The Esther Williams Trophy is one of two trophies that have circulated among ships of various navies, after originating in the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the navy, naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (Australia), Chief of Navy (CN) Vice admiral (Australia), Vice Admiral Mark Hammond (admiral), Ma ...

(RAN). Initially, in 1943, the trophy was a joke between two friends, Lieutenants Lindsay Brand and David Stevenson (later the RAN's Chief of Naval Staff), serving in , an

N-class destroyer The J, K and N class consisted of 24 destroyers built for the Royal Navy beginning in 1938. They were a return to a smaller vessel, with a heavier torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water sur ...

attached to the

British Eastern Fleet The East Indies Station was a formation and command of the British Royal Navy. Created in 1744 by the Admiralty, it was under the command of the Commander-in-Chief, East Indies. Even in official documents, the term ''East Indies Station'' wa ...

. Stevenson wrote on a photograph of

Esther Williams Esther Jane Williams (August 8, 1921 – June 6, 2013) was an American competitive swimmer and actress. She set regional and national records in her late teens on the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team. Unable to compete in the 1940 Summer Ol ...

, "To my own Georgie, with all my love and a passionate kiss, Esther"; Brand (aka "George") put the screen idol over his bed. The photo was taken to another ship by a fellow officer, and the "trophy" was then circulated by officers among some 200 other ships including in

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

, and

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...

ships in Asian waters. The original photo became the "trophy copy" to be kept in a safe location. A "fighting copy" was displayed where officers from other ships could attempt to steal it or take it by force, often with a good deal of

roughhousing Rough-and-tumble play, also called play fighting, is a form of Play (activity), play where participants compete with one another attempting to obtain certain advantages (such as biting or pushing the opponent onto the ground) but play in this way w ...

between the officers of the ships involved; one of the more violent raids, by officers of attempting to retrieve the trophy from , resulted in three Americans and one Australian being hospitalised. After the "fighting copy" had been successfully removed from the custodial ship, the "trophy copy" would be presented to the new owners with appropriate ceremony.Karcher, Daniel M., CAPT USN "We've Come for Esther" ''United States Naval Institute Proceedings'' July 1986 pp. 115–16. At various times, the holders of the trophy have either flown an Esther flag or sent

naval signals A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operati ...

(signed "Esther") to other nearby ships to indicate where the trophy resided. In 1946, an officer from started a tradition when he composed the "Esther Rescued" signal (indicating the trophy's changing of hands) in poetry. In 1957, "Esther" was retired by the

and sent to the RAN's Naval Historical Collection at Spectacle Island in Sydney. The trophy was brought into circulation again in 1997 by officers from , and has been given official standing by senior officers, for instance when an RAN admiral officiated when Brand was re-introduced to the trophy on 30 June 2004 for only the fourth time since 1943. A documentary''Esther Williams' Trophy''
, Digital Dimensions (2007), accessed 16 April 2008. about the trophy's history was produced in 2007. Following the death of Esther Williams in June 2013, the trophy was officially retired. The last unit to officially capture the trophy, RAN Clearance Diving Team Four, presented the trophy to for transportation to the Navy Heritage Centre at Spectacle Island.

References

{{Royal Australian Navy Royal Australian Navy