The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the naval branch of the

Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the Armed forces, military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia and its national interests. It consists of three branches: the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and the Royal Aus ...

(ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN)

Vice Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

Mark Hammond. The Chief of Navy is also jointly responsible to the Minister for Defence (MINDEF) and the Chief of the Defence Force (CDF). The Department of Defence, which is a part of the

Australian Public Service The Australian Public Service (APS) is the federal civil service of the Commonwealth of Australia responsible for the public administration, public policy, and public services of the departments and executive and statutory agencies of the G ...

, administers the ADF, and ergo, the Royal Australian Navy. In 2023, the Surface Fleet Review was introduced to outline the future of the Navy. The navy was formed in 1901 as the Commonwealth Naval Forces (CNF) through the amalgamation of the colonial navies of Australia following the

federation of Australia The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia (which also governed what is now the Northern Territory), and Wester ...

. Although it was originally intended for local defence, it became increasingly responsible for regional defence as the British Empire started to diminish its influence in the South Pacific. The Royal Australian Navy was initially a

green-water navy A green-water navy is a maritime force that is capable of operating in its state's littoral zones and has limited competency to operate in the surrounding marginal seas. It is a relatively new term, and has been created to better distinguish ...

, as the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

provided a blue-water force to the Australian Squadron, which the Australian and New Zealand governments helped to fund; the squadron was assigned to the

Australia Station The Australia Station was the British, and later Australian, naval command responsible for the waters around the Australian continent. Australia Station was under the command of the Commander-in-Chief, Australia Station, whose rank varied over t ...

. This period lasted until 1913, when naval ships purchased from Britain arrived, although the

British Admiralty The Admiralty was a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, department of the Government of the United Kingdom that was responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. Historically, its titular head was the Lord High Admiral of the ...

continued to provide blue-water defence capability in the Pacific and Indian Oceans up to the early years of the Second World War. During its history, the Royal Australian Navy has participated in a number of major wars, including the First and Second World Wars, Korean War, Malayan Emergency, Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation and the Vietnam War. As of 2024, the RAN consists of over 52 commissioned vessels, 11 non-commissioned vessels and over 16,000 personnel. The navy is one of the largest and most sophisticated naval forces in the South

Pacific region The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

, with a significant presence in the Indian Ocean and worldwide operations in support of military campaigns and peacekeeping missions.

History

Formation

The Commonwealth Naval Forces were established on 1 March 1901, with the amalgamation of the six separate colonial naval forces, following the

Federation of Australia The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia (which also governed what is now the Northern Territory), and Wester ...

. The Commonwealth Navy initially consisted of the former New South Wales, Victorian, Queensland, Western Australian, South Australian and Tasmanian ships and resources of their disbanded navies. The '' Defence Act 1903'' established the operation and command structure of the Commonwealth Navy. When policymakers sought to determine the newly established force's requirements and purpose, there were arguments about whether Australia's naval force would be structured mainly for local defence or designed to serve as a fleet unit within a larger imperial force, controlled centrally by the

.Dennis et al. 1995, p. 516. In 1908–09, a compromise solution was pursued, with the Australian government agreeing to establish a force for local defence but that would be capable of forming a fleet unit within the Royal Navy, albeit without central control. As a result, the navy's force structure was set at "one battlecruiser, three light cruisers, six destroyers and three submarines". The first of the Navy's new vessels, the destroyer HMAS Yarra, was completed in September 1910, and by the outbreak of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

the majority of the planned fleet had been realised.Whitley 2000, p. 17. On 10 July 1911, the Navy was renamed the Royal Australian Navy, with the approval of King

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. George w ...

World War I

Pacific

Following the British Empire's declaration of war on Germany, the

British War Office The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...

tasked the capture of

German New Guinea German New Guinea () consisted of the northeastern part of the island of New Guinea and several nearby island groups, and was part of the German colonial empire. The mainland part of the territory, called , became a German protectorate in 188 ...

to the

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national executive government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The executive consists of the pr ...

. This was to deprive the

Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the ''Kaiserliche Marine'' (Imperial Navy) was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for ...

East Asia Squadron The German East Asia Squadron () was an Imperial German Navy cruiser squadron which operated mainly in the Pacific Ocean between the mid-1890s until 1914, when it was destroyed at the Battle of the Falkland Islands. It was based at Germany's Ji ...

of regional intelligence by removing their access to wireless stations. On 11 August, three destroyers and HMAS ''Sydney'' prepared to engage the squadron at German Anchorages in New Guinea, which did not eventuate as the vessels were not present. Landing parties were placed on

Rabaul Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province ...

and Herbertshohe to destroy its German wireless station; however, the objective was found to be further inland and an expeditionary force was required. Meanwhile, HMAS ''Australia'' was tasked with scouring the Pacific Ocean for the German squadron. The

Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force The Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (AN&MEF) was a small volunteer force of approximately 2,000 men, raised in Australia shortly after the outbreak of World War I to seize and destroy German wireless stations in German New Guin ...

(ANMEF) began recruiting on the same day that the taskforce arrived in

New Britain New Britain () is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi Island, Umboi the Dampie ...

, and consisted of two battalions: one of 1,000 men, and the other with 500 serving and former seamen. On 19 August, the ANMEF departed

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

for training in

Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...

before the rendezvous with other RAN vessels in

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...

. On 29 August, four cruisers and HMAS ''Australia'' assisted New Zealand's Samoa Expeditionary Force in landing at

Apia Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga. The Apia Urban A ...

, and committing a bloodless takeover of German Samoa. Additionally, the RAN captured German merchant vessels, disrupting German merchant shipping in the Pacific. On 7 September, the ANMEF, now including HMAS ''Australia'', three destroyers, and two each of cruisers and submarines, departed for Rabaul. A few days later, on 9 September, HMAS ''Melbourne'' landed a party to destroy the island's wireless station, though the German administration promptly surrendered. Between 11 and 12 September, landings were put ashore at Kabakaul, Rabaul and Herbertshohe; it was during this period that the first Australian casualties and deaths of the war occurred. On 14 September, HMAS ''Encounter'' barraged an enemy position at Toma with shells; it was the first time the RAN had fired upon an enemy and had shelled an inland location. On 17 September, German New Guinea surrendered to the encroaching ANMEF, with the overall campaign a success and exceeded the objectives set by the War Office. However, the RAN submarine HMAS ''AE1'' became the first ever vessel of the new navy to be sunk. The Australian Squadron was placed under control of the

, and was moreover tasked with protecting Australian shipping. On 1 November, the RAN escorted the

First Australian Imperial Force The First Australian Imperial Force (1st AIF) was the main Expeditionary warfare, expeditionary force of the Australian Army during the First World War. It was formed as the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) following United Kingdom of Great Bri ...

convoy from Albany, WA and set for the

Khedivate of Egypt The Khedivate of Egypt ( or , ; ') was an autonomous tributary state of the Ottoman Empire, established and ruled by the Muhammad Ali Dynasty following the defeat and expulsion of Napoleon Bonaparte's forces which brought an end to the short- ...

, which was soon to become the

Sultanate of Egypt The Sultanate of Egypt () was a British protectorate in Egypt which existed from 1914, after the outbreak of World War I, to 1922, when it ceased to exist as a result of the Unilateral Declaration of Egyptian Independence. History Soon afte ...

. On 9 November, HMAS ''Sydney'' began hunting for SMS ''Emden'', a troublesome German coastal raider. The SMS ''Emden'' and HMAS ''Sydney'' met in the Battle of Cocos, the ''Emden'' was destroyed in Australia's first naval victory. Following the almost complete destruction of the East Asia Squadron in the Battle of the Falklands by the Royal Navy, the RAN became able to be reassigned to other naval theatres of the war.

Atlantic and Mediterranean

On 28 February 1915, the

Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train The Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train was a unique unit of the Royal Australian Navy. It was active only during the World War I, First World War, where it served in the Gallipoli Campaign, Gallipoli and the Sinai and Palestine Campaigns. The ...

(RANBT) was formed with members of the Royal Australian Naval Reserve who could not find billets in the RAN. Following the entrance of the Ottoman Empire in alliance with the Central Powers, HMAS ''AE2'' was committed to the initial naval operation of the Gallipoli campaign. After the failure of the naval strategy, an amphibious assault was planned to enable the Allies' warships to pass through the

Dardanelles The Dardanelles ( ; ; ), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli (after the Gallipoli peninsula) and in classical antiquity as the Hellespont ( ; ), is a narrow, natural strait and internationally significant waterway in northwestern Turkey th ...

and capture

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

. The RANBT was sent ashore, along with the invasion, for engineering duties. Later in the war, most of the RAN's major ships operated as part of

forces in the Mediterranean and North Seas, and then later in the Adriatic, and then the Black Sea following the surrender of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

Interwar years

In 1919, the RAN received a force of six destroyers, three sloops and six submarines from the Royal Navy, but throughout the 1920s and early 1930s, the RAN was drastically reduced in size due to a variety of factors including political apathy and economic hardship as a result of the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

.Gillett & Graham 1977, p. 61. In this time the focus of Australia's naval policy shifted from defence against invasion to trade protection,Dennis et al. 1995 p. 518. and several fleet units were sunk as targets or scrapped. By 1923, the size of the navy had fallen to eight vessels, and by the end of the decade it had fallen further to five, with just 3,500 personnel. In the late 1930s, as international tensions increased, the RAN was modernised and expanded, with the service receiving primacy of funding over the

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

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 army aviati ...

during this time as Australia began to prepare for war.

World War II

Early in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, RAN ships again operated as part of Royal Navy formations, many serving with distinction in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

, the

Red Sea The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...

, the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

, the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

, and off the West African coast. Following the outbreak of the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...

and the virtual destruction of Allied naval forces in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

, the RAN operated more independently, defending against Axis naval activity in Australian waters, or participating in

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

offensives. As the navy took on an even greater role, it was expanded significantly and at its height the RAN was the fourth-largest navy in the world, with 39,650 personnel operating 337 warships, but no active submarines. A total of 34 vessels were lost during the war, including three cruisers and four destroyers.

Post war to present

After the Second World War, the size of the RAN was again reduced, but it gained new capabilities with the acquisition of two aircraft carriers, ''Sydney'' and ''Melbourne''. The RAN saw action in many

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

–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, operating in support of

Operation Slipper The Australian contribution to the War in Afghanistan (2001-present), war in Afghanistan has been known as Operation Slipper (2001–2014) and Operation Highroad (2015–2021). Australian Defence Force (ADF) operations and the size of the force ...

and undertaking counter piracy operations. It was also deployed in support of Australian peacekeeping operations in

East Timor Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...

and the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...

. The high demand for personnel in the Second World War led to the establishment of the

Women's Royal Australian Naval Service The Women's Royal Australian Naval Service (WRANS) was the women's branch of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). In 1941, fourteen members of the civilian Women's Emergency Signalling Corps (WESC) were recruited for wireless telegraphy work at ...

(WRANS) branch in 1942, where over 3,000 women served in shore-based positions. The WRANS was disbanded in 1947, but then re-established in 1951 during the Cold War. It was given permanent status in 1959, and the RAN was the final branch to integrate women in the Australian military in 1985.Dennis et al. 1995, pp. 607–608.

Structure

Command structure

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 Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

. 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: fleet command is led by

Commander Australian Fleet The Fleet Command is responsible for the command, operations, readiness, training and force generation of all ships, submarines, aircraft squadrons, diving teams, and shore establishments of the Royal Australian Navy. Fleet Command is headquarte ...

(COMAUSFLT). COMAUSFLT holds the rank of

rear admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

; previously, this post was Flag Officer Commanding HM's Australian Fleet (FOCAF), created in 1911, but the title was changed in 1988 to the Maritime Commander Australia. On 1 February 2007, the title changed again, becoming Commander Australian Fleet. The nominated at-sea commander is Commodore Warfare (COMWAR), a one-star deployable task group commander. Fleet command has responsibility to CN for the full command of assigned assets, and to Joint Operations command for the provision of operationally ready forces. * Navy Strategic Command: the administrative element overseeing the RAN's training, engineering and logistical support needs. Instituted in 2000, the Systems Commander was appointed at the rank of

commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (India), in India ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ' ...

; in June 2008, the position was upgraded to the rank of rear admiral. 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: *

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, RN fighting arms. it is a primarily helicopter force, though also operating the Lockhee ...

(previously known as the Australian Navy Aviation Group), responsible for the navy's aviation assets and capability. As of 2018, the FAA consists of two front line helicopter squadrons (one focused on anti-submarine and anti-shipping warfare and the other a transport unit), two training squadrons and a trials squadron. * Mine Warfare, Clearance Diving, Hydrographic, Meteorological and Patrol Forces, an amalgamation of the previous

Patrol Boat A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval ship, naval vessel generally designed for Coastal defence and fortification, coastal defence, Border control, border security, or law ...

, Hydrographic, and Mine Warfare and Clearance Diving Forces, operating what are collectively termed the RAN's "minor war vessels" * Submarine Force, (Royal Australian Navy Submarine Service) operating the s * Surface Force, covering the RAN's surface combatants (generally ships of

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

size or larger)

Fleet

The Royal Australian Navy consists of over 50 commissioned vessels and over 16,000 personnel. 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: the first,

Fleet Base East Fleet Base East is a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) major fleet base that comprises several naval establishments and facilities clustered around Sydney Harbour, centred on HMAS ''Kuttabul''. Fleet Base East extends beyond the borders of ''Kuttabu ...

, is located at , Sydney and the second, Fleet Base West, is located at , near Perth. In addition, three other bases are home to the majority of the RAN's minor war vessels: , in Cairns, , in Darwin, and , in Sydney.

Clearance Diving Branch

Clearance Diving Team 1 - HYDRACRAB 2019

The Clearance Diving Branch is composed of two ''Clearance Diving Teams'' (CDT) that serve as parent units for naval clearance divers: * Clearance Diving Team 1 (AUSCDT ONE), based at HMAS ''Waterhen'' in

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

; and * Clearance Diving Team 4 (AUSCDT FOUR), based at HMAS ''Stirling'' in Western Australia. When clearance divers are sent into combat, Clearance Diving Team Three (AUSCDT THREE) is formed. The CDTs have two primary roles: * Mine counter-measures (MCM) and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD); and * Maritime tactical operations.

Personnel

Able Seaman Maritime Logistics-Support Operations Codie-Lee Reid on HMAS Canberra at RIMPAC 2016

As of June 2023, the RAN has 14,745 permanent full-time personnel, 172 gap-year personnel, and 4,607 reserve personnel. The permanent full-time trained force consists of 3,070 commissioned officers, and 9,695 enlisted personnel. Male personnel made up 75.9% of the permanent full-time force, while female personnel made up 24%. The RAN has the second-highest percentage of women in the permanent forces, compared to the RAAF's 26.6% and the Army's 15.3%. Throughout the 2022-23 financial year 1,141 enlisted in the RAN on a permanent basis while 1,354 left, representing a net loss of 213 personnel. The following are some of the current senior Royal Australian Navy officers: *

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

David Johnston – Chief of the Defence Force * Vice Admiral Mark Hammond – Chief of Navy *Vice Admiral Jonathan Mead – Chief Nuclear-Powered Submarine Taskforce *

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

Jonathan Earley – Deputy Chief of Navy * Rear Admiral Christopher Smith –

*Rear Admiral Matthew Buckley – Head Nuclear-Powered Submarine Capability * Rear Admiral Stephen Hughes – Head Navy Capability * Rear Admiral Rachel Durbin – Head Navy Engineering * Rear Admiral David Greaves – Director-General Australian Navy Cadets *

Warrant Officer Warrant officer (WO) is a Military rank, rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ...

Andrew Bertoncin –

Warrant Officer of the Navy Warrant Officer of the Navy (WO-N) is the most senior sailor in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). It is a singular appointment, being only held by one person at any time. The special insignia for the WO-N is the Australian coat of arms with a wr ...

Ranks and uniforms

Safety briefing aboard HMAS Tobruk in 2010

Commissioned Officers

Commissioned officers of the Australian Navy have pay grades ranging from S-1 to O-10. The highest rank achievable in the current Royal Australian Navy structure is O-10, an admiral who serves as the Chief of the Defence Force (CDF) when the position is held by a Naval Officer. The navy has a O-11 position

Admiral of the Fleet An admiral of the fleet or shortened to fleet admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to field marshal and marshal of the air force. An admiral of the fleet is typically senior to an admiral. It is also a generic ter ...

that is honorary and is currently held by

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

King of Australia The monarchy of Australia is a key component of politics of Australia, Australia's form of government, by which a hereditary monarch serves as the country's sovereign and head of state. It is a constitutional monarchy, modelled on the Westmi ...

. O-8 (rear admiral) to O-11 (admiral of the fleet) are referred to as

flag officer A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which that officer exercises command. Different countries use the term "flag officer" in different ways: * ...

s, O-5 (commander) and above are referred to as senior officers, while S-1 (midshipman) to O-4 (lieutenant commander) are referred to as

junior officer Junior officer, company officer or company grade officer refers to the lowest operational commissioned officer category of ranks in a military or paramilitary organization, ranking above non-commissioned officers and below senior officers. D ...

s. All RAN Officers are issued a commission by the

Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

as Commander-in-Chief on behalf of His Majesty King Charles III. Naval officers are trained at the Royal Australian Naval College (HMAS ''Creswell'') in

Jervis Bay Jervis Bay () is a oceanic bay and village in the Jervis Bay Territory and on the South Coast (New South Wales), South Coast of New South Wales, Australia. A area of land around the southern headland of the bay, known as the Jervis Bay Terri ...

as well as the

Australian Defence Force Academy The Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) is a tri-service military academy that provides military and Tertiary education in Australia, academic education for junior officers of the Australian Defence Force in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) ...

in Canberra.

Sailors

Rate Insignia

Royal Australian Navy Other Ranks wear "right arm rates" insignia, called "Category Insignia" to indicate specialty training qualifications. This is a holdover from the Royal Navy.

Special insignia

The

(WO-N) is an appointment held by the most senior sailor in the RAN and holds the rank of warrant officer (WO). However, the WO-N does not wear the WO rank insignia; instead, they wear the special insignia of the appointment. The WO-N appointment has similar equivalent appointments in the other services, each holding the rank of warrant officer, each being the most senior sailor/soldier/airman in that service, and each wearing their own special insignia rather than their rank insignia. The Australian Army equivalent is the Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army (RSM-A) and the Royal Australian Air Force equivalent is the

Warrant Officer of the Air Force Warrant Officer of the Air Force (WOFF-AF) is the senior Warrant Officer in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). It is a singular appointment, being it is only held by one person at any time. The special insignia for the WOFF-AF is the Austral ...

(WOFF-AF).

Chaplains and Maritime Spiritual Wellbeing Officers

Royal Australian Navy Chaplain and MSWO Rank Insignia

Chaplains in the Royal Australian Navy are commissioned officers who complete the same training as other officers in the RAN at the Royal Australian Naval College, HMAS Creswell. From July 2020, Maritime Spiritual Wellbeing Officers (MSWOs) were introduced to the Navy Chaplaincy Branch, designed to give Navy people and their families with professional, non-religious pastoral care and spiritual support. In the Royal Australian Navy, Chaplains and MSWOs are commissioned officers without rank. For reasons of protocol, ceremonial occasions and for saluting purposes, they are, where appropriate, normally grouped with Commanders (O-5). The more senior Division 4 Senior Chaplains are grouped with Captains (O-6) and Division 5 Principal Chaplains are grouped with Commodores (O-7), but their rank slide remains the same. Principal Chaplains and MSWOs, however, have gold braid on the peak of their white service cap. From January 2021, MSWOs and all chaplains wear the branch's new non-faith-specific rank insignia of a fouled anchor overlaying a compass rose, which represents a united team front, encompassing all faiths and purpose. Chaplains and MSWOs have insignia that reflect their religion on collar mounted patches (Cross for Christian, Crescent for Muslim etc, Compass rose for MSWOs.)

Ships and equipment

Current ships

The RAN currently operates 33 commissioned vessels, made up of 10 ship classes, plus 12 non-commissioned vessels. In addition, DMS Maritime operates a large number of civilian-crewed vessels under contract to the Australian Defence Force.

Fleet Air Arm

Small arms

RAN personnel utilise the following small arms: * EF88 Austeyr * F89A1 Minimi *

Browning Hi-Power The Browning Hi-Power is a single-action, semi-automatic pistol available in the 9×19mm Parabellum and .40 S&W calibers. It was based on a design by American firearms inventor John Browning, and completed by Dieudonné Saive at FN Herstal. ...

* 870P Shotgun * M2HB-QCB * M4A1 carbine * MAG 58

Future

There are currently several major projects underway that will see upgrades to RAN capabilities. *''Project SEA 1180 Phase 1'' is building six s based on the

Lürssen Lürssen (or Lürssen Werft) is a German shipyard with headquarters in Bremen-Vegesack and shipbuilding facilities in Lemwerder, Berne and Bremen-Fähr-Lobbendorf. Lürssen designs and constructs yachts, naval ships and special vessels. Tradin ...

OPV80 design, to replace ''Armidale''-class patrol boats. Construction started in November 2018, with the first vessel, HMAS ''Arafura'' to enter service in 2022. *''Project SEA 1905'' is the acquisition of a further two ''Arafura''-class offshore patrol vessels in a mine counter-measures configuration. * ''Project SEA 1654 Phase 3'' acquired two replenishment ships based on the Spanish ''Cantabria''-class oiler. HMAS ''Supply'' was launched in November 2018 and replaced , while the second, HMAS ''Stalwart'' replaced HMAS ''Sirius''. *''Project SEA 1445 Phase 1'' is the acquisition of ten Evolved patrol boats to be built by

Austal Austal Limited is an Australian-based global ship building company and defence prime contractor that specialises in the design, construction and support of defence and commercial vessels. Austal's product range includes naval vessels, High-spee ...

in Henderson. The RAN decided to acquire the Evolved boats instead of extending the life of six patrol boats as it transitions to the new offshore patrol vessel. *''Project SEA 3000'' is the General Purpose Frigate program aimed to replace the ''Anzac-''class frigates in the Tier 2 role. *''Project SEA 4000 Phase 6'' will upgrade the existing three ''Hobart-class'' destroyers with Aegis Baseline 9 combat system. *''Project SEA 5000 Phase 1'' is acquiring six s based on the British Type 26 Global Combat Ship, to replace the ''Anzac''-class frigates in the Tier 1 ASW role from 2034. The vessels will be built in Adelaide by BAE Systems, with the first three to be named HMA Ships ''Hunter'', ''Flinders'' and ''Tasman''. *''Surface Fleet Review'' announced the acquisition of six ''Large Optionally Crewed Surface Vessels (LOSVs)'' which will be constructed in partnership with the

Submarines

*''Project SEA 1429 Phase 2'' is upgrading the s with the Mk48 Mod 7 CBASS torpedo. Initial Operational Capability (IOC) was achieved in May 2008 with Final Operational Capability (FOC) due in December 2018, 60 months late. *''Project SEA 1439 Phase 3'' is upgrading the ''Collins''-class submarine platform systems to improve 'reliability, sustainability, safety and capability'. IOC was achieved in October 2007, FOC is due in September 2022. *''Project SEA 1439 Phase 4A'' is replacing the ''Collins''-class submarines' combat system with the AN/BYG-1(V)8 developed in conjunction with the US Navy IOC Expected to achieve Final Operating Capability in December 2018. IOC was in May 2008 with FOC planned for December 2018. * ''Project SEA 1450'': In September 2021, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the ''Collins''-class submarines will receive a Life of Type Extension (LOTE) from 2026 that will cost up to A$6.4 billion. *

SSN-AUKUS The SSN-AUKUS, also known as the SSN-A, is a planned class of nuclear-powered attack submarine ( SSN) intended to enter service with the United Kingdom's Royal Navy in the late 2030s and Royal Australian Navy in the early 2040s. The class will ...

: In March 2023, Prime Minister

Anthony Albanese Anthony Norman Albanese ( or ; born 2 March 1963) is an Australian politician serving as the 31st and current prime minister of Australia since 2022. He has been the Leaders of the Australian Labor Party#Leader, leader of the Labor Party si ...

announced that Australia will build nuclear-powered SSN-AUKUS class submarines. The UK Submersible Ship Nuclear Replacement (SSNR) design was renamed SSN-AUKUS in March 2023, under the

AUKUS AUKUS ( ), also styled as Aukus, is a trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States intended to "promote a free and open Indo-Pacific that is secure and stable." Initially announced on 15 September ...

trilateral security partnership, when Australia joined the project and additional US technology was incorporated into the design. The construction of the first boat is to begin by the end of the 2030s with the boat delivered in the early 2040s. Five boats are planned to be built. * : In March 2023, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that Australia intends to purchase three nuclear-powered ''Virginia'' class submarines from the US, subject to congressional approval, to ensure there is no capability gap as the RAN transitions to the SSN-AUKUS. This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence. The first boat is planned to be delivered in 2033. If there are delays with the SSN-AUKUS class program, Australia has the option of purchasing up to two additional ''Virginia'' class boats. * East coast base: In March 2022, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that a "new submarine base will be built on the east coast of Australia" and "three preferred locations on the east coast have been identified, being

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

, and Port Kembla".

Current operations

The RAN currently has forces deployed on seven major operations: * Operation Resolute: border protection and fisheries patrol. * Operation Manitou: counter-piracy, counterterrorism and maritime stability in the Middle East and * Operation Accordion: support operation to provide sustainment to forces deployed on Operation Manitou. * Operation Solania: contribute to maritime surveillance in the Pacific. * Operation Gateway: operate maritime patrols in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea, alongside Malaysia. * Operation Render Safe: safely dispose of remnant explosives of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

on Pacific nations. * Operation Dyurra: integrate space capabilities into other operations.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * * *

External links

*
Historical listing of RAN ships

Biographies of senior RAN officers

Royal and Dominion Navies in World War II, Campaigns, Battles, Warship losses

ADF Pay & Conditions Manual – Equivalent ranks and classifications
{{Authority control 1901 establishments in Australia Military units and formations established in 1901 Organisations based in Australia with royal patronage

History

Formation

World War I

Pacific

Atlantic and Mediterranean

Interwar years

World War II

Post war to present

Structure

Command structure

Fleet

Clearance Diving Branch

Personnel

Ranks and uniforms

Commissioned Officers

Sailors

Rate Insignia

Special insignia

Chaplains and Maritime Spiritual Wellbeing Officers

Ships and equipment

Current ships

Fleet Air Arm

Small arms

Future

Submarines

Current operations

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links