William Rooke Creswell Vice Admiral Sir William Rooke Creswell ( 20 July 1852 – 20 April 1933 ) was an Australian naval officer , commonly considered to be the ' father ' of the Royal Australian Navy . Early life . Creswell was born in Gibraltar , son of Edmund Creswell ( head of the postal service at Gibraltar and for the Mediterranean ) , and Margaret Mary Ward , née Fraser . He was educated at Gibraltar and Eastman ' s Royal Naval Academy , Southsea . Career . Beginning his naval career at the age of 13 as a cadet on the Royal Navy ' s training ship " Britannia " , Creswell was promoted to midshipman in 1867 and on 20 October 1871 became a sub - lieutenant . Having already served in the Channel Fleet , Creswell was transferred to the China Station . In 1873 while serving on the gunboat HMS " Midge " he was shot in the hip during a skirmish with pirates from the Laroot River , Penang Malaya but remained at his post . His bravery won him promotion to lieutenant but his wound meant returning to England to recuperate . Creswell ' s next seagoing appointment , to the East India Station , was followed by a period in Zanzibar , where he commanded a flotilla involved in suppressing the slave trade . Illness , however , again forced his return to England . Creswell retired from the Royal Navy in 1878 and , seeking to become a pastoralist , he emigrated to Australia in 1879 . A stint in the Northern Territory , however , convinced Creswell that he was ill - suited to outback life . During a visit to Adelaide in 1885 he met a former naval colleague and was convinced to take up an appointment as First Lieutenant on South Australia ' s only naval vessel , HMCS " Protector " , a posting he very much enjoyed . Creswell soon began agitating for the establishment of an Australian naval force to supplement the Royal Navy squadron based in Sydney . In mid - 1895 he reached the rank of captain ; by 1899 he was arguing strongly for an Australian navy . On 1 May 1900 he was appointed Commandant of the Queensland naval forces but was soon released to command " Protector " on its deployment to China to assist in suppressing the Boxer Rebellion . After Federation , Creswell ' s lobbying for an Australian navy gained momentum . He was regarded by many as Australia ' s chief spokesman on naval matters , hence his appointment in February 1904 to the new position of Naval Officer Commanding the Commonwealth Naval Forces . He had retained his position in Queensland and accepted the role of Naval Commandant in Victoria but his energies were primarily focused on the national navy . Alarmed at Germany ' s growing naval might by 1909 , Australia ' s admiralty sought to dramatically increase Australia ' s naval strength . In company with Colonel Justin F . G . Foxton , Creswell attended the Imperial Conference , which resulted in the Naval Defence Act of 1910 being passed which created the Australian navy . In 1911 Creswell was promoted to rear admiral in the service of the Royal Australian Navy . As part of his coronation honours , the King made him Knight Commander of the order of St Michael and St George . The fact that Australia ' s navy was ready for service when the World War I began was largely the result of Creswell ' s hard work and lobbying . During the war he was involved as an administrator in ship construction , the development of shore support , and the arranging of convoys . After the war he worked on developing a defence program for Australia , focussing mainly on ensuring the continued strengthening of the RAN . Late life . Considered the father of the RAN , Creswell retired in 1919 and took up farming in Victoria ; in the same year he was created KBE . He was promoted to Vice Admiral in 1922 . He died on 20 April 1933 and was survived by his wife Adelaide Elizabeth née Stow ( daughter of Justice Randolph Stow ) two sons and a daughter .