Commanding Officer HMAS Kanimbla

Commander Stuart Taylor, RAN

Commander Stuart Taylor, RAN joined the Royal Australian Navy as a Senior Entry MIDN in 1982. He gained a BSC in 1985 and his Full Bridge Watchkeeping Certificate in 1986 and subsequently served as an Officer of the Watch in HMAS Hobart until the end of 1987. Qualifying as an Air Intercept Controller (AIC) in early 1988 Taylor spent the remainder of the year as HMAS Canberra's AIC where he received a Maritime Commander's commendation for his efforts as the liaison officer to USN Brewton during the bicentennial celebrations. During 1989 Taylor was posted to the Operational Requirements section of Project Jindalee.

Taylor successfully gained a Diploma in Meteorology and qualified as a Metrological and Oceanographic Officer (METOC) in 1990 and served as a meteorologist at the Naval Air Station, HMAS Albatross throughout 1991. 1992 saw Taylor return to HMAS Hobart in preparation for the Principal Warfare Officer (PWO) course which he successfully completed in 1993.

CMDR Taylor has served as a PWO in HMAS Perth and Darwin as well as instructing the PWO course. Taylor completed the RAN Staff Course in late 1996 and gained an MSc at the United States Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, California USA in 1999. On return from the USA Taylor was appointed the Officer in Charge of the Applied Meteorological Centre at Maritime Headquarters until late 2000. During this period Taylor served as a PWO and the INTERFET METOC within the INTERFET Headquarters during the initial months of Operation STABILISE in East Timor and received a Commander INTERFET commendation.

Taylor was appointed as Executive Officer HMAS Tobruk throughout 2001 and 2002 during which he received a Chief of Navy Commendation. After Tobruk, Taylor was posted to the Strategic Policy Division where he managed the Joint and Multinational Experimentation programs. Whilst posted to Strategic Policy Division he spent six months in the Middle East as the Headquarters Joint Operations Command Liaison Officer within US Central Command Forward. In 2005 CMDR Taylor was posted to Naval Headquarters as the Deputy Director Amphibious and Afloat Support. During this posting he was appointed as the Navy representative for the review of the ADF higher Command and Control arrangements and participated in the acquisition process of the Canberra Class LHDs.

CMDR Taylor assumed command of HMAS Kanimbla on 21 Dec 07.