Deputy Chief of Navy (Australia)
Deputy head of the Royal Australian Navy
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
Deputy Chief of Naval Staff
Captain
Frank Getting
1940
1942[1]
Captain
Roy Dowling
September 1943
1944
Captain
David Harries
1944
1945[2]
Captain
Herbert Buchanan
DSO
October 1945
1946[3] [4]
Captain
Henry Burrell
October 1946
October 1948
Captain
Galfry Gatacre
DSC & Bar
October 1948
1951[5]
Captain
Alan McNicoll
GM
October 1951
1952[6]
Captain
Otto Becher
DSO , DSC & Bar
1952
1954[4]
Captain
Henry Burrell
1954
1954
Rear Admiral
Jack Mesley
LVO , DSC
1955
1957[2]
Rear Admiral
Galfry Gatacre
DSO , DSC & Bar
January 1957
January 1959[5]
Rear Admiral
Otto Becher
CBE , DSO , DSC & Bar
January 1959
1962[4]
Rear Admiral
Thomas Morrison
CBE , DSC
1962
1964[2]
Rear Admiral
Richard Peek
OBE , DSC
1965
1967
Rear Admiral
Victor Smith
CBE , DSC
1967
April 1968
Rear Admiral
David Stevenson
CBE
1968
1970
Rear Admiral
David Wells
CBE
1970
1971[7]
Rear Admiral
Anthony Synnot
CBE
1972
1973
Rear Admiral
William Dovers
CBE , DSC
1973
1975[4] [8] [9]
Rear Admiral
Geoffrey Gladstone
AO , DSC & Bar
1974[9]
1975[2]
Rear Admiral
Brian Murray
1975
1978[2]
Rear Admiral
Neil McDonald
AO
1978
1979[2]
Rear Admiral
John Stevens
1979
1981[7]
Rear Admiral
Peter Doyle
AO , OBE
1981
1982[4]
Rear Admiral
Geoffrey Woolrych
AO
1982
1983[7]
Rear Admiral
Ian Richards
AO
1983
1984[7]
Rear Admiral
Ian Knox
1984
1984
Rear Admiral
Neil Ralph
AO , DSC
1985
1989[10] [11]
Rear Admiral
Peter Sinclair
AO
1989
1989
Rear Admiral
Ken Doolan
1989
1990[4]
Rear Admiral
Ian MacDougall
July 1990
March 1991
Rear Admiral
Robert Walls
AM
1991
1991
Rear Admiral
Rodney Taylor
AO
November 1991
1994
Rear Admiral
David Campbell
AM
1994
1995[4]
Rear Admiral
Chris Barrie
AO
May 1996
June 1997
Deputy Chief of Navy
Rear Admiral
Chris Oxenbould
AO
1997
1999[7]
Rear Admiral
Chris Ritchie
AO
1999
1999[12]
Rear Admiral
Geoffrey Smith
AM
1999
2000[7]
Rear Admiral
Brian Adams
AM
June 2000
June 2002[4]
Rear Admiral
Rowan Moffitt
AM
June 2002
June 2004[2]
Rear Admiral
Max Hancock
AM
June 2004
June 2006[2]
Rear Admiral
Russ Crane
AM , CSM
June 2006
June 2008
Rear Admiral
Davyd Thomas
AO , CSC
June 2008
February 2011
Rear Admiral
Trevor Jones
AM , CSC
February 2011
2013
Rear Admiral
Michael van Balen
AO
2013
28 January 2016
Rear Admiral
Michael Noonan
AM
28 January 2016
23 March 2018
Rear Admiral
Mark Hammond
AM
23 March 2018
11 September 2020
Rear Admiral
Christopher Smith
CSM
11 September 2020[13]
16 December 2022
Rear Admiral
Jonathan Earley
CSC
16 December 2022
Incumbent
References
^ Getting Division , Royal Australian Navy Recruit School, HMAS Cerberus
^ a b c d e f g h Rear Admirals G-M , Admirals of the RAN
^ J. V. P. Goldrick, 'Buchanan, Herbert James (1902–1965)' , Australian Dictionary of Biography , Volume 13, Melbourne University Press , 1993, pp 286–287.
^ a b c d e f g h Rear Admirals A-F , Admirals of the RAN
^ a b 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 .
^ "McNicoll, Alan Wedel Ramsay" . Records Search . National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 5 April 2011 .[permanent dead link ]
^ a b c d e f Rear Admirals N-Z , Admirals of the RAN
^ Rear Admiral William John Dovers CBE DSC (born 1918) vs Rear Admiral William Anthony George Dovers CSC (born 1951) who was SO to DCNS
^ a b Dovers' end date is inconsistent with Gladstone's start date
^ 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
^ Australia Day Honours, 1987 Archived 3 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine , The Sydney Morning Herald , 26 January 1987
^ Vice Admirals , Admirals of the RAN
^ "Rear Admiral Christopher Smith" . Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 13 September 2020 .
Command Organisation
Ships and equipment
Current fleet (Anzac -class frigate , Adelaide -class frigate , Collins -class submarine , Canberra -class landing helicopter dock , Bay-class landing ship , Armidale -class patrol boat , Huon -class minehunter , HMAS Sirius , Leeuwin -class survey vessel , Paluma -class motor launch , Young Endeavour , Cape-class patrol boat )
All ships
Aircraft
Naval procurement programme
Equipment
Craft of Opportunity Program
Installations Personnel Current operations History Other Former entities