HMAS Watson
Royal Australian Navy base on Sydney Harbour
title: "HMAS Watson" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["military-installations-established-in-1945", "royal-australian-navy-bases", "fleet-base-east", "1945-establishments-in-australia", "buildings-and-structures-in-sydney", "military-installations-in-new-south-wales", "watsons-bay,-new-south-wales"] description: "Royal Australian Navy base on Sydney Harbour" topic_path: "history/military" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMAS_Watson" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Royal Australian Navy base on Sydney Harbour ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox military installation"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | HMAS Watson |
| partof | Fleet Base East |
| location | South Head / Watsons Bay, New South Wales |
| country | Australia |
| image | HMAS Watson April 2021.jpg |
| image_size | 300 |
| caption | HMAS Watson from Sydney Harbour in 2021 |
| image2 | |
| type | Naval training base |
| coordinates | |
| image_map_caption | Location in Sydney |
| pushpin_map | Australia NSW inner Sydney |
| pushpin_mapsize | 300 |
| pushpin_map_caption | Location in Sydney |
| pushpin_relief | 1 |
| ownership | Department of Defence |
| operator | (1942 1967); |
| (1967 present) | |
| controlledby | |
| open_to_public | |
| site_other_label | |
| site_other | |
| site_area | |
| code | |
| built | |
| used | 1942 present |
| height | |
| length | |
| fate | |
| current_commander | Captain RAN |
| past_commanders | |
| garrison | |
| occupants | |
| footnotes | |
| :: |
| name = HMAS Watson | ensign = | ensign_size = | native_name = | partof = Fleet Base East | location = South Head / Watsons Bay, New South Wales | country = Australia | image = HMAS Watson April 2021.jpg | image_size = 300 | caption = HMAS Watson from Sydney Harbour in 2021 | image2 = | alt2 = | caption2 = | type = Naval training base | coordinates = | gridref = | image_map = | image_mapsize = | image_map_alt = | image_map_caption = Location in Sydney | pushpin_map = Australia NSW inner Sydney | pushpin_mapsize = 300 | pushpin_map_alt = | pushpin_map_caption = Location in Sydney | pushpin_relief = 1 | pushpin_image = | pushpin_label = | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_mark = | pushpin_marksize = | ownership = Department of Defence | operator = (1942 1967); (1967 present) | controlledby = | open_to_public = | site_other_label = | site_other = | site_area = | code = | built = | used = 1942 present | builder = | materials = | height = | length = | fate = | condition = | battles = | events = | current_commander = Captain RAN | past_commanders = | garrison = | occupants = | designations = | website = | footnotes =
HMAS Watson is a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) base on Sydney Harbour at South Head, near Watsons Bay in Sydney, Australia. Commissioned in 1945 (after three years operating as HMAS Radar), the base served as the RAN's radar training school. In 1956, torpedo and anti-submarine warfare training were relocated to the base, and by 2011, Watson was the main maritime warfare training base, as well as providing post-entry education for maritime warfare officers, training for combat system and electronic warfare sailors, and command training.
History
The base's name is derived from its location at Watsons Bay, which in turn was named after Robert Watson, the quartermaster of HMS Sirius, a ship of the First Fleet. In 1801, Governor Philip King granted Watson land at South Head, where he settled. Watson later becoming boatswain, senior harbour pilot and harbourmaster of the new colony. In 1818, Governor Lachlan Macquarie commissioned the Macquarie Lighthouse appointing Watson as the first superintendent of the lighthouse. Today, the Macquarie Lighthouse is depicted in the centre of the crest of HMS Watson.
South Head was recognised as an important site for the young colony and, as early as the first year of settlement, a signal gun from HMS Sirius was installed at South Head in order to indicate the arrival of any ships.
The first permanent military presence on South Head commenced in 1871 with the development of Coastal artillery emplacements to defend the Port of Sydney. The first barracks, occupied by members of the NSW Artillery, were completed 19 March 1877. Extensions were added in 1880 to accommodate additional personnel. Many of the early barracks constructions are still standing.
The RAN first established training facilities at South Head in 1942, when the navy's radar school was shifted there from . The facility initially operated under the name HMAS Radar, but was commissioned as HMAS Watson on 14 March 1945. Torpedo and anti-submarine warfare training were relocated to Watson in 1956.
Facilities and operational units
Watsons main role is for the training of RAN personnel in maritime warfare.
The facility has a ship's company of 300.
References
References
- (2011). "100 Years of the Royal Australian Navy". Faircount Media Group.
- "HMAS Watson History". [[Royal Australian Navy]].
- [http://www.navy.gov.au/establishments/hmas-watson HMAS Watson]
- Dennis, Peter. (2008). "The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History". [[Oxford University Press]].
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