Hastings Harrington
Encyclopedia
Vice Admiral
Sir Wilfred Hastings "Arch" Harrington KBE
, CB
, DSO
(17 May 1906 – 17 December 1965) was a senior officer Royal Australian Navy
who went on to be First Naval Member & Chief of the Naval Staff
.
and the Royal Australian Naval College
, Harrington joined the Navy as a midshipman
in 1924. He served in World War II
initially in command of the sloop
HMAS Yarra
, in which he saw action off the coast of Shatt al-Arab in Iraq
in May 1941 and for which role he was mentioned in despatches. For his services in the War against Persia in August 1941 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
. In February 1942 he moved to the cruiser
HMAS Australia as Executive Officer, in which role he was again mentioned in dispatches, and in July 1944 he took command of the destroyer
HMAS Quiberon
.
Promoted to Captain in 1947, he was given command of the destroyer HMAS Warramunga
and in 1950 became Director of Manning at the Navy Office in Melbourne
. He took command of the aircraft carrier
HMAS Sydney in 1955, and following his promotion to Rear Admiral in 1957, he became Flag Officer, East Australia Area. He went on to be Second Naval Member of the Naval Board in 1958, Flag Officer commanding HM Australian Fleet
in 1959 and First Naval Member & Chief of Naval Staff
in 1962. He retired in February 1965 and died in Canberra Hospital
in December 1965. On 20 December, the ashes
of Vice Admiral Sir Hastings Harrington were scattered from HMAS Vampire
off the coast of Sydney.
Vice Admiral (Australia)
Vice admiral is the second-highest active rank of the Royal Australian Navy and was created as a direct equivalent of the British rank of vice admiral. It is a three-star rank...
Sir Wilfred Hastings "Arch" Harrington KBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(17 May 1906 – 17 December 1965) was a senior officer Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
who went on to be First Naval Member & Chief of the Naval Staff
Chief of Navy (Australia)
The Chief of Navy is the most senior appointment in the Royal Australian Navy, responsible to the Chief of the Defence Force and the Secretary of Defence...
.
Naval service
Born the son of Hubert Ernest Harrington, and his wife Laura Irene Barton, and educated at Wychbury Preparatory School in MaryboroughMaryborough, Queensland
Maryborough is a city located on the Mary River in South East Queensland, Australia, approximately north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city is serviced by the Bruce Highway, and has a population of approximately 22,000 . It is closely tied to its neighbour city Hervey Bay which is...
and the Royal Australian Naval College
HMAS Creswell
HMAS Creswell is a shore establishment of the Royal Australian Navy, a part of the Australian Defence Force, and consists of the Royal Australian Naval College , The RAN School of Survivability and Ship's Safety, Kalkara Flight, the Beecroft Weapons Range and an administrative support...
, Harrington joined the Navy as a midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
in 1924. He served in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
initially in command of the sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
HMAS Yarra
HMAS Yarra (U77)
HMAS Yarra , named for the Yarra River, was a Grimsby class sloop of the Royal Australian Navy that served during World War II. Commissioned in 1936, Yarra spent the early part of the war in Australian waters, then was transferred to the East Indies Station in 1940...
, in which he saw action off the coast of Shatt al-Arab in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
in May 1941 and for which role he was mentioned in despatches. For his services in the War against Persia in August 1941 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
. In February 1942 he moved to the cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
HMAS Australia as Executive Officer, in which role he was again mentioned in dispatches, and in July 1944 he took command of the destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
HMAS Quiberon
HMAS Quiberon (G81)
HMAS Quiberon was a Q class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy . Although built for the Royal Navy and remaining British property until 1950, Quiberon was one of two Q class destroyers commissioned into the RAN during World War II...
.
Promoted to Captain in 1947, he was given command of the destroyer HMAS Warramunga
HMAS Warramunga (I44)
HMAS Warramunga was a Tribal class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy . Built during World War II, the destroyer entered service in late 1942...
and in 1950 became Director of Manning at the Navy Office in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. He took command of the aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
HMAS Sydney in 1955, and following his promotion to Rear Admiral in 1957, he became Flag Officer, East Australia Area. He went on to be Second Naval Member of the Naval Board in 1958, Flag Officer commanding HM Australian Fleet
Commander Australian Fleet
Commander Australian Fleet , also referred to as Fleet Commander Australia , is a senior appointment in the Royal Australian Navy , holding full command of all Navy combat forces and responsibility for all maritime operations within the Australian Defence Force...
in 1959 and First Naval Member & Chief of Naval Staff
Chief of Navy (Australia)
The Chief of Navy is the most senior appointment in the Royal Australian Navy, responsible to the Chief of the Defence Force and the Secretary of Defence...
in 1962. He retired in February 1965 and died in Canberra Hospital
Canberra Hospital
The Canberra Hospital is a public hospital located in Garran, Canberra. It is a tertiary level centre with 500 beds and caters to a population of about 520,000...
in December 1965. On 20 December, the ashes
Cremation
Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
of Vice Admiral Sir Hastings Harrington were scattered from HMAS Vampire
HMAS Vampire (D11)
HMAS Vampire was the third of three Australian-built Daring class destroyers serving in the Royal Australian Navy . One of the first all-welded ships built in Australia, she was constructed at Cockatoo Island Dockyard between 1952 and 1959, and was commissioned into the RAN a day after...
off the coast of Sydney.