John Augustine Collins

Infobox Military Person
name= Sir John Augustine Collins
lived= 7 January 1899–3 September 1989
placeofbirth= Deloraine, Tasmania
placeofdeath= Sydney, New South Wales


caption= Captain John Collins in 1943
allegiance=Australia
branch=Royal Australian Navy
serviceyears= 1913–1955
rank= Vice Admiral
commands= Chief of Naval Staff
HMAS "Shropshire"
HMAS "Sydney"
battles= World War I
World War II
*Battle of the Mediterranean
*Bougainville Campaign
*Battle of Cape Gloucester
*Battle of Noemfoor
awards= Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Companion of the Order of the Bath
Mention in Despatches
laterwork= High Commissioner to New Zealand
Vice Admiral Sir John Augustine Collins KBE, CB (7 January 1899–3 September 1989) was a Royal Australian Navy officer who served in World War I and World War II, and who eventually rose to become a Vice Admiral and Chief of Staff of the RAN. Collins was one of the first graduates of the Royal Australian Naval College to attain flag rank. During World War II, he commanded the cruiser HMAS "Sydney" in the Mediterranean campaign. He led the Australian Naval Squadron in the Pacific theatre and was wounded in the first ever kamikaze attack, in 1944.

Early life and education

John Augustine Collins was born in Deloraine, Tasmania, in 1899. In 1913 at age 14, Collins joined the first intake to the RAN College. He became a midshipman in January 1917, in time to see war service while attached to the Royal Navy.

World War II

Collins' career advanced steadily between the world wars. At the outbreak of war in 1939 he held the positions of Assistant Chief of Naval Staff and Director of Military Intelligence.

In the early war years Collins commanded HMAS "Sydney" in the Battle of the Mediterranean. "Sydney" led Allied ships which sank a state-of-the-art Italian cruiser, "Bartolomeo Colleoni", in July 1940. For this action he was appointed a Companion of the Bath (CB). [LondonGazette|issue=34907|supp=yes|startpage=4653|date=26 July 1940|accessdate=2008-01-23]

Relations between the RAN and British Royal Navy were close at the time, with frequent exchanges of officers between the two and in June 1941, Collins was transferred to Singapore, as Assistant Chief of Staff to the British Naval Commander in Chief, China Command, Vice Admiral Geoffrey Layton.

Following the outbreak of war with Japan, Collins was appointed Commodore Commanding China Force, the RN-RAN cruiser and destroyer force based in Batavia, Dutch East Indies, under the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command.

After the fall of Singapore and the Allied defeat in the Battle of the Java Sea, it became clear that the Dutch East Indies would be occupied by Japan. Collins organised the evacuation of Allied civilians and military personnel from Batavia, and was on one of the last ships to leave, before the city fell, in March 1942. As a result he was Mentioned in Despatches, [LondonGazette|issue=35823|supp=yes|startpage=5461|date=11 December 1942|accessdate=2008-01-23] and was later made a Commander of the Dutch Order of Orange-Nassau.

Collins was then appointed Senior Naval Officer, Western Australia, based at Fremantle.

During 1943, Collins commanded HMAS "Shropshire" and took part in the Bougainville campaign, the Battle of Cape Gloucester, and operations off the Admiralty Islands and Hollandia (Dutch New Guinea).

In mid-1944, Collins was made commander of the Australian-US Navy Task Force 74, and commander of the Australian Naval Squadron, with HMAS "Australia" as his flagship. He became the first graduate of the RAN College to command a naval squadron in action, during the bombardment of Noemfoor, on 2 July 1944.

Collins was badly wounded in the first kamikaze attack in history, which hit "Australia" on October 21, 1944, in the lead up to the Battle of Leyte Gulf. He did not resume his command until July 1945. When the war ended Collins was the RAN’s representative at the surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay.

Post-war service and legacy

Collins was appointed Chief of Naval Staff in 1948 and held the position until 1955. He was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in the 1951 New Year Honours. [LondonGazette|issue=39105|supp=yes|startpage=35|date=29 December 1950|accessdate=2008-01-23] He later served as Australia’s High Commissioner to New Zealand (1956–1962).

The latest class of Australian submarine, the Collins class bears his name. The first of these, HMAS "Collins", was launched by his widow in 1993.

References

External links

* [http://www.navy.gov.au/Publication:Papers_in_Australian_Maritime_Affairs_No._17 "Collins, Sir John Augustine (1899-1989)" (RAN official biography)]
* [http://www.awm.gov.au/people/145.asp "Vice Admiral John Augustine Collins, KBE, CB" ("Who’s who in Australian Military History", Australian War Memorial)]
* [http://www.awm.gov.au/people/145.asp Australian War Memorial Biography]