Vice Admiral Russell Harry Crane AM, CSM, RAN is the current Chief of the Royal Australian Navy.

Background

Russell Crane is the elder son of Harry & Nina Crane and older brother of Terry Crane. He has no sisters.

Russell was brought up in Southport on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.

During his early teenage years Russell was a cadet enlisted at Navy Sea-Cadet unit "TS Tyalgum" at Main Beach on the Gold Coast.

Service History

Russell began his naval career as a junior recruit at HMAS Leeuwin in 1970. Training as an Electrical Mechanic in aircraft communications, he was posted aboard the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne in 1971. Following selection for officer training in 1972, he began training as a Seaman Officer serving in numerous RAN establishments and ships, before receiving his commission.

He was appointed as Minehunting Control Officer in the minehunter HMAS Curlew, in 1978 and promoted to Lieutenant during the same year.

In 1983 he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander and appointed in command of Curlew. He was later appointed as the executive officer of the destroyer escort , then in 1988, promoted to Commander and posted to the Equipment Acquisition Division in Navy Office Canberra.

In 1993 he was posted as the commanding officer aboard HMAS Derwent, a destroyer escort based in Western Australia.

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. During his period in command Success conducted a number of deployments to the South East Asia region including, in September and October 1999, Operation Stabilise in support of peacekeeping operations in East Timor.

Awarded the Conspicuous Service Medal in early 2000 for his time in command HMAS Success, he 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, and was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in June 2007.

In March 2008, it was announced he would be promoted to Vice Admiral and assume the position of Chief of Navy on 4 July 2008.

Honours and Awards

	Member of the Order of Australia (AM)	Awarded June 2007
	Conspicuous Service Medal (CSM)	Awarded June 2000
	Australian Active Service Medal	with "EAST TIMOR" clasp
	International Force East Timor Medal
	Defence Force Service Medal with 4 clasps	35-39 years service
	Australian Defence Medal

References

1. Official Navy bio
2. Defence Leaders' bio
3. CN biography, accessed 2009-04-21
4. It's an honour - Conspicuous Service Medal - 12 June 2000
5. It's an honour - Member of the Order of Australia - 11 June 2007
6. New Defence leadership team announced

External links

• Official photo ( copyright)
• Defence Leaders page entry