Captain John Robertson, DSC RAN
Ronald John Robertson, known as John, was born on 8th August 1916 at Queenscliff, Victoria and died in Sydney on 17th July 1980. He was educated at Geelong Grammar School before joining the RAN as a 13 year old Cadet Midshipman.
He specialised as a communications officer in England and at the outbreak of the Second World War he was serving in the RN destroyer HMS Malcolm. Robertson was constantly at sea and frequently in action, as his ship was leading anti-submarine patrols of the English Channel, and carried out the rescue of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands from the Hook of Holland. He distinguished himself during the evacuation of troops from the French port of Dunkirk as German armies closed on the trapped British Expeditionary Force. Malcolm was under relentless air attack and at risk from mines and submarines. Lieutenant Robertson was one of the naval officers sent ashore to restore order among men waiting to be evacuated from the beaches.
For his determination in these hazardous actions, Lieutenant Robertson was twice Mentioned in Dispatches, and on 1 January 1941, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross ‘for outstanding zeal, patience and cheerfulness, and for never failing to set an example of wholehearted devotion to duty.’
Robertson was in action in the destroyer HMAS Napier, operating in the Mediterranean both during the evacuation of Crete and in the resupply of the Rats of Tobruk. These were dangerous and vital operations in direct support of the Australian Army.
Robertson returned to Australia and was appointed Flag Lieutenant to Commodore Harold Farncomb who took command of the Australian Squadron in the South Pacific when Commodore John Collins and his Flag Lieutenant were seriously wounded in a Japanese kamikaze attack on HMAS Australia.
Robertson was on duty in Australia in early 1945 during five kamikaze attacks on the cruiser in the Lingayen Gulf area. For his bravery during these actions, he was again Mentioned in Dispatches. He was also selected to be onboard the battleship USS Missouri for the signing of the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay on 2nd September 1945. After the war ended he continued to serve at sea in the cruiser HMAS Shropshire.
In June 1947 he was appointed as Officer-in-Charge of the RAN Signals School at HMAS Cerberus and on promotion to Commander in June 1950 he was appointed Executive Officer of Naval Air Station, HMAS Albatross, at Nowra, at a time when Australian naval aviation was still in its formative years.
In April 1952 Commander Robertson was appointed as the Executive Officer in the aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney in which he served during the United Kingdom’s atomic bomb tests off the Monte Bello Islands in the Indian Ocean.
He returned to the United Kingdom in Sydney for the naval review at Spithead to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. He was the Executive Officer at the Royal Australian Naval College before commanding the sloop HMAS Swan.
On promotion to the rank of captain in June 1956 he was appointed Chief Staff Officer to the Flag Officer in Charge of Eastern Australia, a position he held until July 1958 when he was appointed Captain (F), 1st Frigate Squadron in the frigate HMAS Queenborough. Robertson served only briefly in Queenborough before being selected to stand by the new destroyer HMAS Vendetta, then under construction at Williamstown, Victoria. He commanded Vendetta from her commissioning in November 1958 until November 1960 when he was appointed Director of Naval Plans. In 1962 he was selected to attend the Imperial Defence College in London. He returned to Australia in May 1963 and was appointed Director of Reserves in Navy Office.
In January 1964 he took command of the RAN’s flagship HMAS Melbourne. This appointment was the most senior seagoing posting in the RAN. One month later, on the night of 10 February 1964, HMAS Voyager turned across Melbourne’s bows and sank with heavy loss of life.
The first of two Royal Commissions investigating the loss of Voyager was convened by the Commonwealth Government. During the Royal Commission proceedings, Captain Robertson was posted ashore to assist the commissioner. Meanwhile Melbourne was repaired and deployed to South-east Asia with a new Commanding Officer.
In its report on the tragedy, the first Royal Commission was critical of Captain Robertson and two members of the carrier’s command team.
Captain Robertson was posted to the shore establishment HMAS Watson in command. He had anticipated being returned to command Melbourne. He felt this decision was unjust and as a matter of principle he declined to accept the shore posting to Watson and resigned from the Navy, thus concluding a distinguished 34 year career.
A second Royal Commission into the loss of Voyager was held in 1967 and concluded that no blame could be attributed to Captain Robertson for the collision and exonerated him from all responsibility for the tragedy. The Prime Minister, John Gorton, offered Captain Robertson an ex gratia payment in lieu of entitlements he had lost due to his resignation.
The legacy of Captain Robertson’s exceptional leadership qualities and warfare skills will not be forgotten and therefore in 2015 the Chief of Navy decided that the Landing Helicopter Dock Through Life Support Facility at HMAS Kuttabul would be named in his honour.