| Royal Australian Navy | |
|---|---|
Badge of the Royal Australian Navy |
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| Active | 1911–Present |
| Country | Australia |
| Type | Navy |
| Size | 14,215 permanent personnel 2,150 Active Reserve personnel 53 vessels |
| Part of | Australian Defence Force |
| Headquarters | Russell Offices, Canberra |
| March | "Royal Australian Navy" |
| Anniversaries | 10 July |
| Engagements | First World War Second World War Korean War Malayan Emergency Indonesian Confrontation Vietnam War Gulf War War in Afghanistan Iraq War |
| Website | www.navy.gov.au |
| Commanders | |
| Chief of the Defence Force | General David Hurley AC, DSC |
| Chief of Navy | Vice Admiral Ray Griggs AM, CSC |
| Deputy Chief of Navy | Rear Admiral Trevor Jones AM, CSC |
| Commander Australian Fleet | Rear Admiral Steve Gilmore AM, CSC |
| Notable commanders |
VADM Sir William Creswell VADM Sir John Collins ADML Sir Victor Smith VADM Sir Richard Peek ADML Chris Barrie VADM Russ Crane |
| Insignia | |
| Naval Ensign of Australia (1967-present) |
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| Naval Ensign of Australia (1911-1967) | |
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces. Originally intended for local defence, the navy was granted the title of 'Royal Australian Navy' in 1911, and became increasingly responsible for defence of the region.
Britain's Royal Navy continued to support the RAN and provide additional blue-water defence capability in the Pacific up to the early years of World War II. Then, rapid wartime expansion saw the acquisition of large surface vessels and the building of many smaller warships. In the decade following the war, the RAN acquired a small number of aircraft carriers, the last of these paying off in 1982.
Today, the RAN consists of 53 vessels and over 16,000 personnel. The navy is one of the largest and most sophisticated naval forces in the Pacific region, with a significant presence in the Indian Ocean and worldwide operations in support of military campaigns and peacekeeping missions. The current Chief of Navy is Vice Admiral Ray Griggs.[1]
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The Commonwealth Naval Forces were established on 1 March 1901, two months after the federation of Australia. On 10 July 1911, King George V granted the title of 'Royal Australian Navy'.[2]
During World War I, the RAN was initially responsible for capturing many of Germany's South Pacific colonies and protecting Australian shipping from the German East Asia Squadron. Later in the war, most of the RAN's major ships operated as part of Royal Navy forces in the Mediterranean and North Seas.
During the 1920s and early 1930s, the RAN was drastically reduced in size. As international tensions increased, however, the RAN was modernised and expanded. Early in World War II, RAN ships again operated as part of the Royal Navy, many serving with distinction in the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, the West African coast, the Persian Gulf, and the Indian Ocean. Following the outbreak of the Pacific War and the virtual destruction of the Royal Navy force in Asia, the RAN operated more independently, or as part of United States Navy forces. By war's end, the RAN was the fifth-largest navy in the world.
After World War II, the size of the RAN was again reduced, but it gained new capabilities with the delivery of two aircraft carriers. The RAN saw action in many Cold War-era conflicts in the Asia-Pacific region and operated alongside the Royal Navy and United States Navy off Korea, Malaysia and Vietnam. Since the end of the Cold War, the RAN has been part of Coalition forces in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean and has become a critical element in Australian operations in East Timor and the Solomon Islands.
The strategic command structure of the RAN was overhauled during the New Generation Navy changes.
The RAN is commanded through Naval Headquarters (NHQ) in Canberra. The professional head is the Chief of Navy (CN), who holds the rank of Vice-Admiral. NHQ is responsible for implementing policy decisions handed down from the Department of Defence and for overseeing tactical and operational issues that are the purview of the subordinate commands.
Beneath NHQ are two subordinate commands:
Fleet Command was previously made up of seven Force Element Groups, but after the New Generation Navy changes, this was restructured into four Force Commands:[5]:
As of December 2011, the RAN fleet consisted of 54 vessels, including frigates, submarines, patrol boats and auxiliary ships. Ships commissioned into the RAN are given the prefix HMAS (His/Her Majesty's Australian Ship).
The RAN has two primary bases for its fleet:
In addition, three other bases are home to the majority of the RAN's minor war vessels:
The RAN currently operates 54 commissioned vessels, made up of eight ship classes, and four individual ships.
| Image | Class/Name | Type | Number | Entered service | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anzac class | Frigate | 8 | 1996 | Anti-submarine and anti-aircraft frigate with 1 S-70B-2 Seahawk helicopter. Two more were built for the Royal New Zealand Navy. | |
| Adelaide class | Frigate | 4 | 1985 | Anti-submarine and anti-aircraft frigate with 2 Sikorsky S-70B-2 Seahawk helicopters. Two more ships were decommissioned in 2005 and 2008. | |
| Armidale class | Patrol boat | 14 | 2005 | Coastal defence, maritime border, and fishery protection | |
| Huon class | Minehunter | 6 | 1997 | Minehunting | |
| Collins class | Submarine | 6 | 2000 | Anti-shipping, intelligence collection. Diesel-electric powered. | |
| Balikpapan class | Landing Craft Heavy | 6 | 1971 | Light lift amphibious transport. Two more were transferred to the fledgling Papua New Guinea Defence Force in 1975. | |
| Leeuwin class | Survey ship | 2 | 2000 | Hydrographic survey | |
| Paluma class | Survey launch | 4 | 1989 | Hydrographic survey | |
| HMAS Tobruk | Landing Ship Heavy | – | 1989 | Heavy sealift and transport. Modified Round Table class. | |
| HMAS Choules | Landing Ship Dock | – | 2011 | Heavy sealift and transport. Former Royal Fleet Auxiliary Bay class landing ship RFA Largs Bay | |
| HMAS Success | Replenishment ship | – | 1986 | Replenishment at sea and afloat support. Modified Durance class. | |
| HMAS Sirius | Replenishment ship | – | 2006 | Replenishment at sea and afloat support. Modified commercial tanker. |
The Australian Navy Aviation Group (known informally as the Fleet Air Arm) provides the RAN's aviation capability. As of 2011, the FAA consists of three active squadrons, operating four helicopter types in the anti-submarine warfare and maritime support roles.[6] The Fleet Air Arm is based at HMAS Albatross in Nowra, New South Wales, and operates from the RAN's frigates, large amphibious warfare vessels, and large support ships.
The RAN has two Clearance Diving Teams that serve as parent units for naval clearance divers:
When RAN personnel are sent into combat, Clearance Diving Team Three (AUSCDT THREE) is formed.
The CDTs have two primary roles:
There are currently several major projects underway that will see upgrades to RAN capabilities:
To boost the RAN's amphibious capability until the arrival of the Canberra class LHDs, the RAN purchased Largs Bay from the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary in April 2011 for £65 million. It is expected to be delivered in late 2011 and later commissioned as HMAS Choules.[11][12]
The RAN needs 2,000 recruits, including 700 apprentices,[13] to crew the next generation of warships, such as air warfare destroyers, which enter service next decade.
Future procurement plans include:
In order to pay for this new equipment, the service is making cuts in other areas, such as meals for the sailors.[15]
The RAN currently has forces deployed on three major operations:[16]
In late 2010, as part of cost-saving measures, the RAN has ordered ships to reduce operating speeds and cut time at sea.[18]
As of June 2011, the RAN has 14,215 permanent full time personnel, 161 gap year personnel, and 2,150 reserve personnel.[19] The permanent full time force consisted of 3,357 commissioned officers, and 10,697 enlisted personnel.[19] As of June 2010 male personnel make up 82% of the permanent full time force, while female personnel make up 18%.[20] The RAN has the highest percentage of women in the ADF, compared to the RAAF's 17.8% and the Army's 9.7%.[20]
The following is the current senior Royal Australian Navy Officers;
The uniforms of the Royal Australian Navy are very similar in cut, colour and insignia to their British Royal Navy forerunners. However, beginning with the Second World War all RAN personnel began wearing shoulder flashes reading Australia, a practice continuing today. These are cloth arcs at shoulder height on uniforms, metallic gold on officers' shoulder boards, and embroidered on shoulder slip-ons.
Commissioned officers of the Australian Navy have pay grades ranging from S-1 to O-11. The only O-11 position in the navy is honorary and has only ever been held by royalty, currently being held by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. The highest position occupied in the current Royal Australian Navy structure is O-9, a Vice-Admiral who serves as the Chief of the Navy. O-7 (Commodore) to O-11 (Admiral of the Fleet) are referred to as flag officers, O-4 (Lieutenant-Commander) to O-6 (Captain(N)) are referred to as senior officers, while S-1 (Midshipman) to O-3 (Lieutenant) are referred to as junior officers. Naval Cadets are referred to as subordinate officers. All officers of the Navy receive a commission from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Australia. The Commissioning Scroll issued in recognition of the commission is signed by the Governor General of Australia as Commander-in-Chief and the serving Minister for Defence.
Naval officers are trained at the Royal Australian Naval College (HMAS Creswell) in Jervis Bay, New South Wales and the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra.
| Commissioned Officer Rank Structure of the Royal Australian Navy | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Admiral of the Fleet | Admiral | Vice Admiral | Rear Admiral | Commodore | Captain |
| O-11 | O-10 | O-9 | O-8 | O-7 | O-6 |
| AF | ADML | VADM | RADM | CDRE | CAPT |
| Commander | Lieutenant-Commander | Lieutenant | Sub-Lieutenant | Acting Sub-Lieutenant | Midshipman | Officer Cadet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| O-5 | O-4 | O-3 | O-2 | O-1 | S-1 | Cadet |
| CMDR | LCDR | LEUT | SBLT | ASLT | MIDN | OC |
| CODE | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warrant Officers | ||||
| E-9 | Warrant Officer of the Navy | |||
| E-9 | Warrant Officer | |||
| Senior Non-commissioned Officers | ||||
| E-8 | Chief Petty Officer | |||
| E-7 | – | |||
| E-6 | Petty Officer | |||
| Junior Non-commissioned Officers | ||||
| E-5 | Leading Seaman | |||
| E-4 | – | |||
| Enlisted | ||||
| E-3 | Able Seaman | |||
| E-2 | Seaman | |||
Royal Australian Navy (RAN) chaplains are commissioned officers and wear the uniform of a RAN officer. Like chaplains in the Royal Navy (RN), they do not wear rank insignia, but instead wear epaulettes with a cross-and-anchor insignia. Like other chaplains in the Australian Defence Force (ADF), Navy chaplains have five divisions of seniority. Australian Navy chaplains are accorded a certain rank for protocol and ceremonial occasions and for saluting purposes. Division 1, 2 and 3 Australian Navy chaplains are accorded the rank and status as Commander (equivalent of Lieutenant Colonel in the Australian Army). Division 4 Australian Navy chaplains are accorded the rank and status of Captain (equivalent of Colonel). Division 5 Australian Navy chaplains are "Principal Chaplains," and these three chaplains, representing the three major Christian denominations: Catholic, Anglican and Protestant, are accorded the rank and status of Commodore (equivalent of Brigadier). Principal Chaplains' uniforms do not differ from other Navy chaplains however they do wear gold braid on the peak of their caps. The title "Padre" for chaplains is less common in the Royal Australian Navy, than in the Australian Army, although it is known to be used by many sailors and some Navy chaplains in preference to the more formal title of "Chaplain", or other formal forms of address towards an officer such as "Sir."
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| Australia-United States Rank Code | Officer Cadet | O-1 | O-2 | O-3 | O-4 | O-5 | O-6 | O-7 * |
O-8 ** |
O-9 *** |
O-10 **** |
O-11 ***** |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Australian Navy | MIDN | ASLT | SBLT | LEUT | LCDR | CMDR | CAPT | CDRE | RADM | VADM | ADML | AF | |
| Australian Army | OCDT | 2LT | LT | CAPT | MAJ | LTCOL | COL | BRIG | MAJGEN | LTGEN | GEN | FM | |
| Royal Australian Air Force | OFFCDT | PLTOFF | FLGOFF | FLTLT | SQNLDR | WGCDR | GPCAPT | AIRCDRE | AVM | AIRSMHL | ACM | MRAAF | |
| Australia-United States Rank Code | E-1 | E-2 | E-3 | E-4 | E-5 | E-6 | E-7 | E-8 | E-9 | E-9 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Australian Navy | RCT | SMN | AB | - | LS | PO | - | CPO | WO | WO-N | |||
| Australian Army | REC | PTE | - | LCPL | CPL | SGT | SSGT | WO2 | WO1 | RSM-A | |||
| Royal Australian Air Force | RCT | AC/ACW | LAC/LACW | - | CPL | SGT | - | FSGT | WOFF | WOFF-AF | |||