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 HMAS Nepal, an N-class destroyer attached to the British Eastern Fleet.
[citation needed] In 1946, an officer from HMS Jamaica started a tradition when he composed the "Esther Rescued" signal (indicating the trophy's changing of hands) in poetry.
[4] In 1957, "Esther" was retired by the United States Navy 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 HMAS Brisbane, 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.
[4] The last unit to officially capture the trophy, RAN Clearance Diving Team Four, presented the trophy to HMAS Stuart for transportation to the Navy Heritage Centre at Spectacle Island.