Rear Admiral Galfry George Ormond Gatacre, CBE, DSO, DSC & Bar (né Gataker; 11 June 1907 – 12 August 1983) was a senior officer in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), who also played first-class cricket.
[4] A noted spin bowler, Gataker came to the attention of state cricket coaches in Australia, but never pursued the opportunity to play at a higher level.
[1] He was appointed upon his return as a staff officer and intelligence and operations aboard HMAS Australia, seeing multiple actions in the South West Pacific theatre over the next two years, including the battles of Savo Island and the Eastern Solomons, as well as the amphibious landings along the Papua New Guinea coastline.
[1] He attended a course at the Imperial Defence College in London in 1951, after which he was appointed the first captain of the newly commissioned HMAS Anzac and commanding officer of the 10th Destroyer Squadron in February 1952.
[2] He saw action during the Korean War, patrolling off the east and west coasts of Korea, with HMAS Anzac spending more time in the combat zone than any other Commonwealth warship.
[9] Gatacre was sent to the United States in July 1953, where he served for two years as the Australian naval attaché in Washington, before being appointed commanding officer of the newly commissioned HMAS Melbourne in October 1955.
He again held the position of Deputy Chief of Naval Staff in January 1957, owing to a lack of experienced senior officers in the RAN at the time, before being promoted to the rank of rear admiral in June 1958, and being made the Flag Officer Commanding HM's Australian Fleet in January 1959, the most senior seagoing post in the RAN.
Returning in 1962, he became the second member of the Australian Commonwealth Naval Board and was appointed Flag Officer-in-Charge, East Australia Area in July 1962.