Commissioned on 26 June 2004, HMAS Ballarat is the second Royal Australian Navy ship to bear the name. HMAS Ballarat (I) was one of sixty Australian Minesweepers (commonly known as corvettes) built during World War II.
In World War II, the Ballarat Brewing Company exported their Ballarat Bitter to troops fighting across the world and those who had a connection to Ballarat would be known as a 'Ballarat Bertie'. During the war HMAS Ballarat made 'Ballarat Bertie' their ship's mascot and remains the ship's mascot. Keep your eye out for the Ballarat Bertie mascot design coming soon!
