Allegiance Australia Awards Order of Australia Years of service 1975–2010 Rank Rear admiral | Name Nigel Coates Role Admiral | |
 | ||
Born 8 March 1959 ( 1959-03-08 ) Commands held Commander Australian Fleet
Director General Navy Personnel
Director General Australian Navy Cadets
HMAS Anzac
HMAS Canberra Battles/wars Gulf War
War in Afghanistan
Operation Slipper Died June 2010, Canberra, Australia Battles and wars Gulf War, Operation Slipper, War in Afghanistan | ||
Service/branch Royal Australian Navy | ||
Farewell of rear admiral nigel coates
Rear Admiral Nigel Stephen Coates (8 March 1959 – 2 June 2010) was a senior officer in the Royal Australian Navy.
Contents
- Farewell of rear admiral nigel coates
- Nigel coates
- Early life and education
- Career
- Personal
- Honours and awards
- References
Nigel coates
Early life and education
Coates joined the Royal Australian Naval College at Jervis Bay in 1975 as a Junior Entry officer, where he completed his high school education.
Coates spent 18 months in Newport, Rhode Island, where he attended the US Naval War College and earnt a Master of Arts (International Relations) from Salve Regina University.
Career
Coates joined the Royal Australian Navy in 1975. For the first 15 years of his career he served as aide-de-camp to the Governor General, received Principal Warfare Officer and other training, served on HMA Ships Hobart, Adelaide, Brisbane and Darwin, and at Maritime Headquarters (MHQ) in Sydney.
In 1993, he was promoted to commander and served at the Australian Defence Force Academy, initially as Senior Military Instructor, and then as Commanding Officer of the Corps of Officer Cadets. In 1996 he assumed command of HMAS Canberra, in 1998 he assumed command of Sea Training at MHQ, and in 1999 attended the US Naval War College.
In 2001 he was promoted to captain and assumed command of HMAS Anzac, which saw operational deployment in the Persian Gulf; Coates was subsequently appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for this service.
In mid-2002 he was appointed Chief of Staff to the Chief of the Defence Force in Canberra, and in late 2003 he was promoted to commodore and appointed Chief of Staff, at Headquarters Australian Theatre in Sydney. In 2005 he returned to Canberra as Director General, Navy Personnel and Training.
In July 2007 he was promoted to rear admiral and appointed Commander Australian Fleet. He relinquished command of the Fleet in October 2009 and was relieved by Rear Admiral Steve Gilmore.
Personal
According to his official biography, "Coates and his wife Vickie enjoy sailing and have three children who also enjoy sailing – occasionally."
In 1996 while sailing in the Australian Capital Territory, he suffered a traumatic amputation of the top of his ring finger.
Coates was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer in late 2009, shortly after relinquishing command of the Australian Fleet. He died on 2 June 2010, aged 51, at the Medical Centre, Royal Military College, Duntroon, in Canberra. The funeral service with full naval honours was held in the Naval Dockyard Chapel, Garden Island, on 9 June 2010.