Commanding Officer Armidale Class Patrol Boat Crew Aware One
Lieutenant Commander Jeff Williams, RAN
Lieutenant Commander Jeff Williams, RAN born and raised in Sydney, NSW. He joined the Royal Australian Navy as a Junior Recruit at the age of 15 years in April 1976. After completing Recruit Training at HMAS Leeuwin in Western Australia, he qualified as an Underwater Weapons rating. After service in the surface ships, HMAS Stalwart and Jervis Bay he volunteered for Submarine Service in 1980 and completed his training in HMS Dolphin, United Kingdom.
Upon returning to Australia he served in HMAS Otama where he was promoted to Leading Seaman and then to Petty Officer. During a brief return to surface ships in Torpedo Recovery Vessels he was promoted to Chief Petty Officer. Not long after this promotion he was selected for Officer Training and was commissioned as a Sub Lieutenant in 1990. He returned to Submarines qualifying as a Seaman Officer SM in HMAS Otway. In 1991 he was selected for Ordnance Engineering training and successfully qualified with a post-graduate Diploma in Explosive Ordnance Technology at the Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham, United Kingdom. While in the UK he was promoted to Lieutenant. Practical Ordnance training followed at various locations in the United States.
After return to Australia in 1992 he was appointed Regional Superintendent Naval Engineering Support Adelaide. During this appointment he was seconded to the United Nations as a Weapons Inspector in Iraq. In 1993 he was appointed Regional Superintendent Naval Engineering Support Perth. After a year in this position he then moved to Canberra as the Technical Staff Officer Navy on the Australian Ordnance Council and was promoted to Lieutenant Commander in 1997. In 1998 he returned to sea as the Executive Officer of the Fremantle Class Patrol Boat HMAS Geelong where he was awarded a Chief of the Navy commendation. In 2000 he was appointed as the Resident Naval Officer on Thursday Island. This posting came with OIC Duties of the 20 meter Patrol Launch MALU BAIZAM.
In 2001 Lieutenant Commander Williams was selected for Command of the Landing Craft Heavy, HMAS Brunei where he completed two deployments to Bougainville during Operation Bel Isi II and to the Solomon Islands in support of Operation Anode. In 2004 he moved to Townsville as the Senior Military Recruiting Officer for North Queensland. He returned to the Solomon Islands for three months in 2004 as the Commander of the Naval Task Group. In January 2005 he was again selected for Command of the Landing Craft Heavy, HMAS Wewak. While in command of HMAS Wewak the Ship was awarded the LCH Efficiency Shield and conducted a deployment to East Timor in support of Operation Astute.
In 2007 Lieutenant Commander Williams and his wife Jodie moved to Plymouth United Kingdom on exchange as the Staff Damage Control Officer 2 to Flag Officer Sea Training. While in the UK his youngest son Jack was born. In 2008 He was selected for Command of Aware One commencing CO Designate Course on his return to Australia in Early 2009. In June 2009 Jeff assumed Command of Aware One rotating around HMAS Maryborough and HMAS Glenelg.
Lieutenant Commander Williams also has two adult children Matthew and Kathryn.
