The following is a list of Australians who have attained admiral rank within the Royal Australian Navy (RAN); that is, officers who have held the rank of admiral (four-star rank), vice admiral (three-star rank) or rear admiral (two-star rank). The Commonwealth Naval Forces were established on 1 March 1901, following the Federation of Australia, as Australia's naval force. The service was reorganised and re-titled as the RAN in 1911. William Creswell, regarded as the "father" of the RAN, was the service's first member to attain flag rank on being promoted to rear admiral in 1911; he later also became the first vice admiral (1922). In 1936, Sir George Hyde became the first officer to be promoted to full admiral, one of only eight members of the RAN to attain this rank as of July 2024. A further 29 individuals have reached vice admiral in the RAN and 144 rear admiral. Five officers have additionally retired with the honorary rank of rear admiral.
Admirals
The rank of admiral is the most senior rank within the RAN to which, excluding ceremonial appointments, any officer has been promoted. Only the five-star rank of admiral of the fleet is higher, but it has been held in only a ceremonial capacity. As there are currently no appointments in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) at the five-star level, there is no prospect of a RAN officer achieving the rank in a professional (i.e. non-ceremonial) capacity. With the current structure of the ADF, the rank of admiral is held only when an officer of the RAN is appointed as Chief of the Defence Force. There was, however, an exception to this when Michael Hudson was promoted to admiral on the day of his retirement in 1991 by Prime Minister Bob Hawke in recognition of his six years of service as Chief of the Naval Staff.
Admirals of the RAN are as follows:
Name Born Died Date promoted Senior command(s) Notes 1946 Chief of the Defence Force (1998–02), Vice Chief of the Defence Force (1997–98) 1934 2004 Chief of the Defence Force (1993–95), Vice Chief of the Defence Force (1989–92) * Chief of the Defence Force (2026–), Chief of Navy (2022–26) 1933 2005 Chief of Naval Staff (1985–91), Flag Officer Commanding HM Australian Fleet (1982–83) 1877 1937 First Naval Member, Australian Commonwealth Naval Board (1931–37), Rear Admiral Commanding HM Australian Squadron (1926–29) 1962 Chief of the Defence Force (2024–26), Vice Chief of the Defence Force (2018–24), Chief of Joint Operations (2014–18) 1913 1998 Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (1970–75), Chief of Naval Staff (1968–70), Flag Officer Commanding HM Australian Fleet (1966–67) 1922 2001 Chief of the Defence Force Staff (1979–82), Chief of Naval Staff (1976–79)
Vice admirals
Vice admiral is the highest permanent rank in the RAN. The rank of vice admiral is always held by the Chief of Navy, though is also held when a RAN officer is appointed as Vice Chief of the Defence Force, Chief of Joint Operations, Chief of Joint Capabilities or an equivalent position.
Vice admirals of the RAN are as follows:
Name Born Died Date promoted Senior command(s) Notes 1959 Chief of Navy (2014–18), Commander Australian Fleet (2011–14), Commander Border Protection Command (2010–11) * 1972 Chief of Navy (2026–), Deputy Chief of Navy (2025–26), Head of Nuclear Submarine Capability (2023–24), Head of Capability Nuclear-Powered Submarine Task Force (2022–23) 1904 1988 First Naval Member, Australian Commonwealth Naval Board (1959–62), Flag Officer Commanding HM Australian Fleet (1958–59; 1955–56) 1942 Chief of Navy (1997–99), Maritime Commander Australia (1993–95) 1859 1934 Third Naval Member (1911–22) 1899 1989 First Naval Member, Australian Commonwealth Naval Board (1948–55), Rear Admiral Commanding HM Australian Squadron (1945–46; 1944) 1954 Chief of Navy (2008–11), Deputy Chief of Navy (2006–08) 1852 1933 First Naval Member, Australian Commonwealth Naval Board (1911–19), Director, Commonwealth Naval Forces (1904–11) 1901 1969 Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (1959–61), First Naval Member, Australian Commonwealth Naval Board (1955–59) 1961 Vice Chief of the Defence Force (2014–18), Chief of Navy (2011–14) 1906 1965 First Naval Member, Australian Commonwealth Naval Board (1962–65), Flag Officer Commanding HM Australian Fleet (1959–62) * Chief of Joint Operations (2024–), Deputy Chief of Joint Operations (2024), Commander Maritime Border Command (2022–24) 1957 Chief Capability Development Group (2011–14) 1933 2024 Vice Chief of the Defence Force (1987–89), Flag Officer Commanding HM Australian Fleet (1985–87), Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (1984) 1928 2020 Chief of Naval Staff (1982–85), Chief of Naval Personnel (1989–82), Flag Officer Commanding HM Australian Fleet (1979–80) 1938 2020 Chief of Naval Staff (1991–94), Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (1990–91), Maritime Commander Australia (1989–90) 1908 1987 Chief of Naval Staff (1965–68), Flag Officer Commanding HM Australian Fleet (1962–64) 1965 Deputy Commander United Nations Command (2019–21) * 1964 Director-General Australian Submarine Agency (2023–), Chief of the Nuclear-Powered Submarine Task Force (2021–23), Chief of Joint Capabilities (2020–21), Commander Australian Fleet (2018–20) 1966 Chief of Navy (2018–22), Deputy Chief of Navy (2016–18), Commander Border Protection Command (2013–16) 1914 2010 First Naval Member, Australian Commonwealth Naval Board (1970–73), Flag Officer Commanding HM Australian Fleet (1967–68), Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (1965–67) 1949 Chief of Navy (2002–05), Deputy Chief of Navy (1999–00), Maritime Commander Australia (1997–99) 1948 Chief of Navy (1999–02) 1951 Chief of Navy (2005–08), Vice Chief of the Defence Force (2002–05) 1918 1998 First Naval Member, Australian Commonwealth Naval Board (1973–76), Flag Officer Commanding HM Australian Fleet (1970–71, 1972), Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (1968–70) 1940 2002 Chief of Navy (1997), Chief of Naval Staff (1994–97), Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (1991–94) 1956 Chief Capability Development Group (2007–10), Head Capability Systems (2005–07) 1941 2023 Vice Chief of the Defence Force (1995–97), Assistant Chief of Defence Force (Development) (1994–95), Maritime Commander Australia (1991–93), Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (1991) 1923 2003 Chief of Naval Staff (1979–82), Flag Officer Commanding HM Australian Fleet (1978–79)
Rear admirals
William Creswell was the first officer, on 1 March 1911, to attain the rank of rear admiral in the RAN. Creswell had started his career in the Royal Navy but, after immigrating to the Australian colonies, joined the South Australian Naval Forces in 1885. He transferred to the Commonwealth Naval Forces following the Federation of Australia in 1901 and became the RAN's first Director and, subsequently, First Naval Member; he is widely regarded as the "father" of the RAN. Percival McNeil, however, was the first rear admiral of the RAN (on promotion in 1934) to have been born in Australia and Robyn Walker, promoted in 2011, was the first woman to attain flag rank in the RAN.
Rear admirals of the RAN are as follows: