John Augustine Collins

John Augustine Collins
Captain John Collins in 1943
Born	7 January 1899 Deloraine, Tasmania
Died	3 September 1989 Sydney, New South Wales
Allegiance	Australia
Service/branch	Royal Australian Navy
Years of service	1913–1955
Rank	Vice Admiral
Commands held	Chief of Naval Staff HMAS Shropshire HMAS Sydney
Battles/wars	World War I World War II Battle of the Mediterranean Bougainville Campaign Battle of Cape Gloucester Battle of Noemfoor
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companion of the Order of the Bath Mention in Despatches Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau (Netherlands)
Other work	High Commissioner to New Zealand

Vice Admiral Sir John Augustine Collins KBE, CB, RAN (7 January 1899 – 3 September 1989) was a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) officer who served in World War I and World War II, and who eventually rose to become a Vice Admiral and Chief of Staff of the RAN. Collins was one of the first graduates of the Royal Australian Naval College to attain flag rank. During World War II, he commanded the cruiser HMAS Sydney in the Mediterranean campaign. He led the Australian Naval Squadron in the Pacific theatre and was wounded in the first recorded kamikaze attack, in 1944.

Early life and education

John Augustine Collins was born in Deloraine, Tasmania, in 1899.^[1] In 1913, at age 14, Collins joined the first intake to the RAN College.^[1] He became a midshipman in January 1917, in time to see war service while attached to the Royal Navy.^[1]

World War II

In the early war years, Collins commanded HMAS Sydney in the Battle of the Mediterranean.^[1] Sydney led Allied ships which sank a state-of-the-art Italian cruiser, Bartolomeo Colleoni, in July 1940. For this action he was appointed a Companion of the Bath (CB).^[2]

Relations between the RAN and British Royal Navy were close at the time, with frequent exchanges of officers between the two and in June 1941, Collins was transferred to Singapore, as Assistant Chief of Staff to the British Naval Commander in Chief, China Station, Vice Admiral Geoffrey Layton.^[1]

Following the outbreak of war with Japan, Collins was appointed Commodore Commanding China Force, the RN-RAN cruiser and destroyer force based in Batavia, Dutch East Indies, under the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command.^[1]

Members of the Australian Mission Group at the Japanese surrender talks. Left to right: Commodore John Collins; Lieutenant General Frank Berryman; Captain Roy Dowling; Air Commodore Raymond Brownell.

After the fall of Singapore and the Allied defeat in the Battle of the Java Sea, it became clear that the Dutch East Indies would be occupied by Japan. Collins organised the evacuation of Allied civilians and military personnel from Batavia, and was on one of the last ships to leave, before the city fell, in March 1942.^[1] As a result he was Mentioned in Despatches,^[3] and was later made a Commander of the Dutch Order of Orange-Nassau.^[4]

Collins was then appointed Senior Naval Officer, Western Australia, based at Fremantle.^[1]

During 1943, Collins commanded HMAS Shropshire and took part in the Bougainville campaign, the Battle of Cape Gloucester, and operations off the Admiralty Islands and Hollandia (Dutch New Guinea).^[1]

In mid-1944, Collins was made commander of the Australian-US Navy Task Force 74, and commander of the Australian Naval Squadron, with HMAS Australia as his flagship. He became the first graduate of the RAN College to command a naval squadron in action, during the bombardment of Noemfoor, on 2 July 1944.

Collins was badly wounded in the first kamikaze attack in history, which hit Australia on 21 October 1944, in the lead up to the Battle of Leyte Gulf.^[1] He did not resume his command until July 1945. When the war ended Collins was the RAN's representative at the surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay.^[1]

Post-war service and legacy

Collins was appointed Chief of Naval Staff in 1948, succeeding Sir Louis Keppel Hamilton, and held the position until 1955. He was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in the 1951 New Year Honours.^[5] He later served as Australia's High Commissioner to New Zealand (1956–1962).^[1]

The latest class of Australian submarine, the Collins class bears his name. The lead submarine, HMAS Collins, was launched by his widow on 28 August 1993. Collins Road, a street in the Sydney suburb of St Ives was also named in his honour.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to John Augustine Collins.

• "Vice Admiral John Augustine Collins, KBE, CB" (Who’s who in Australian Military History, Australian War Memorial)

v t e Chiefs of the Royal Australian Navy Director, Commonwealth Naval Forces Sir William Rooke Creswell First Naval Members, Australian Commonwealth Naval Board Sir William Rooke Creswell Sir Percy Grant Sir Allan Everett Percival Hall-Thompson William Napier Sir William Munro Kerr Sir George Hyde Sir Ragnar Colvin Sir Guy Royle Sir Louis Keppel Hamilton Sir John Augustine Collins Sir Roy Dowling Sir Henry Burrell Sir Hastings Harrington Sir Alan McNicoll Sir Victor Smith Sir Richard Peek Sir David Stevenson Chiefs of the Naval Staff Sir Anthony Synnot Sir James Willis David Leach Michael Hudson Ian MacDougall Rodney Taylor Chiefs of Navy Rodney Taylor Donald Chalmers David Shackleton Chris Ritchie Russ Shalders Russell Crane Raymond Griggs

v t e Fleet Commanders of the Royal Australian Navy Rear Admiral Commanding HM Australian Fleet Sir George Patey Sir William Pakenham Arthur Leveson Sir Lionel Halsey John Dumaresq Albert Addison Thomas Wardle Rear Admiral Commanding HM Australian Squadron George Hyde Edward Evans Leonard Holbrook Robin Dalglish Wilbraham Ford Richard Lane-Poole Wilfred Custance Wilfrid Patterson John Crace Victor Crutchley John Collins Charles Nichols Harold Farncomb John Collins Harold Farncomb Flag Officer Commanding HM Australian Fleet John Eccles John Eaton Roy Dowling Henry Burrell David Harries Henry Burrell Galfrey Gatacre Hastings Harrington Alan McNicoll Otto Becher Thomas Morrison Victor Smith Richard Peek Gordon Crabb David Stevenson William Dovers David Stevenson William Dovers Anthony Synnot David Wells Geoffrey Gladstone Neil McDonald James Willis David Leach Peter Doyle John Stevens Michael Hudson Geoffrey Woolrych Ian Knox Peter Sinclair Maritime Commander Australia Peter Sinclair Ian MacDougall Ken Doolan Robert Walls Donald Chalmers Chris Oxenbould Chris Ritchie John Lord Geoffrey Smith Raydon Gates Rowan Moffitt Davyd Thomas Commander Australian Fleet Davyd Thomas Nigel Coates Steve Gilmore Tim Barrett