Commanding Officer HMAS Albatross
Captain Gordon Andrew, RAN
Captain Gordon Alexander Andrew, RAN was born in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1961. He joined the Royal Australian Naval College in 1979 and graduated in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts.
After a range of training postings at sea, Captain Andrew was awarded his Bridge Watchkeeping Certificate in 1983 and posted to HMAS Torrens. After serving as the Navigating Officer of the Darwin-based Patrol Boats Bendigo (II), Ipswich (II) and Warrnambool Captain Andrew completed his Principal Warfare Officers course and was posted as the Gunnery Officer of HMAS Stalwart (II).
In 1989, Captain Andrew commenced his first posting in the Intelligence community at the Australian SIGINT Operations Centre within the Defence Signals Directorate in Melbourne. While Captain Andrew was leading the AUSOC it was awarded a Director’s commendation for the support it provided to Australian units during the First Gulf War.
Captain Andrew has also completed postings with Naval Intelligence policy, the Maritime Intelligence Centre, a second posting to DSD as the Deputy Head of the Military SIGINT Operations Centre, the Officer in Charge of Shoal Bay Receiving Station, and as the SO2 Current Intelligence (J23) at Northern Command.
In 2001 Captain Andrew assumed command of the Darwin shore establishment HMAS Coonawarra. In 2004 he was selected as the Australian Defence Intelligence Liaison Officer to the Australian Defence Staff, Washington, DC and from 2007-08 was the Director of Intelligence Plans at the Headquarters Joint Operations Command.
He assumed the position of the Director, Sea Power Centre – Australia, in January 2009, completing that role with the 2012 Sea Power Conference.
Captain Andrew assumed Command of HMAS Albatross on 30 January 2012.
In addition to his Arts Degree, Captain Andrew has a Graduate Diploma in Information Technology and a Masters of Business Administration. He is a graduate of the Royal Australian Naval Staff College.
Captain Andrew is married to the former Airlie Patterson and they have three school-age children.
