List of Royal Australian Navy bases

The following is a list of current and former commissioned bases used by the Royal Australian Navy.

Current bases

Naval facility Purpose State/Territory Location Period Notes
Fleet Base East Fleet base, depot, dockyard New South Wales Sydney 1788–present Includes HMAS Kuttabul, HMAS Waterhen, Garden Island dockyard & berthing facilities
Fleet Base West (HMAS Stirling) Fleet base, depot Western Australia Garden Island 1978–present Major west coast warship & submarine base
HMAS Albatross Naval air station New South Wales Nowra 1948–present Fleet Air Arm
HMAS Cairns Base Queensland Cairns 1974–present Patrol boat, hydrography, and minor war vessels base
HMAS Cerberus Training facility Victoria Crib Point 1912–1921;
1921–present 		Formerly located at Williamstown
HMAS Coonawarra Base Northern Territory Darwin 1970–present Former Naval Wireless Transmitting Station, now a patrol boat base
HMAS Creswell Training facility Jervis Bay Territory Jervis Bay 1958–present Location of the Royal Australian Naval College
HMAS Encounter (naval base) Administration South Australia Adelaide 1965–1994;
2022–present 		Administration
HMAS Harman Communications facility Australian Capital Territory Canberra 1943–present A tri-service base
HMAS Kuttabul Administrative, logistical, training, accommodation New South Wales Sydney 1943–present Administrative base for Fleet Base East
HMAS Moreton Administration Queensland Brisbane 1932–1994;
2016–present 		Administration and reserves
HMAS Penguin Depot, specialist training New South Wales Balmoral 1913–1942;
1943–present 		Location of Balmoral Naval Hospital, hydrographic school, diving school and medical school
HMAS Waterhen Base New South Wales Waverton 1962–present Mine Warfare and Clearance Diving Headquarters, part of Fleet Base East
HMAS Watson Training facility New South Wales Watsons Bay 1945–present Location of Maritime Warfare school

Former bases

Former naval facility Former purpose Country
(if outside Australia)/
State/Territory 		Location Period Notes
HMAS Assault Training facility New South Wales Port Stephens 1942–1945
HMAS Basilisk Depot Papua New Guinea Port Moresby 1942–1945;
1974–1983
HMAS Brisbane Depot Queensland Brisbane 1940–1942
HMAS Carpentaria Base Queensland Thursday Island 1945–1946
Administrative centre England London 1966–1981
HMAS Commonwealth Administrative centre Japan Kure 1948–1956
HMAS Derwent Depot Tasmania Hobart 1940–1942
HMAS Encounter Depot South Australia Port Adelaide 1965–1994
HMAS Gilolo Depot Indonesia Halmahera Island 1945–1946
HMAS Huon Depot Tasmania Hobart 1942–1994
HMAS Kuranda Depot Queensland Cairns 1944–1945
HMAS Ladava Depot Papua New Guinea Milne Bay 1943–1945
HMAS Leeuwin Depot
Training facility 		Western Australia Fremantle 1940–1986 Currently used by Australian Army, known as Leeuwin Barracks
HMAS Lonsdale Depot Victoria Port Melbourne 1940–1992
HMAS Lusair Depot Papua New Guinea Torokina 1945
HMAS Madang Depot Papua New Guinea Madang 1944–1946
HMAS Magnetic Depot Queensland Townsville 1942–1948
HMAS Maitland Depot New South Wales Newcastle 1940–1946
HMAS Melville Depot Northern Territory Darwin 1940–1975 Replaced by HMAS Coonawarra
HMAS Mindari Training facility New South Wales Woolloomooloo 1945–1948
HMAS Moreton Depot Queensland Brisbane 1942–1994
HMAS Nirimba Naval air station
Training facility 		New South Wales Quakers Hill 1953–1955;
1956–1994 		Now a campus of the Western Sydney University (2007)
HMAS Platypus Submarine base New South Wales Neutral Bay 1967–1999
HMAS Rushcutter Depot New South Wales Rushcutters Bay 1901–1979 Commissioned as HMAS Rushcutter on 1 August 1940
HMAS Seeadler Depot Papua New Guinea Los Negros Island 1950 Name of base changed to HMAS Tarangau.[1]
HMAS Tarangau Depot Papua New Guinea Dreger Harbour near Finschhafen,
Los Negros Island 		1946–1950;
1950–1974 		Base at Dreger closed in 1950, and the base name and its personnel and equipment transferred to the former HMAS Seeadler at Manus Island.[1]
HMAS Torrens Depot South Australia Port Adelaide 1940–1964
HMAS Waratah Administrative centre United States of America Washington DC 1966–1980

Notes

  1. ^ a b "MANUS BASE TO BE CALLED H.M.A.S. TARANGAU". The Canberra Times. 21 March 1950. p. 4. Retrieved 24 October 2011 – via National Library of Australia.

References

  • Stevens, D. (2001). The Royal Australian Navy — A History. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195555422.