Robert William Rankin
| Robert Rankin | |
|---|---|
Robert Rankin as a lieutenant at an unknown date.
|
|
| Born | 3 June 1907 Cobar, New South Wales |
| Died | 4 March 1942 (aged 34) Indian Ocean |
| Allegiance |
 Australia
|
| Service/branch |
 Royal Australian Navy
|
| Years of service | 1921–1942 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Commander |
| Commands held | HMAS Yarra |
| Battles/wars | |
Robert William Rankin (3 June 1907 – 4 March 1942) was a Royal Australian Navy officer who was killed in action during the Second World War. He is one of six people to have a Collins class submarine named after him.
Rankin was born in Cobar, New South Wales.
Rankin entered the Royal Australian Naval College in 1921. He gained his Colours in Rugby, and prizes for mathematics and engineering.
Graduating in 1924, he joined his first ship, the cruiser HMAS Brisbane, in 1925. He completed the Junior Officers War Course, at Greenwich, in Britain, graduating as one of six sub-lieutenants who “received their Lordship’s appreciation of essays written.” Serving in a range of ships, in the normal style of developing his general abilities, he was promoted to Lieutenant in 1929, and ended the 1920s with a posting as Assistant Torpedo Officer in the cruiser HMAS Canberra, where he also gained his watchkeeping certificate. He then was posted to HMAS Anzac. He applied to specialise in Communications, without success.
A shore posting to HMAS Cerberus followed, and by January 1934 Rankin was specialising in surveying, appointed as Assistant Surveyor 4th Class
Rankin joined HMAS Moresby on 18 January and assisted in charting the waters of Australian and New Guinea. In 1936 he expressed a desire to return to general duties, despite gaining his qualification as Assistant Surveyor 3rd Class the previous July. This was denied, with the order to complete another “season” of surveying.
Promotion to Lieutenant Commander followed in 1937. He married in that year, to Mary Broughton, a trainee nurse based on Thursday Island, in Brisbane, in a glittering affair keenly reported in the local newspapers, which featured Rankin’s naval officer friends – who called him ‘Oscar’ – forming an “arch of swords,” for their friend and his bride to walk under as they entered the reception. Rankin was promoted lieutenant commander in August 1937.
On 30 March 1938 he was posted to Britain, along with his new wife Mary (nee Broughton), to join HMS Gleaner, a minesweeper, for surveying duties. Gaining a step in his survey career as Assistant Surveyor 2nd Class in July 1938, Rankin remained with Gleaner until 11 September 1939, when he was posted to the shore training establishment of HMS Dryad, for a navigating course. In July his daughter Patricia was born, but she and her mother had to be evacuated to Australia as the war commenced, so a lengthy return trip, also by sea, had to be made.
...
Wikipedia