Deputy Chief of Navy (Australia)

Last updated

Deputy Chief of the Royal Australian Navy
Incumbent
Rear Admiral Matthew Buckley
since 24 January 2025
Style Rear Admiral
AbbreviationDCN
Member of Royal Australian Navy
Reports to Chief of Navy
Website Official website

The Deputy Chief of Navy (DCN) is the second most senior appointment in the Royal Australian Navy, responsible to the Chief of Navy (CN). The rank associated with the position is rear admiral (2-star).

Appointees

The following list chronologically records those who have held the post of Deputy Chief of Navy or its preceding positions. Rank and honours are as at the completion of the individual's tours.

Rank
Name
Postnominal(s)
Term
began
Term
ended
Notes
Deputy Chief of Naval Staff
Captain Frank Getting 19401942 [1]
Captain Roy Dowling September 19431944
Captain David Harries 19441945 [2]
Captain Herbert Buchanan DSO October 19451946 [3] [4]
Captain Henry Burrell October 1946October 1948
Captain Galfry Gatacre DSC & Bar October 19481951 [5]
Captain Alan McNicoll GM October 19511952 [6]
Captain Otto Becher DSO, DSC & Bar 19521954 [4]
CaptainHenry Burrell19541954
Rear Admiral Jack Mesley LVO, DSC 19551957 [2]
Rear AdmiralGalfry Gatacre DSO, DSC & Bar January 1957January 1959 [5]
Rear AdmiralOtto Becher CBE, DSO, DSC & Bar January 19591962 [4]
Rear Admiral Thomas Morrison CBE, DSC 19621964 [2]
Rear Admiral Richard Peek OBE, DSC 19651967
Rear Admiral Victor Smith CBE, DSC 1967April 1968
Rear Admiral David Stevenson CBE 19681970
Rear Admiral David Wells CBE 19701971 [7]
Rear Admiral Anthony Synnot CBE 19721973
Rear Admiral William Dovers CBE, DSC 19731975 [4] [8] [9]
Rear Admiral Geoffrey Gladstone AO, DSC & Bar 1974 [9] 1975 [2]
Rear Admiral Brian Murray 19751978 [2]
Rear Admiral Neil McDonald AO 19781979 [2]
Rear Admiral John Stevens 19791981 [7]
Rear Admiral Peter Doyle AO, OBE 19811982 [4]
Rear Admiral Geoffrey Woolrych AO 19821983 [7]
Rear Admiral Ian Richards AO 19831984 [7]
Rear Admiral Ian Knox 19841984
Rear Admiral Neil Ralph AO, DSC 19851989 [10] [11]
Rear Admiral Peter Sinclair AO 19891989
Rear Admiral Ken Doolan 19891990 [4]
Rear Admiral Ian MacDougall July 1990March 1991
Rear Admiral Robert Walls AM 19911991
Rear Admiral Rodney Taylor AO November 19911994
Rear Admiral David Campbell AM 19941995 [4]
Rear Admiral Chris Barrie AO May 1996June 1997
Deputy Chief of Navy
Rear Admiral Chris Oxenbould AO 19971999 [7]
Rear Admiral Chris Ritchie AO 19991999 [12]
Rear Admiral Geoffrey Smith AM 19992000 [7]
Rear Admiral Brian Adams AM June 2000June 2002 [4]
Rear Admiral Rowan Moffitt AM June 2002June 2004 [2]
Rear Admiral Max Hancock AM June 2004June 2006 [2]
Rear Admiral Russ Crane AM, CSM June 2006June 2008
Rear Admiral Davyd Thomas AO, CSC June 2008February 2011
Rear Admiral Trevor Jones AM, CSC February 20112013
Rear Admiral Michael van Balen AO 201328 January 2016
Rear Admiral Michael Noonan AM 28 January 201623 March 2018
Rear Admiral Mark Hammond AM 23 March 201811 September 2020
Rear Admiral Christopher Smith CSM 11 September 202016 December 2022 [13]
Rear Admiral Jonathan Earley CSC 16 December 202228 June 2024
Commodore Eric Young CSC 28 June 202424 January 2025(Acting) [14] [15]
Rear Admiral Matt Buckley AM CSC 24 January 2025Incumbent [16]

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References

  1. Getting Division, Royal Australian Navy Recruit School, HMAS Cerberus
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Rear Admirals G-M, Admirals of the RAN
  3. J. V. P. Goldrick, 'Buchanan, Herbert James (1902–1965)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 13, Melbourne University Press, 1993, pp 286–287.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Rear Admirals A-F, Admirals of the RAN
  5. 1 2 Cooper, Alastair. "Gatacre, Galfry George Ormond (1907–1983)". Australian Dictionary of Biography . Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN   978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN   1833-7538. OCLC   70677943 . Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  6. "McNicoll, Alan Wedel Ramsay". Records Search. National Archives of Australia. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rear Admirals N-Z, Admirals of the RAN
  8. Rear Admiral William John Dovers CBE DSC (born 1918) vs Rear Admiral William Anthony George Dovers CSC (born 1951) who was SO to DCNS
  9. 1 2 Dovers' end date is inconsistent with Gladstone's start date
  10. A short biography of our national patron Archived 16 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine , Rear Admiral Neil Ralph ret'd, Vietnam Veterans' Association of Australia, Victorian Branch, www.vvaavic.org.au
  11. Australia Day Honours, 1987 Archived 3 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine , The Sydney Morning Herald, 26 January 1987
  12. Vice Admirals, Admirals of the RAN
  13. "Rear Admiral Christopher Smith". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  14. "Acting Deputy Chief of Navy, Commodore Eric Young". X. Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  15. "Commodore Eric Young". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  16. "Handing over the reins". Facebook. Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 24 January 2025.