Fleet Air Arm
Association of Australia
New Chief of Navy
31 March 2008
Rear Admiral Russell Crane, presently the Deputy Chief of Navy, will be promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral and appointed as the new Chief of Navy from next July.
He began his naval career as a Junior Recruit at HMAS Leeuwin in 1970, training as an electrical mechanic in aircraft communications and in 1971 he served aboard the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne.
Following selection for officer training in 1972, he began training as a seaman officer serving in numerous RAN establishments and ships including HMA Ships Anzac, Duchess, Sydney, Stalwart and Brisbane. He was awarded a full bridge watchkeeping certificate in 1975 while serving in HMAS Derwent.
He later pursued clearance diving as a sub specialisation, completing the mine warfare and clearance diving officers course at HMAS Penguin and HMS Vernon in UK during 1977.
In 1979 he was posted to HMAS Melbourne as the Carrier Air Group Explosive Ordnance Disposal Officer and as a bridge watchkeeping officer. In 1981, after a short period in charge of the RAN Experimental Diving Unit, Clearance Diving Team 2, Lieutenant Crane was posted to HMS Vernon as a Minewarfare Instructor on 2 years exchange service with the Royal Navy.
His later appointments included command of HMAS Curlew, executive office of HMAS Torrens and Navy Office (as the inaugural Project Director for the Australian Minehunter Coastal Project in 1991). In 1993 he was posted as Commanding Officer HMAS Derwent and later was posted as the Director of the Maritime Intelligence Centre in Sydney in late 1994.
He was promoted to Captain in January 1996 and appointed as the Chief Staff Officer Command and Control, Communications and Intelligence in Maritime Headquarters.
Captain Crane assumed command of HMAS Success on 24 November 1998 and was promoted to Commodore in March 2000 and posted to Australian Defence Headquarters in Canberra as the Director General Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare.
Promoted to Rear Admiral in May 2004, he served as Director General Coastwatch and the inaugural Commander of the newly-formed Joint Offshore Protection Command in January 2005. Rear Admiral Crane became the Deputy Chief of Navy in June 2006.
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