Commanding Officer HMAS Norman
Lieutenant Commander Cameron Steil, RAN
Lieutenant Commander Cameron Steil, RAN is a Principal Warfare Officer and assumed Command of HMAS Norman in December 2006.
While born in Sydney, the majority of his naval career has been in the United Kingdom as an officer in the Royal Navy. His first two complement appointments in the Scotland based Type 42 Destroyers HMS York and Edinburgh included service in the Persian Gulf in 1991 and operations in the Adriatic during the Balkans conflict. At the end of 1994 he donned an Army uniform and deployed to the Former Yugoslavia as a United Nations Military Observer.
Following this enlightening tour and having totally neglected to send his poster a Christmas card, he found himself in the Falkland Islands as Executive Officer of the Falkland Islands Patrol Vessel, HMS Leeds Castle. This appointment was followed by nearly eighteen months as the Executive Officer of HMS Anglesey involved in enforcing European Fisheries protection legislation in the North Sea.
Following a successful overhaul of his Christmas card list, he assumed command of HMS Brecon, a Hunt Class minehunter in February 1998. HMS Brecon’s missions included minehunting duties, maritime interdiction, maritime counter terrorism operations as well as search and rescue, but after nearly two years in command, it was time to shift focus back to the larger warfare environment. Venturing to the Principal Warfare Officer (PWO) course and specialising as a PWO(A) (Above Water Warfare), he joined the Type 42 Destroyer HMS Glasgow as the Gunnery Officer in early 2001.
This posting included a South Atlantic deployment that incorporated duties as West African Guardship providing support to Sierra Leone, and then latterly the Falkland Islands and South Georgia as the South Atlantic Guardship. That deployment culminated with assuming the roles of Operations Officer for his remaining time onboard. However, despite a fabulous career in the Royal Navy, a desire for a change in scenery and a strong yearning to return home was realised and he joined the Royal Australian Navy in August 2003.
His first Australian posting was to the Guided Missile Frigate, HMAS Sydney as the Operations and Gunnery Officer, taking Sydney through a major upgrade progress and sea trials. This was interrupted when seconded to the German Navy vessel, the Berlin as a liaison officer during Operation SUMATRA ASSIST post the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. This mission was to coordinate Australian and German efforts to assist the Indonesian city of Banda Aceh, which was virtually destroyed by the tsunami.
In July 2005 he was posted to the Maritime Headquarters and took up the role of Operations Coordinator (OPSCO) before being selected to command HMAS Norman.
