HMAS Creswell
HMAS Creswell | |
---|---|
Jervis Bay, Jervis Bay Territory in Australia | |
Coordinates | 35°07′32″S 150°42′28″E / 35.12556°S 150.70778°E |
Site information | |
Owner | Department of Defence |
Operator | Royal Australian Navy (1914 – 1931) Royal Australian Navy (1967 – present) |
Open to the public | No[1] |
Website | www |
Site history | |
Built | 1915 |
Garrison information | |
Current commander | Captain Dugald Clelland, RAN |
Occupants |
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HMAS Creswell, is the training facility of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) that predominately includes The Royal Australian Naval College (RANC) as well as the School of Survivability and Ship's Safety, the Beecroft Weapons Range, an administrative support department and Training Ship Jervis Bay. It is located between Jervis Bay Village and Greenpatch, on the shores of Jervis Bay in the Jervis Bay Territory. The RANC has been the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Australian Navy since 1915.
As of January 2022[update], the commanding officer of Creswell is Captain Dugald Clelland, RAN.
History
On 7 November 1911, the
Construction of the main college buildings was completed in 1915. The senior staff bungalows were designed by
The first intake consisted of 13-year old boys, who stayed at the college for four years. The first graduation parade took place on 12 December 1916, before the
The RANC, then consisting of the first two entries of cadet midshipmen, moved to Jervis Bay on 10 February 1915. To reduce costs during the
The Royal Australian Naval College (RANC) at Creswell is the Australian authority for the basic and leadership training of officers for service in the Royal Australian Navy. The main course run by the College is the 15-week New Entry Officers' Course, which provides initial entry training for most of the RAN's officers.[5] The RANC also conducts the residential component of the Reserve Entry Officers' Course.[6] Further training for officers such as the Junior Officers' Leadership Course and the Junior Officers' Management and Staff Course also take place at the RANC; and there is the one-week residential Undergraduate Entry Officers' Course that provides junior officers who are undertaking university studies, to have a fundamental understanding of the Navy.[7]
New Entry Officers' Course
The New Entry Officers' Course (NEOC) is undertaken by direct entry officers, graduate entry officers, and candidates[5] who intend to proceed to the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) to gain their degree. Generally, trainees who have no university education or a three-year degree enter the college as Midshipmen, whilst trainees with significant experience or more university education enter as Sub-Lieutenants, Lieutenants and Chaplains. Under the Naval Officer Year One (NOYO) scheme introduced in 2000, Midshipmen attending ADFA spend their first year on NEOC and, for Junior Warfare and Supply Officers, on initial phases of their respective application courses before progressing to the Academy.
After completing training at the College, officers proceed to other establishments for primary qualification training. Locations include
Subjects studied at NEOC include:[5]
- Military training, including drill, discipline, command, wearing of the uniform, parade and ceremony
- Proficiency on the ADF's service firearm, the F88 Austeyr
- Physical training and fitness
- RAN History
- Survival at sea
- Sea combat survivability
- Naval weapons and technology
- Maritime studies including boatwork and basic seamanship
- Leadership and command studies
- RAN rank, organisational and operational structure
The course includes two periods of sea training:
- One week sea familiarisation course, where the basics of seamanship taught in the classroom are applied in practice
- Four week Sea Training Deployment, where the trainees become crew members of a Major Fleet Unit, and accompany the ship for whatever activities it is undertaking at the time
Notable RANC graduates
- Rear Admiral Otto Becher RAN
- Captain Joseph Burnett RAN
- Vice Admiral CB, RAN
- Captain Emile Frank Verlaine Dechaineux DSC, RAN
- Rear Admiral MVO, RAN
- Rear Admiral DSO, RAN
- Commodore
- Lieutenant Commander Robert William "Oscar" Rankin RAN
- Captain Bar, RAN
Other facilities
RAN School of Ship Survivability and Safety
The RAN School of Ship Survivability and Safety, colloquially known as the "school of many S's", is the primary
Beecroft Weapons Range
Beecroft Weapons Range, located on Beecroft Head, is a live fire range for conducting
Training Ship Jervis Bay
The Australian Navy Cadet unit TS Jervis Bay operates from the western end of HMAS Creswell.[8]
See also
References
- ^ "Captains Beach". Visit NSW. NSW Government. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ Site for Naval College, Jervis Bay. National Archives of Australia.
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ignored (help) - ^ Royal Australian Naval College – Inspection and report on sites and suggested sites. National Archives of Australia.
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ignored (help) - ^ Australia's Argonauts: The remarkable story of the first class to enter the Royal Australian Naval College. Canberra: Echo Books. 2016. p. 89.
- ^ a b c "New Entry Officers' Course". Royal Australian Navy. Australian Government. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
- ^ "Reserve Entry Officers' Course". Royal Australian Navy. Australian Government. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
- ^ "Undergraduate Entry Officers' Course". Royal Australian Navy. Australian Government. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
- ^ "Training Ship Jervis Bay". Australian Navy Cadets. Department of Defence. Retrieved 28 November 2023.