Portal:Royal Australian Navy

War and the military Military of  Ancient Rome  Australia Bangladesh Canada Germany  Greece Pakistan Turkey United Kingdom (British Army Royal Air Force Royal Navy) United States ( Army Marine Corps Navy Air Force Coast Guard) … Military history of  Africa France the Ottoman Empire …… American Civil War American Revolutionary War Cold War Crusades Italian Wars Napoleonic Wars War of 1812 World War I World War II …… Battleships Biological warfare Submarine Tank Weapons of mass destruction …… NATO  Terrorism The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAN's stated mission is "to fight and win in the maritime environment as an element of a joint or combined force. To assist in maintaining Australia's sovereignty and to contribute to the security of our region." The RAN currently has nearly 14,420 personnel on active duty or in the Reserve and operates over 50 vessels, including frigates, submarines, patrol boats and auxiliary ships. The RAN is one of the most modern navies in the Pacific and is responsible for defending Australian waters and undertaking operations in distant locations. The Commonwealth Naval Forces were established on 1 March 1901, two months after the Federation of Australia. On 10 July 1911, King George V granted the title of Royal Australian Navy. The Royal Navy continued to provide blue water defence in the Pacific until World War II, when expansion of the RAN saw the acquisition of aircraft carriers, and other large surface vessels. Read more... 125px The Battle of Leyte Gulf was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought in the seas around the island of Leyte in the Philippines from October 23 to October 26, 1944. The Japanese intended to repel or destroy the Allied invasion of Leyte. Instead, the Allied navies inflicted a major defeat on the outnumbered Imperial Japanese Navy which finished it as a strategic force in the Pacific War. The battle is often considered to be the largest naval battle in history. Leyte Gulf was also the scene of the first use of kamikaze aircraft by the Japanese. The Australian heavy cruiser HMAS Australia was hit on 21 October, and organized suicide attacks by the "Special Attack Force" began on 25 October. In total Australia contributed around 10 warships and No. 10 Group RAAF which conducted ground attacks in the Southern Philippines. Photo credit: PH3 Chris Holmes USN HMAS Canberra launching her first Harpoon missile near the Pacific Missile Test Center, Point Mugu, California. Three UH-1 Iroquois helicopters provide aerial coverage of the launching. More anniversaries... Ordinary Seaman Teddy Sheean Ordinary Seaman Teddy Sheean was a sailor in the Royal Australian Navy during World War II. Teddy Sheean was posted on the Bathurst-class corvette HMAS Armidale in 1942 when it was given the task of landing commandos at Betano. On December 1 during the second attempt to reach Betano, Armidale came under attack. Teddy Sheean manned an Oerlikon Anti-aircraft gun and was wounded by strafing Japanese planes, he went down with the ship, still strapped into the gun and still shooting at the attacking aircraft. For his actions during the war the Collins Class submarine HMAS Sheean was named after him, with the motto "Fight On". 150px The Huon Class Minehunters are a group of minehunters built for the Royal Australian Navy to meet the need for an advanced mine detection platform to secure Australian waters. Originally designed in Italy as the Gaeta Class for the Italian Navy, the Huon Class has been modified to suit Australian conditions, including improved accommodation and mine hunting capabilities. 6 ships were built in total, all 6 were named after famous Australian rivers. Currently two vessels of the class are used as patrol boats. Here are some tasks awaiting attention: Expand : Royal Australian Navy –When a task is completed, please remove it from the list. Template:/box-header Template:/box-header The following Wikimedia sister projects provide more on this subject: What are portals? List of portals Featured portals