| Christopher Angus Ritchie | |
|---|---|
 Vice Admiral Chris Ritchie (left) receives an award from Admiral Vern Clark, U.S. Chief of Naval Operations, February 2003 | |
| Nickname | Chris |
| Born | 16 January 1949 (age 75) |
| Allegiance |
 Australia |
| Service/branch |
 Royal Australian Navy |
| Years of service | 1968 – 2005 |
| Rank |
 Vice Admiral |
| Commands held |
Chief of Navy Deputy Chief of Navy HMAS Tarakan HMAS Torrens HMAS Brisbane |
| Battles/wars |
Vietnam War Gulf War |
| Awards |
Officer of the Order of Australia Legion of Merit (United States) |
| Other work | Patron of the Australasian Hydrographic Society |
Vice Admiral Christopher Angus (Chris) Ritchie AO RAN (born 16 January 1949) is a retired Vice Admiral of the Royal Australian Navy, and was Chief of Navy from 2002 to 2005.
Service history[]
Ritchie graduated from the RAN College at Jervis Bay in 1968. He received further training at sea and in the United Kingdom before undertaking a succession of seagoing appointments and a staff appointment at the NATO School of Maritime Operations at HMS DRYAD. His commands have included HMAS Tarakan, HMAS Torrens, and HMAS Brisbane.
During his period in command of HMAS Brisbane, the ship deployed to the Persian Gulf where she participated for the duration of the Persian Gulf War.[1] In 1991, as a result of this service, he was appointed a Member in the Military Division of the Order of Australia (AM).
In 1992 he attended the Royal College of Defence Studies in the United Kingdom. On completion of this course he was promoted to Commodore and had appointments in Naval Policy and Warfare, and Military Strategy and Concepts.[citation needed] In 1997 he was promoted to Rear Admiral and appointed as Maritime Commander Australia (MCAUST).[citation needed] He then served as Deputy Chief of Navy (DCN) and Head of Capability Systems (HCS).[1]
As a consequence of his service in these appointments, and in addition to receiving the Centenary medal,[2] he was promoted to Officer in the Military Division of the Order of Australia (AO) in January 2001.[3] He was promoted to Vice Admiral and appointed Commander Australian Theatre (COMAST) on 3 August 2001. He was the first Commander to have previously served as a Component Commander to the Headquarters. He assumed command of the Royal Australian Navy from Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral David Shackleton on 3 July 2002 and retired in July 2005.[1]
Honours and awards[]
|
Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) | (2001) |
| Member of the Order of Australia (AM) | (1991) | |
|
Australian Active Service Medal 1945–1975 | |
|
Vietnam Logistic and Support Medal | |
|
Australian Active Service Medal | |
|
Australian Service Medal 1945–1975 | |
|
Australian Service Medal | |
|
Centenary Medal | 2001 |
|
Defence Force Service Medal | With 4 Bars for 35 years service. |
|
National Medal | |
|
Australian Defence Medal | 2006 |
|
Kuwait Liberation Medal | |
|
Commander of the Legion of Merit | (United States) |
| Meritorious Unit Citation |
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Vice Admiral Chris Ritchie AO, RANR - Ancors Fellow[dead link] Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources & Security - archived copy
- ↑ It's an Honour - Centenary Medal - 1 January 2001
Citation: For services to Australian society through the Royal Australian Navy. - ↑ It's an Honour - Officer of the Order of Australia - 26 January 2001
Citation: For distinguished service to the Australian Defence Force and the Royal Australian Navy as the Maritime Commander Australia, Deputy Chief of Navy and Head Capability Systems.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chris Ritchie. |
- Copyright photo of VADM Chris Ritchie, Chief of Navy, ANZAC Day 2005.
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The original article can be found at Chris Ritchie and the edit history here.