HMAS

HMAS stands for Her Majesty's Australian Ship, the ship prefix used for commissioned ships and certain naval shore establishments of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). It precedes the name of the vessel and is used in official documents and communications to denote a unit’s allegiance to the Crown and to Australia. The prefix is the Australian counterpart to the British HMS designation.

The designation has been in use since the early 20th century with the development of the Royal Australian Navy. It applies to a wide range of commissioned ships—capital ships, destroyers, frigates, submarines, patrol craft, and support vessels—as well as to major shore establishments that carry HMAS in their official title, such as training and administrative centers.

Examples of ships bearing the prefix include HMAS Sydney, HMAS Melbourne, HMAS Canberra, HMAS Hobart, HMAS Perth, and HMAS Dechaineux. Notable shore establishments include HMAS Creswell (a naval training college) and HMAS Cerberus (fleet base). The prefix appears in naval lists, ceremonial practices, and other formal documentation.

For broader context, see HMS, the prefix conventions of naval nomenclature, and the Royal Australian Navy. HMAS, as a ceremonial and administrative identifier, distinguishes Australian naval units from civilian vessels while signifying national affiliation and allegiance to the Crown.