Michael Hudson

Admiral Michael Wyndham "Mike" Hudson (10 March 1933 – 27 February 2005) was a senior officer in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), particularly notable for playing an important role in the introduction of the Collins class submarines and Anzac Class frigates, and establishing two-ocean basing for ships of the RAN during his tenure as Chief of Naval Staff from 1985 to 1991. Early life Michael Hudson was born on 10 March 1933 in Taree, New South Wales. His family moved to the Sydney suburb of Mosman when he was of a young age, where he developed an early interest in the navy, frequently watching the naval shipping from Balmoral. His first year of secondary schooling was spent at North Sydney Boys High School. Service history Hudson joined the Royal Australian Naval College as a 13 year old cadet midshipman in January 1947. His class was to prove a high achieving one. Out of the 24 cadets, three were to retire from the RAN as commodores, one (Sir David Martin) as a rear admiral and later Governor of New South Wales, another (Ian Knox) as a vice admiral and Vice Chief of the Defence Force, while Hudson became an admiral and Chief of Naval Staff. Graduating in 1950 with the King's Medal as dux of his class, Hudson decided to specialise in navigation. As a midshipman, he was posted to , which included a six-month deployment for service in the Korean War.