Otto Becher Rear Admiral Otto Humphrey Becher CBE , DSO , DSC & Bar ( 13 September 1908 – 15 June 1977 ) was a senior officer in the Royal Australian Navy . Born in Harvey , Western Australia , Becher entered the Royal Australian Naval College in 1922 . After graduating in 1926 , he was posted to a series of staff and training positions prior to specialising in gun nery . A lieutenant commander at the outbreak of the Second World War , Becher assisted in the extraction of Allied troops from the Namsos region of Norway while aboard the heavy cruiser HMS " Devonshire " , and was decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross . Following service in the Mediterranean theatre , he returned to Australia in 1942 as officer - in - charge of the gunnery school at HMAS " Cerberus " . He spent two years at " Cerberus " before being given command of the Q class destroyer HMAS " Quickmatch " in March 1944 . While commanding the " Quickmatch " in operations against Japanese forces in the Pacific , Becher earned a Bar to his Distinguished Service Cross . At the war ' s end Becher was posted to the Navy Office and later to the aircraft carrier HMAS " Sydney " ; in 1951 he was given command of the destroyer HMAS " Warramunga " . " Warramunga " formed part of Australia ' s contribution to the United Nations forces engaged in the Korean War ; Becher was promoted to captain and awarded the Distinguished Service Order while carrying out operations in Korean waters . On returning to Australia , he filled several staff positions and commanded the aircraft carriers HMAS " Melbourne " and HMAS " Vengeance " . Promoted to rear admiral in 1959 , he served as Flag Officer Commanding Australian Fleet from 1964 to 1965 , before taking up the post of Flag Officer - in - Charge East Australia Area . Becher retired from the Navy in 1966 , and died in 1977 at the age of 68 . Early life and career . Otto Becher was born in Harvey , Western Australia , on 13 September 1908 , to Francis Joseph Becher , an orchardist , and Antonia Amalie ( née Vetter ) . On 1 January 1922 , at the age of thirteen , he enrolled in the Royal Australian Naval College at Jervis Bay , where he performed well both academically and at sport , receiving colours for hockey and tennis . Graduating in 1926 , he served as a midshipman aboard HMAS " Adelaide " and later HMAS " Brisbane " , before being posted to the United Kingdom in September of that year for further sea - training and professional development with the Royal Navy . Becher was promoted to acting sub - lieutenant in September 1928 ; the rank was made substantive the following March . He returned to Australia in January 1930 and was raised to lieutenant , gaining further seafaring experience over the next two years on HMAS " Australia " and HMAS " Canberra " . Deciding to specialise in gunnery , he attended an advanced course at the Royal Navy ' s gunnery school at HMS " Excellent " in England from 1932 until 1934 . Returning to Australia after completing the course , on 7 January 1935 , Becher married Valerie Chisholm Baird at St Michael ' s Anglican Church in Vaucluse , New South Wales ; the couple would have three sons . From May 1934 to June 1935 , Becher was posted to the gunnery school at the shore establishment HMAS " Cerberus " in Victoria . He later completed two years aboard HMAS " Canberra " as her intelligence officer , and in 1937 was transferred to HMAS " Stuart " for flotilla duties . Promoted to lieutenant commander on 16 June 1938 , Becher briefly returned to " Cerberus " before embarking for the United Kingdom on exchange with the Royal Navy in January 1939 . Second World War . Becher was serving as squadron gunnery officer aboard the Royal Navy heavy cruiser HMS " Devonshire " when the Second World War broke out . In May 1940 , " Devonshire " was dispatched to the Namsos region of Norway to assist in the extraction of Allied troops . Commended for his " daring , resource and devotion " during the operation , Becher was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross . The notification for the decoration was published in a supplement to the " London Gazette " on 19 July 1940 , and the investiture ceremony was held by King George VI at Buckingham Palace on 11 March 1941 . In late November 1940 , Becher transferred to the recently launched destroyer HMAS " Napier " as part of the ship ' s commissioning crew . While completing working - up exercises , " Napier " was tasked with transferring British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his wife from Thurso in Scotland to the battleship HMS " King George V " , and later returning them to the mainland . With her working - up complete , " Napier " was initially posted to convoy duties in the North Atlantic , before setting sail in April 1941 with HMAS " Nizam " for the Mediterranean Sea . Arriving in May , she formed up as part of the Mediterranean Fleet . " Napier " assisted in the evacuation of British and Commonwealth troops from the island of Crete in late May , following the successful Axis invasion . On one such occasion the vessel embarked 296 soldiers , three women , one Greek and one Chinese civilian , ten sailors , two children and a dog . Returning to Alexandria , the destroyer came under attack but arrived unscathed . Two days later " Napier " was less fortunate ; having taken 705 soldiers on board , she was targeted on her return journey by a formation of twelve German dive - bombers . The ship was struck twice by bombs and suffered damage to the stern , the engine room and boiler room . One of the aircraft was shot down and a further three damaged . Although no allied casualties were sustained and the destroyer arrived safely in Alexandria , she spent the next two - and - a - half months in Port Said under repair . Becher returned to Australia in early 1942 , and from 17 May was appointed officer - in - charge of the gunnery school at HMAS " Cerberus " . He remained at this post for almost two years until , on 12 March 1944 , he was given command of the destroyer HMAS " Quickmatch " — formed up as part of the Eastern Fleet . On 22 July , " Quickmatch " was among a 23 - vessel strong task force that set out from Trincomalee to assault the Japanese naval base off northern Sumatra at Sabang Island . The formation approached Sabang on the night of 24 / 25 July , launching fighter strikes on airfields in the area at first light . At 06 : 55 , the fleet bombarded the harbour installations , coastal defence batteries and the military barracks . As the formation ' s two battleships maintained their fire , " Quickmatch " joined three other ships that entered the harbour to carry out close - range bombardment . After completing their task , " Quickmatch " and her fellows withdrew under the cover of fire from two cruisers . Praised for his " outstanding courage and skill " in pressing home the assault , Becher was awarded a Bar to his Distinguished Service Cross , announced in a supplement to the " London Gazette " on 31 October 1944 . In October 1944 , " Quickmatch " was transferred to Australian waters and underwent her annual refit at Sydney from November to December . Once the refit was completed she operated mainly off the Australian coast . During the early hours of 25 December 1944 , the Navy Office in Melbourne received an SOS from the SS " Robert J . Walker " , reporting that she had been torpedoed by a submarine while travelling from Fremantle , Western Australia , to Sydney . Aircraft were dispatched to provide aerial cover , and HMA Ships " Quickmatch " , " Kiama " and " Yandra " were directed to " Robert J . Walker " s position . " Quickmatch " and " Yandra " were to operate against the submarine , while " Kiama " was to take the " Robert J . Walker " under tow . Arriving at the reported location at approximately 23 : 30 that evening , " Quickmatch " , under the command of Becher , and " Kiama " patrolled the vicinity in search of the submarine and " Robert J . Walker " s crew . Sixty - seven men were discovered in lifeboats at 05 : 45 the following morning and were taken aboard " Quickmatch " ; " Robert J . Walker " had sunk two hours earlier with the loss of two crew . Becher was promoted to commander on 31 December 1944 , and the following month " Quickmatch " was transferred to the recently established British Pacific Fleet . On 28 February , the British Pacific Fleet , including " Quickmatch " , sailed from Sydney Harbour for Manus Island to prepare for its role in support of the planned United States invasion of Okinawa . The fleet engaged in eleven days of exercises at Manus before departing for Ulithi , and on 23 March was attached to the United States Fifth Fleet with the designation " Task Force 57 " . Setting sail for Okinawa two days later , the fleet launched air strikes against airfield targets in the Sakishima Islands on 26 and 27 March . During these operations " Quickmatch " formed part of the escort for the fleet ' s aircraft carriers . Becher later stated : " These two days ' operations were successful , the enemy airstrips being neutralised and a number of aircraft being destroyed on the ground . " Task Force 57 continued operations around the Sakishima Islands for the following two months to cover the United States ' left flank , with " Quickmatch " forming part of the carrier force ' s escort throughout this period . On 25 June 1945 , Becher relinquished command of the " Quickmatch " and returned to Australia , where he was attached to the shore base HMAS " Penguin " . For his " distinguished service . . . in the Pacific " he received a Mention in Despatches . In August , he transferred to HMAS " Cerberus " for duties with the Navy Office . Interbellum and Korean War . Becher remained with the Navy Office until November 1947 , when he was posted to the United Kingdom to join the aircraft carrier HMAS " Sydney " s commissioning crew . Embarking from Melbourne during February 1948 , he was temporarily attached to HMS " Drake " and later HMS " Glory " until " Sydney " s commissioning on 16 December . His service aboard the aircraft carrier lasted for two years , and was followed on 23 January 1950 by an appointment as Commanding Officer to the shore establishment HMAS " Watson " . However , Becher ' s time at " Watson " was cut short when , on 28 July , he relieved Captain Alan McNicoll as commander of the destroyer HMAS " Warramunga " , which had been selected for service in the Korean War . " Warramunga " was to be attached to a force of five Royal Navy destroyers led by a captain , making it expedient to have the Australian ship commanded by an officer of lower rank . " Warramunga " arrived in Korean waters in late August 1950 . After some initial escort work , she joined HMAS " Bataan " as part of the carrier HMS " Triumph " s protective screen while the latter contributed air cover to the Allied landing at Inchon on 15 September . For the next three months , " Warramunga " engaged in patrol and screening duties , in addition to transporting food for famine relief . On 4 December , " Warramunga " and " Bataan " supported the emergency withdrawal of Allied troops from Chinnampo . Becher decided to sail up a channel of the Taedong River known as Short Cut , which according to his charts should have allowed him five to ten feet of clearance . The chart proved inaccurate , and " Warramunga " ran aground at 23 : 15 ; Becher ' s only option was to wait for the rising tide to float the destroyer off . " Warramunga " came free at 23 : 50 without having sustained damage , and was able to resume her mission , escorting troop transports south . Later , Becher brought " Warramunga " alongside " Bataan " and entreated the latter ' s commander , via megaphone , to keep quiet about the incident . With Becher ' s promotion to captain due , he was concerned that if the Naval Board became aware of the grounding his promotion would be delayed until an investigation had taken place . His " well - earned " rise in rank came through as scheduled on 31 December . On the journey south , " Warramunga " s crew developed a new way of signalling between ships that was considerably quicker than using international code flags . Known to the crew as the " Murphy Method " , it involved wrapping messages around potatoes and throwing them from one ship to the other . " Warramunga " participated in the Siege of Wonsan during late February 1951 , where she engaged and partially destroyed North Korean shore batteries , as well as shelling buildings and transport infrastructure . Despite coming under fire the destroyer sustained no damage . For the remainder of her tour in Korea , " Warramunga " took part in patrols and shore bombardments , earning special praise from Vice Admiral C . Turner Joy , Commander US Naval Forces Far East , for the accuracy of her gunnery . On 17 July 1951 , it was announced that Becher had been appointed as an honorary aide - de - camp to the Governor - General of Australia for a period of three years . Following " Warramunga " s departure from Korean waters on 1 August , Rear Admiral Alan Scott - Moncrieff , Commander West Coast Blockade Force , commented : " She has been a tower of strength and done an incredible amount of steaming with no troubles at all . I cannot speak too highly of Captain O . H . Becher and his men . . . " Together with " Bataan " , " Warramunga " had borne the brunt of Australia ' s naval contribution to the Korean War . Noting his " courage , skill and determination " , a recommendation for Becher to be awarded the Distinguished Service Order was approved by the Australian Government on 17 August 1951 , and announced in the " London Gazette " the following month . For his " meritorious service . . . as C . O . of HMAS " Warramunga " " , Becher was also decorated by the United States with the Legion of Merit . Senior command . Becher retained command of " Warramunga " until October 1951 , when he was posted to the shore base HMAS " Lonsdale " for service with the Navy Office as Deputy Chief of Naval Personnel and Director of Personal Services . In September that year he was additionally appointed trustee of the Services Canteens Trust Fund ; a position he held until October 1952 and for which he received a letter of appreciation from the Minister for Defence . The same month he assumed the position of Deputy Chief of Naval Staff . On 25 August 1954 , Becher was given command of the aircraft carrier HMAS " Vengeance " , and in October he returned with his new command to the Korean theatre to transport the aircraft , equipment and personnel of No . 77 Squadron RAAF back to Australia . In 1956 , Becher embarked for the United Kingdom to attend the Imperial Defence College . A month after his December graduation , he travelled back to Australia and assumed command of HMAS " Melbourne " . Becher remained with " Melbourne " until December 1958 , at which time he returned to the Navy Office at HMAS " Lonsdale " to resume his role as Deputy Chief of Naval Staff . He was promoted to acting rear admiral on 3 January 1959 , the rank being made substantive twelve months later . In the Queen ' s Birthday Honours of 1961 , Becher was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire . Relinquishing his position with the Navy Office in 1962 , Becher was sent to the United Kingdom as Head of the Australian Joint Services Staff in London . In January 1964 he returned to Australia , and was made Flag Officer Commanding HM Australian Fleet . During his time in this role Becher became embroiled in the controversy that followed the collision of HMA Ships " Voyager " and " Melbourne " , which took place in February that year . Prior to giving evidence before the Royal Commission that had been established to investigate the incident , Becher had discussed events with " Melbourne " s Commanding Officer , Commander Ronald Robertson . The discussion became public knowledge , and led to suggestions of conspiracy . Becher stated to the commission that " Melbourne " should have questioned " Voyager " s final movements ; his evidence is alleged to have influenced the Royal Commissioner , Sir John Spicer , to place a degree of blame on Robertson . In 1965 , Becher assumed his final command as Flag Officer - in - Charge East Australia Area , before retiring from the Royal Australian Navy on 6 March 1966 . Retirement . Following his retirement , Becher accepted the position of Director - General of Recruiting for the Australian armed forces from 1966 until 1969 , a period during which conscription was in effect . Minister of Defence Allen Fairhall asked Becher to find enough volunteers to fill the armed forces , and Becher believed that conscription eroded professional standards , but he found this task difficult given that the military was " competing with industry , and the country was short of labour . " He also held the post of chairman of the Council of the Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of New South Wales . On 15 June 1977 , aged 68 , Becher died from a myocardial infarction at Sydney Hospital . Survived by his wife and their three sons , he was cremated .