Otranto Shields
At the end of each year the Royal Australian Navy Fleet Proficiency Awards are announced. One of the oldest of these is the Otranto Shield which is awarded annually in December to the fleet unit which, in the opinion of the Commander of the Australian Fleet, has achieved the best and most consistent gunnery and surface-to-air missile results during the year.
This, however, has not always been the case. Originally there were two Otranto Shields, one being for gunnery and the other being for torpedo gunnery. The provenance of the shields can be traced to 1910 when Australian sailors were taking passage in the Orient passenger liner Otranto on their way to pick up the new torpedo boat destroyers HMA Ships Parramatta (I) and Yarra (I). Recognising the uniqueness of the occasion, passengers in the Otranto donated a generous amount of money to fund two ornate presentation shields to be competed for by the men of the Australian Navy.
The shields were manufactured by a leading London firm and each contained 200 ounces of silver. The cost was £132 each which today equates to a staggering $18,000. Once made, the shields were conveyed to Melbourne by the Otranto, which had the pleasure of catching up with the two destroyers in Colombo during their passage to Australia.
The original Otranto Shield for torpedo gunnery seen here onboard HMAS Yarra (I).
A rare photograph of both original Otranto Shields, seen here onboard HMAS Stalwart (I) in 1924. (Cant collection)
Lost with HMAS Voyager (II) was the Otranto Shield for torpedo gunnery which she had won in 1963. On 10 February 1984, 20 years after Voyager’s sinking, the RAN instituted the HMAS Voyager (II) Trophy for anti-submarine warfare proficiency, to be awarded annually to the “...escort which in the opinion of the Fleet Commander has achieved the best and most consistent anti-submarine sensor and weapon performance during the year.” The inaugural winner was the guided missile frigate HMAS Canberra (II) for the year ended 1983. The most prolific winners have been HMAS Darwin, with five awards, and HMAS Perth (II) with four.
HMAS Perth (II) was awarded the Otranto Shield in 1981. A proud moment for members of the gunnery department.
Commanding Officer HMAS Adelaide (II) Captain A.M. Carwardine, RAN and his charges proudly present the Otranto Shield awarded to the ship in 1984.
HMAS Darwin crew members pose with the Otranto Shield in 1987.
A search for records of all recipients of both Otranto shields is underway and this will be added when located. The table below records those ships awarded the surviving Otranto Shield since 1980.
| Year | Ship | Year | Ship |
| 1980 | HMAS Hobart (II) | 2010 | HMAS Warramunga (II) |
| 1981 | HMAS Perth (II) | 2011 | HMAS Toowoomba (II) |
| 1982 | HMAS Parramatta (III) | 2012 | HMAS Perth (III) |
| 1983 | HMAS Torrens (II) | 2013 | HMAS Parramatta (IV) |
| 1984 | HMAS Adelaide (II) | 2014 | HMAS Arunta (II) |
| 1985 | HMAS Canberra (II) | 2015 | HMAS Perth (III) |
| 1986 | HMAS Perth (II) | 2016 | HMAS Ballarat (II) |
| 1987 | HMAS Darwin | 2017 | HMAS Toowoomba (II) |
| 1988 | HMAS Hobart (II) | 2018 | HMAS Hobart (III) |
| 1989 | HMAS Sydney (IV) | 2019 | HMAS Toowoomba (II) |
| 1990 | HMAS Sydney (IV) | 2020 | HMAS Arunta (II) |
| 1991 | HMAS Darwin | ||
| 1992 | HMAS Hobart (II) | ||
| 1993 | HMAS Melbourne (III) | ||
| 1994 | HMAS Perth (II) | ||
| 1995 | HMAS Brisbane (II) | ||
| 1996 | HMAS Perth (II) | ||
| 1997 | HMAS Brisbane (II) | ||
| 1998 | HMAS Anzac (III) | ||
| 1999 | HMAS Arunta (II) | ||
| 2000 | HMAS Arunta (II) | ||
| 2001 | HMAS Melbourne (III) | ||
| 2002 | HMAS Arunta (II) | ||
| 2003 | HMAS Stuart (III) | ||
| 2004 | HMAS Arunta (II) | ||
| 2005 | HMAS Warramunga (II) | ||
| 2006 | HMAS Arunta (II) | ||
| 2007 | HMAS Toowoomba (II) | ||
| 2008 | HMAS Anzac (III) | ||
| 2009 | HMAS Anzac (III) |
Petty Officer Electronics Technician David Jackson accepts the Otranto Shield on behalf of HMAS Arunta (II) from the Commander Surface Force, Commodore Lee Goddard, CSC, RAN, 4 June 2015.
