HMAS ''Cerberus'' is a

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

(RAN) base that serves as the primary training establishment for RAN personnel. The base is located adjacent to

Crib Point Crib Point is a town on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Mornington Peninsula local government area. Crib Point recorded a population o ...

on the

Mornington Peninsula The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located south of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to the mainland in the north. Geogra ...

, south of the

Melbourne City Centre The Melbourne central business district (also known colloquially as simply "The City" or "The CBD") is the city centre and main urban area of the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, centred on the Hoddle Grid, the oldest part of the city la ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Australia. The base is also an official bounded locality of the

Shire of Mornington Peninsula The Shire of Mornington Peninsula is a local government area in southeastern Metropolitan Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is located to the south of the Melbourne City Centre. It has an area of 724 square kilometres and in June 2018 it had a ...

and is the only naval base to have a specific listing in the

Australian census The Census in Australia, officially the Census of Population and Housing, is the national census in Australia that occurs every five years. The census collects key demographic, social and economic data from all people in Australia on census nig ...

. HMAS ''Cerberus'' recorded a population of 1,124 at the . A section of the base centred around the Parade Ground was added to the

Australian Commonwealth Heritage List The Commonwealth Heritage List is a heritage register established in 2003, which lists places under the control of the Australian government, on land or in waters directly owned by the Crown (in Australia, the Crown in right of the Commonwealth ...

on 22 June 2004, known as the HMAS Cerberus Central Area Group.

History

The site for the ''Cerberus'' naval base on Hanns Inlet, between Sandy Point and Stony Point on

Western Port Bay Western Port, (Boonwurrung: ''Warn Marin'') commonly but unofficially known as Western Port Bay, is a large tidal bay in southern Victoria, Australia, opening into Bass Strait. It is the second largest bay in the state. Geographically, it is do ...

was purchased in 1911. The base was opened in September 1920 and became known as Flinders Naval Depot in 1921. The Post Office opened on 2 December 1912 as Flinders Naval Base, was renamed Flinders Naval Depot in 1925 and HMAS ''Cerberus'', Westernport in 1963. ''Cerberus'' now occupies most of Stony Point to the north and all of Sandy Point in the south. From 1930 until 1958, ''Cerberus'' was the home of the

Royal Australian Naval College The Royal Australian Naval College (RANC), commonly known as HMAS Creswell, is the naval academy of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). It consists of the RAN School of Survivability and Ship's Safety, Kalkara Flight, the Beecroft Weapons Range an ...

, until it was clear that the base was becoming overcrowded and the College was moved back to HMAS ''Creswell''. With the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, many temporary buildings were erected to facilitate the training of wartime recruits. Many of these buildings were later demolished or replaced.

Facilities and operational units

The primary role of HMAS ''Cerberus'' has always been the training of RAN personnel. With the establishment of four tri-service schools over the last 13 years, this role has been extended to training

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

and

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

personnel. Specific courses offered include: the School of Survivability and Ship Safety which specialises in fire fighting, damage control and nuclear/biological/chemical defence; and seamanship and weapons training. The base is also the home of the Recruit School – for all sailors their first contact with life in the RAN. HMAS ''Cerberus'' comprises numerous training and recreation facilities, two chapels and a small marina. Training is provided for about 6,000 personnel annually, averaging 800 trainees at any one time.

Training facilities

HMAS ''Cerberus'' currently host to the following naval training schools *RAN Recruit School *SSSS (School of Ship Safety and Survivability) Boatswains Faculty *Defence Force School of Signals – Maritime Communications and Information Systems Wing *Engineering Faculty *Medical Training School *Supply School *Gunnery School *Small Arms Training School *WTSS Range *ADF School of Physical Fitness *ADF School of Catering *ADF Dental School

Crib Point Satellite Earth Station

HMAS ''Cerberus'' hosts the only dedicated weather-related Satellite Earth station in Australia, founded in 1991 and operated by the

Bureau of Meteorology The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM or BoM) is an executive agency of the Australian Government responsible for providing weather services to Australia and surrounding areas. It was established in 1906 under the Meteorology Act, and brought together ...

(BoM) to service

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

's first Turn Around Ranging Station (C-TARS) and servicing geostationary meteorological satellites, servicing

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

's Himawari or GMS-4 and GMS-5. In August 016 the BoM installed through a contractor Av-Comm, the first Australian ground station for the Himawari 8 weather satellite service.

Recruit School

HMAS Cerberus 4 inch Mk VII gun training WWII AWM 306137

The RAN recruit school is where all full-time and reserve general entry sailors complete their training. The full-time recruit course is eleven weeks in duration, and gives sailors the skills and knowledge required to conduct basic duties in the RAN, and prepare them for their specialised roles. Recruits join the RAN in monthly intakes, and these recruits are placed into one of four divisions. The recruits stay with their division for the entire eleven-week course. Some of the training and education conducted in the recruit course are: * Teamwork exercises * Uniform wearing and maintenance * Drill and discipline * First aid * Survival at sea * Basic ship maintenance and corrosion control * Operation and proficiency on the service firearm, the F88 Austeyr * Ship and sea combat survivability * Physical training and fitness * Basic seamanship Part of the course includes a two-and-a-half-day sea familiarisation course.

Engineering Faculty

The engineering faculty is where Marine Technicians, Electronics Technicians, Marine Engineer Officers and Electronics Engineer Officers complete their employment training.

Sport

The base has an

Australian Rules Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

football team competing in the

Southern Football League The Southern League is a men's football competition featuring semi-professional clubs from the South and Midlands of England. Together with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League it forms levels seven and eight of the English fo ...

, as well as a hockey club competing in the

Hockey Victoria Hockey Victoria (HV) is the governing body for the sport of field hockey in Victoria, Australia. It is responsible for the administration of intrastate competitions, state representative teams, officials and the financial position of the sport. It ...

competition. Golfers play at th
Cerberus (HMAS Cerberus) Golf Club
on Stony Point Road.

Memorials and colours

Numerous memorials are at the base with many including

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

windows in the two chapels: Our Lady of the Sea (Catholic), and St Mark's (Anglican/interdenominational). St Mark's chapel also houses retired King's/Queen's colour flags of

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...

, and

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

References

External links

RAN HMAS Cerberus official websiteRAN Website for Recruit School
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cerberus Royal Australian Navy bases Military education and training in Australia Buildings and structures in the Shire of Mornington Peninsula Towns in Victoria (Australia) Coastal towns in Victoria (Australia) Western Port Earth stations in Australia 1921 establishments in Australia Military installations established in 1921 Military installations in Victoria (Australia) Commonwealth Heritage List places in Victoria Suburbs of the Shire of Mornington Peninsula