (Papua New Guinea)] 3:4   image by Zoltan Horvath, 3 September 2024



See also:


Introduction

National Defence: 4300 men (Army 88.4%, Navy 9.3% and Air Force 2.3%). War ensign. Source: Encyclopaedia Universalis Yearbook, 1998.
Ivan Sache
, 24 May 1999

From The World Defence Almanac 2000-01, Military Technology, Vol XXV, Issue 1/2001, ISSN 0722-3226, page 342:

Papua New Guinea
Navy
Personnel: About 550;
Fleet: 1 MADANG (ATTACK type) large patrol craft
5 TARANGAU class large patlol craft (Australian-built ASI315 type)
2 SALAMAUA class landing craft
1 ex-australian HTS-503 tug
Major Naval Bases: Manu Island, Port Moresby, Buka, Alotau.
NB: The Government also operates eight landing craft and one buoy tender separately from the defence force.

Željko Heimer, 9 October 2002


Description

The simplest variants of the White Ensign are those ensigns which place the national flag in the canton of a plain white field (like Bangladesh). Papua New Guinea also uses such a naval ensign. Source: flag table in Jane's Fighting Ships [jfs].
Jan Oskar Engene
, 19 September 1996

White ensign —no red cross— with the national flag in canton. According to Album des Pavillons 2000 [pay00] the ratio is 3:4.
Željko Heimer
, 3 October 2002

Images of ensign:
https://shipshub.com/navy/184-1.html#lg=1&slide=3
https://shipshub.com/navy/184-1.html#lg=1&slide=10
Zoltan Horvath, 27 August 2024


Papua New Guinea White Ensign (1974-1976 design)

The Australian Government Gazette No. 94 of Tuesday 19 November 1974 included several Special Gazettes. One of these was No. 92 D of Wednesday 13 November 1974 and was a Proclamation by the Governor-General Sir John Kerr, signed on the 12th. In the Proclamation he appointed as an ensign of Australia under Section 5 of the Flags Act 1953, the ensign of the Papua New Guinea Division of the Permanent Naval Forces (of Australia) and to be known as the Papua New Guinea White Ensign. The Schedule described it as -

'The Papua New Guinea White Ensign is a rectangular white flag, being of the proportions 3 parts in length to 2 parts in breadth, divided into 4 parts by a cross coloured mid-yellow, the vertical arm of the cross being off-set towards the hoist and the width of each arm of the cross being one-fourteenth of the breadth of the flag, with the Papua New Guinea National Flag occupying the upper canton next to the staff.'
Gazettes from 1974 - Federal Register of Legislation
Download No. 94 (pdf) and scroll down to pdf page 66 of 74.

The Australian Government Gazette No. G10 of Tuesday 9 March 1976 contained several special Gazettes. One of these was No. S44 of Thursday 4 March 1976 in which Governor-General Sir John Kerr revoked the appointment of the Papua New Guinea White Ensign as an ensign of Australia. This was signed on the same date.
Gazettes from 1976 - Federal Register of Legislation
Download No G10 (pdf) and scroll down to pdf page 52 of 61.

Jeff Thomson, 15 September 2025