Navy Marks 109th Birthday With Historic Changes To Battle Honours

1 March 2010

The RAN is marking its anniversary with a welcome gift, announcing changes to ships' Battle Honours.

Campaign and battle honours are highly prized by ships, squadrons and establishments across the RAN. The large boards on which these honours are listed are proudly displayed, and by listing the operational achievements of all previous units of that name, they serve as a constant reminder of the Navy's past achievements. The earliest Australian award, New Zealand 1860-61, dates back to the Colonial period.

A recent review of the Royal Australian Navy's list of campaigns and battles proposed several new awards to reflect recent RAN operations. The review also identified prior anomalies where some ships had not received due recognition for their activities. The full revised list was approved by the Governor General last year.

The Chief of Navy VADM Russ Crane AO, CSM, RAN says Navy has much to be proud of on this special day.

"We should all take great pride in being a critical part of the Navy over the past 109 years," Vice Admiral Crane said.

"In a time of very high operational tempo the navy team, which includes our many civilian and commercial partners, continues to achieve and sustain the high standards set by those who went before us."

Newly commissioned unit battle honour boards will incorporate the changes from commissioning with the cost of the boards incorporated into the project budget.

Battle honour boards for units presently in commission will be progressively updated in accordance with normal protocols based on wear and tear. The cost will be borne by the relevant command using extant budget guidance.

Download the full Entitlements List (308KB, pdf) of RAN Ships & Units in line for changes to their campaign and battle honours.