Wikipedia:Today's featured article/May 28, 2014

Roy Dowling (1901–1969) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). He graduated from the Royal Australian Naval College in 1919 and was given command of the sloop HMAS Swan in 1937. During World War II, he saw action in the Mediterranean aboard HMS Naiad (surviving her sinking in 1942), served as Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, and commanded HMAS Hobart in the South West Pacific, earning the Distinguished Service Order. Dowling took command of the RAN's first aircraft carrier, HMAS Sydney, in 1948. He rose to become Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), the RAN's highest-ranking position, from 1955 until 1959. As CNS he had to deal with shortages of money, manpower and equipment, and with the increasing role of the United States in Australia's defence planning at the expense of traditional ties with Britain. Knighted in 1957, he served as Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee from 1959 until 1961, when he retired. In 1963 he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order and became Australian Secretary to HM Queen Elizabeth II, serving until his death in 1969. (Full article...)