Richard Peek (admiral)
Encyclopedia
Vice Admiral
Sir Richard Innes Peek KBE
, CB
, DSC
(30 July 1914 – 28 August 2010) was a senior officer in the Royal Australian Navy
, who served as First Naval Member
of the Australian Commonwealth Naval Board
from 1970 to 1973. On his retirement, he became a pastoralist at Cooma, New South Wales
in the hinterland around the Australian Capital Territory
.
training followed, with the Royal Navy
as was typical of the era, at Whale Island, Portsmouth
. He was consolidating his training as a gunnery officer, serving in HMS Revenge (06)
, at the outbreak of the Second World War.
In 1941 he returned to Australia and served as a Lieutenant gunnery officer in HMAS Hobart (D63) (Leander class
light cruiser
) at the Battle of the Coral Sea
, and later HMAS Australia (D84) (County class cruiser
) until 1944. While serving in HMAS Australia, Peek was injured during the kamikaze
attack at the Battle of Leyte Gulf
—that took the lives of Captain Emile Dechaineux
and thirty others—and for his efforts immediately after was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his "Skill, determination and courage" during the battle. Peek was additionally decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross
for "Gallantry and skill" during assault operations on the Lingayan Gulf
.
Lieutenant Commander Peek was posted to England after the war to undertake the Staff Course at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, and also led the RAN contingent at the London victory celebrations on 8 June 1946, then the following year he attended the Joint Services Staff College
.
After return to Australia Peek served in various positions before his promotion to commander. From 1951 he served as commanding officer of HMAS Shoalhaven (K535) (River class frigate
) and commander of the First Frigate Squadron, before going on to command HMAS Bataan (I91)
. During the
Korean War, he commanded the destroyer HMAS Tobruk (D37)
and for his service was awarded the United States
' Legion of Merit
.
From 1954 he served as Deputy Chief of Naval Personnel. After promotion to captain he again commanded HMAS Tobruk from 1956–1958 and was also Captain (Destroyers) of the 10th Destroyer Squadron. The ship was part of the Malayan Emergency
response. He was again posted to the Admiralty
, and he also completed the 1961 course at the Imperial Defence College. From 1962 he commanded the aircraft carrier
HMAS Sydney (R17), and then the aircraft carrier and RAN flagship
HMAS Melbourne (R21).
In 1964 he was promoted to rear admiral and appointed as the Fourth Naval Member and Chief of Supply of the Australian Commonwealth Naval Board
. From 1965–1967 he was Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, and from 1967 was Flag Officer Commanding HMA Fleet which included oversight of the British Commonwealth's Far East Strategic Reserve. During this period the RAN first participated in naval bombardment operations against North Vietnam, beginning with HMAS Hobart (D 39). In 1968, Peek was appointed as Second Naval Member and Chief of Personnel.
Peek was promoted to vice admiral
in 1970 on appointment as First Naval Member
. On 1 January 1971, he was appointment as a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB). He was further honoured, on 1 January 1972, when he was knighted via appointment as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE). During his three year tenure, the RAN's involvement in the Vietnam War
ended, and he was heavily involved in restructuring the Navy as a result of the decision by the Whitlam government
to combine the separate departments of the Navy
, Army
, and Air Force
into the Department of Defence
. Plans were well advanced for an Australian light destroyer
(designated "DDL") and an RAN replenishment ship. The Australian government changed in 1972 and, due to the new Whitlam government
's opposition to the planned DDL project, in August 1973 Peek advised the Government to not proceed.
near Cooma
in the hinterland near Canberra
, the national capital.
However, Peek also remained active in naval and military affairs, and campaigned for the welfare of veterans. His many activities included:
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 Richard Innes Peek 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...
, DSC
Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
(30 July 1914 – 28 August 2010) was a senior officer in the 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 served as First Naval Member
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...
of the Australian Commonwealth Naval Board
Australian Commonwealth Naval Board
The Australian Commonwealth Naval Board was the governing authority over the Royal Australian Navy from its inception and through World Wars I and II. The board was established on 1 March 1911 and consisted of civilian members of the Australian government as well as naval flag officers....
from 1970 to 1973. On his retirement, he became a pastoralist at Cooma, New South Wales
Cooma, New South Wales
-Education: is Cooma's only public high school, it serves the town and seven of the neighbouring rural towns and villages such as Berridale, Jindabyne, Nimmitabel, Bredbo and Dalgety....
in the hinterland around the Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
.
Naval career
Peek joined the Royal Australian Navy College in 1928 as a cadet midshipman and graduated with maximum honours. His specialist gunneryNaval artillery
Naval artillery, or naval riflery, is artillery mounted on a warship for use in naval warfare. Naval artillery has historically been used to engage either other ships, or targets on land; in the latter role it is currently termed naval gunfire fire support...
training followed, with the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
as was typical of the era, at Whale Island, Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
. He was consolidating his training as a gunnery officer, serving in HMS Revenge (06)
HMS Revenge (06)
HMS Revenge was the lead ship of the Revenge class of battleships of the Royal Navy, the ninth to bear the name. She was launched during World War I in 1915. Though the class is often referred to as the Royal Sovereign class, official documents of 1914–1918 refer to the class as the Revenge class...
, at the outbreak of the Second World War.
In 1941 he returned to Australia and served as a Lieutenant gunnery officer in HMAS Hobart (D63) (Leander class
Leander class cruiser (1931)
The Leander class was a class of eight light cruisers built for the Royal Navy in the early 1930s that saw service in World War II. They were named after mythological figures, and all ships were commissioned between 1933 and 1936...
light 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...
) at the Battle of the Coral Sea
Battle of the Coral Sea
The Battle of the Coral Sea, fought from 4–8 May 1942, was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied naval and air forces from the United States and Australia. The battle was the first fleet action in which aircraft carriers engaged...
, and later HMAS Australia (D84) (County class cruiser
County class cruiser
The County class was a class of heavy cruisers built for the British Royal Navy in the years between the First and Second World Wars. They were the first post-war cruiser construction for the Royal Navy and were designed within the limits of the Washington Naval Conference of 1922...
) until 1944. While serving in HMAS Australia, Peek was injured during the kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
attack at the Battle of Leyte Gulf
Battle of Leyte Gulf
The Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the "Battles for Leyte Gulf", and formerly known as the "Second Battle of the Philippine Sea", is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history.It was fought in waters...
—that took the lives of Captain Emile Dechaineux
Emile Dechaineux
Emile Frank Verlaine Dechaineux, DSC was an Australian mariner who achieved the rank of Captain in the Royal Australian Navy during World War II. He was killed by a Japanese aircraft in what is believed to be the first ever kamikaze attack, in the lead-up to the Battle of Leyte...
and thirty others—and for his efforts immediately after was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his "Skill, determination and courage" during the battle. Peek was additionally decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
for "Gallantry and skill" during assault operations on the Lingayan Gulf
Invasion of Lingayen Gulf
The Liberation of Lingayen Gulf was an Allied amphibious operation in the Philippines during World War II. In the early morning of 9 January 1945, an Allied force commanded by Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf began approaching the shores of Lingayen. U.S...
.
Lieutenant Commander Peek was posted to England after the war to undertake the Staff Course at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, and also led the RAN contingent at the London victory celebrations on 8 June 1946, then the following year he attended the Joint Services Staff College
Joint Services Staff College
Joint Services Staff College may refer to:* Joint Services Staff College , the former name of the "Joint Service Defence College"* Joint Services Staff College , the former name of the "Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies"...
.
After return to Australia Peek served in various positions before his promotion to commander. From 1951 he served as commanding officer of HMAS Shoalhaven (K535) (River class frigate
River class frigate
The River class frigate was a class of 151 frigates launched between 1941 and 1944 for use as anti-submarine convoy escorts in the North Atlantic....
) and commander of the First Frigate Squadron, before going on to command HMAS Bataan (I91)
HMAS Bataan (I91)
HMAS Bataan was a Tribal class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy . Laid down in 1942 and commissioned in 1945, the destroyer was originally to be named Chingilli or Kurnai but was renamed prior to launch in honour of the US stand during the Battle of Bataan.Although not completed in time to...
. During the
Korean War, he commanded the destroyer HMAS Tobruk (D37)
HMAS Tobruk (D37)
HMAS Tobruk was a Battle class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy . Built at Cockatoo Island, the destroyer was completed in 1950. Tobruk was deployed to the Korean War twice, and served with the Far East Strategic Reserve on three occasions during the late 1950s...
and for his service was awarded the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
' Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
.
From 1954 he served as Deputy Chief of Naval Personnel. After promotion to captain he again commanded HMAS Tobruk from 1956–1958 and was also Captain (Destroyers) of the 10th Destroyer Squadron. The ship was part of the Malayan Emergency
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....
response. He was again posted to the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
, and he also completed the 1961 course at the Imperial Defence College. From 1962 he commanded 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 (R17), and then the aircraft carrier and RAN flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
HMAS Melbourne (R21).
In 1964 he was promoted to rear admiral and appointed as the Fourth Naval Member and Chief of Supply of the Australian Commonwealth Naval Board
Australian Commonwealth Naval Board
The Australian Commonwealth Naval Board was the governing authority over the Royal Australian Navy from its inception and through World Wars I and II. The board was established on 1 March 1911 and consisted of civilian members of the Australian government as well as naval flag officers....
. From 1965–1967 he was Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, and from 1967 was Flag Officer Commanding HMA Fleet which included oversight of the British Commonwealth's Far East Strategic Reserve. During this period the RAN first participated in naval bombardment operations against North Vietnam, beginning with HMAS Hobart (D 39). In 1968, Peek was appointed as Second Naval Member and Chief of Personnel.
Peek was promoted to vice admiral
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...
in 1970 on appointment as First Naval Member
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...
. On 1 January 1971, he was appointment as a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB). He was further honoured, on 1 January 1972, when he was knighted via appointment as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE). During his three year tenure, the RAN's involvement in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
ended, and he was heavily involved in restructuring the Navy as a result of the decision by the Whitlam government
Gough Whitlam
Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...
to combine the separate departments of the 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...
, Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
, and Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
into the Department of Defence
Department of Defence (Australia)
The Australian Department of Defence is a Federal Government Department. It forms part of the Australian Defence Organisation along with the Australian Defence Force . The Defence mission is to defend Australia and its national interests...
. Plans were well advanced for an Australian light destroyer
Australian light destroyer project
The Australian light destroyer project aimed to build a class of small destroyers for the Royal Australian Navy . The project began in 1966 with the goal of developing simple light destroyers to support patrol boat operations...
(designated "DDL") and an RAN replenishment ship. The Australian government changed in 1972 and, due to the new Whitlam government
Gough Whitlam
Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...
's opposition to the planned DDL project, in August 1973 Peek advised the Government to not proceed.
Retirement and later life
Peek retired on 22 November 1973, and became a pastoralist in Monaro district of southern New South WalesNew South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
near Cooma
Cooma, New South Wales
-Education: is Cooma's only public high school, it serves the town and seven of the neighbouring rural towns and villages such as Berridale, Jindabyne, Nimmitabel, Bredbo and Dalgety....
in the hinterland near Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, the national capital.
However, Peek also remained active in naval and military affairs, and campaigned for the welfare of veterans. His many activities included:
- Navy League of Australia - member, Advisory Council
- In 2002, aged 87, he gave evidence at the Australian SenateAustralian SenateThe Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
inquiry into the "children overboard affairChildren overboard affairThe Children Overboard affair was an Australian political controversy involving public allegations by Howard government ministers in October 2001, in the lead-up to a federal election, that sea-faring asylum seekers had thrown children overboard in a presumed ploy to secure rescue and passage to...
", vigorously defending Commander Norm Banks, Commanding Officer of HMAS Adelaide (FFG 01)HMAS Adelaide (FFG 01)HMAS Adelaide was the lead ship of the Adelaide class of guided missile frigates built for the Royal Australian Navy, based on the United States Navy's Oliver Hazard Perry class frigates...
and the crew. - Championing the Far East Strategic Reserve Association.
- Patron of "A Just Australia", a lobby group for just policies and programs for refugees and asylum seekers
- In 2009, provided expert advice to the Australian ParliamentParliament of AustraliaThe Parliament of Australia, also known as the Commonwealth Parliament or Federal Parliament, is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It is bicameral, largely modelled in the Westminster tradition, but with some influences from the United States Congress...
regarding the 2009 Defence White Paper, Defending Australia in the Asia Pacific Century: Force 2030Defending Australia in the Asia Pacific Century: Force 2030Defending Australia in the Asia Pacific Century: Force 2030 is an Australian Government white paper released on 2 May 2009. The publication seeks to provide guidance for Australia's defence policy and the Australian Defence Force during the period 2009–2030.-Background:In 2000, the then Coalition...
.