25 July 2023
At the commissioning ceremony for USS Canberra, the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) presented the ship with a rare gift - star-spangled Kangaroo insignias.
Crafted by Australian hands with Australian metal at the Fleet Support Unit at HMAS Kuttabul, the unique insignias will be permanently installed on the sides of the USS Canberra’s superstructure.
The idea for the gift began in early April, and while there were plenty of challenges along the way, the team involved, including Leading Seaman Owen Skjeime, could not be prouder of the result.
“This is something that will be seen for many years to come,” Leading Seaman Skjeime said.
“A kangaroo is now on the side of a United States ship. We can say we were part of the team that got that up there.”
Leading Seaman Skjeime facilitated the creation of the kangaroos from start to finish.
“It started off with a thought, ‘Can we do this?’. Seeing the project through, it got a bit more realistic,” he said.
He can list the RAN members who worked on the insignias by name, and while he is the first to offer praise, his own contribution cannot be ignored.
It was Leading Seaman Skjeime who suggested that the offcuts of the insignias be used to create stunning mementos.
In the end, 15 little kangaroos were crafted to be used as gifts.
“Once I got the phone call saying that it was all done, I went down to see it. It was a bit of a proud moment to see it finished,” Leading Seaman Skjeime said.
We had to take a photo to share the final product, so we got to peel back the bubble wrap and be among the first to see it.”
While it is the first time such unique kangaroos will be installed on a warship, kangaroo insignias have been marking RAN ships for decades.
The tradition of marking ships with a kangaroo originated to distinguish RAN warships from the Royal Navy.
In World War 1, HMAS Parramatta (I) affixed a bronze kangaroo to the top of her jackstaff.
Various iterations of the red kangaroo were installed on the funnels of ships in the early 1970s.
Since 1985, all major fleet units of the RAN have been recognised by a solid red kangaroo.
Now a new kind of kangaroo will be visible on the seas.
Its one-of-a-kind insignias will forever connect it with its Australian name and other vessels in the RAN fleet.
