Rodney Taylor Vice Admiral Rodney Graham Taylor ( 11 June 1940 – 1 September 2002 ) was a senior officer in the Royal Australian Navy , serving as Chief of Navy from 1994 to 1997 . Born in Queensland , Taylor joined the Royal Australian Naval College at the age of thirteen . Graduating as dux of his year in 1957 , he later specialised in navigation and served during the Vietnam War . Commanding HMAS " Vampire " as well as HMAS " Torrens " , Taylor planned and coordinated the deployment of Australian ships during the Gulf War . Retiring from the navy in 1997 , Taylor died from lung cancer in 2002 at the age of 62 . Early life . Taylor was born in the Queensland town of Toowoomba on 11 June 1940 , the second son of Len and Vera Taylor . In 1954 , Taylor joined the Royal Australian Naval College at the land base HMAS Cerberus ; he was one of the last officers to enlist in the Royal Australian Navy as a thirteen - year - old . During his time at the college , Taylor excelled academically as well as in cricket and rugby . Naval career . Early service . In December 1957 , Taylor graduated from the Royal Australian Naval College and was awarded the Queen ’ s Medal as dux of his year as well as the Grand Aggregate Prize , and was commissioned as a sub - lieutenant in the Royal Australian Navy . Completing a period of training at sea aboard HMAS " Swan " , Taylor was posted to England for further instruction at the Royal Naval College , Dartmouth , from which he graduated in 1959 . Returning to Australia , Taylor joined HMAS " Quiberon " . While on board the ship , he decided to specialise in navigation . Described as " meticulous and deliberate " with " self - confidence " , on one occasion Taylor , realising that the fleet would be approximately two hours late arriving at Sydney Heads , on his own initiative signalled the Fleet Navigator from " Quiberon " who promptly adjusted the time of arrival . Later posted aboard HMAS " Anzac " , Taylor met Judy Smith , a Melbourne - born Qantas air hostess , in 1963 ; the couple married the following year , and were later to have a son named Sean . Following his wedding , Taylor proceeded to England in order to complete a long navigation course . On finishing this stint , he was allocated as navigator of the Royal Navy ' s 7th Mine Countermeasures Squadron based on Malta . During 1967 , Taylor , by now holding the rank of lieutenant commander , was posted to the United States to serve as the commissioning navigator and operations officer of the destroyer HMAS " Brisbane " . During his service on " Brisbane " , the ship was deployed to assist in operations off Vietnam in March 1969 . " Brisbane " ' s stint during the Vietnam War was to last seven months , for which Taylor was to receive a Mention in Despatches for his performance . Posted back to Australia , Taylor was appointed to the staff of the Naval College at HMAS " Creswell " in Jervis Bay . Early in 1972 , Taylor was returned to Britain in order to complete the advanced navigation course at HMS " Dryad " . Finalising his instruction later that year , Taylor was appointed navigator aboard HMAS " Sydney " , which was then engaged in logistic support of Australian forces in Vietnam , and involved a month long stint in the theatre for Taylor during November . He later became navigator on HMAS " Melbourne " . Promoted to commander , Taylor received an exchange posting to the Royal Navy as commander of the amphibious warfare section at the Joint Warfare Establishment in Old Sarum . As his exchange stint concluded , Taylor returned to Australia and was made director of tactics and navigation at the Navy Office . Completing a course at the Joint Services Staff College , Taylor was appointed to command HMAS " Vampire " in 1979 . He captained the destroyer until 1980 , during which time he learnt every member of the ship ' s company by name and was known among the crew as " Rocket Rod " . Senior command . Over the following twelve years , Taylor held a series of appointments that held the main focus on operations . Initially serving as fleet operations officer , he was later posted as director of naval development . In 1985 , Taylor attended the National Defence College of Canada . On his return to Australia , he commanded HMAS " Torrens " . Reposted as Commander Third Australian Destroyer Squadron , Taylor was promoted to commodore and became Deputy Fleet Commander . He later served a stint as Commodore Flotillas . For his services as Deputy Fleet Commander and Commodore Flotillas , Taylor was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in the 1989 Queen ' s Birthday Honours List . During 1990 , Taylor was promoted to rear admiral and made Assistant Chief of Defence Force ( Operations ) . Taylor ' s appointment to this position coincided with the commencement of the Gulf War , and as such he planned and coordinated the deployment of Royal Australian Navy ships to the Persian Gulf for service as part of Operation Desert Storm . During this time , Taylor was required to work closely with the Australian Government and became " adept at briefing the PM , ministers and other VIP visitors to the ops room " . In November 1991 , he was posted as Deputy Chief of Naval Staff . Taylor was consequently appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in the 1992 Australia Day Honours List for his efforts as Assistant Chief of Defence Force ( Operations ) during the Gulf War . Chief of Navy . In 1992 , Taylor was promoted to vice admiral and appointed Chief of Naval Staff . During his service as head of the Navy , Taylor supervised several major reforms to the service , including the withdrawal of British - built ships and Royal Navy manned submarines in favour of American - built destroyers and Australian frigates and submarines . He also implemented reforms concerning pay , conditions and rank structure as well as leading the Royal Australian Navy to become more tolerant towards homosexuals and women at sea . During February 1997 , the position of Chief of Naval Staff was renamed as Chief of Navy , which coincided with the release of an efficiency review commissioned by the then Defence Minister . The review reduced the command responsibilities of the three service chiefs , which were instead to reside with the Chief of the Defence Force . Just prior to his retirement , Taylor was able to lessen the impact of some of the reform proposals and advocated that the " Collins " class submarine project proceed . In June , Taylor was awarded the Pingat Jasa Gemilang ( Tentera ) from Singapore for his " significant contributions in forging excellent ties and friendship between the Royal Australian Navy ( RAN ) and the Republic of Singapore Navy ( RSN ) " . He retired from the Navy later that month . Retirement . Following his retirement from the Navy , Taylor and his wife purchased a property at Wamboin , New South Wales , where they raised alpacas . On 1 September 2002 , Taylor died of lung cancer at the age of 62 ; he had previously undergone heart surgery in 1993 .