The following Vale message was released by Chief of Navy on Friday 23 Oct:
1. It is with great sadness, that I inform you of the passing of Commodore Walter Samuel Grono (Sam) Bateman, AM, RAN (RETD) on 18 Oct 20.
2. Commodore Bateman was born in Cottesloe, Western Australia on 4 May 1938, and entered the Royal Australian Naval College (Flinders Naval Depot) in 1954 as a 15-year-old Cadet Midshipman.
3. Following graduation, Midshipman Bateman trained at Britannia Royal Naval College (Dartmouth). He then returned to Australia serving in HMAS Melbourne (II) where he gained his Bridge Watchkeeping Certificate.
4. Upon promotion, Lieutenant Bateman served as Executive Officer in HMAS Emu and Woomera respectively. In 1962, he married his wife, Lois, and assumed his first command of the General Purpose Vessel HMAS Bass.
5. In November 1967, Lieutenant Commander Bateman was the Commissioning Commanding officer of the Attack Class Patrol Boat HMAS Aitape, which formed part of the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Patrol Boat Group.
6. He gained an Economics degree in 1970, before being posted to HMAS Parramatta (III) as Executive Officer and deployed to South East Asia, escorting HMAS Sydney (III) to Vung Tau during the Vietnam War. He returned to PNG in December 1971 as the Naval Officer-in-Charge, Port Moresby and later, as the Director of Maritime Operations prior to PNG independence. He was promoted to Commander in December 1972.
7. In January 1975, he became the Seaman Officer’s Career Manager in the Directorate of Naval Officers Postings. Following this posting, he assumed command of HMAS Yarra (III) in December 1977 and was involved in the Mulloka sonar trials. In 1979, he joined the Directorate of Naval Plans as Staff Officer Force Structure Planning. He was promoted to Captain in June 1980, and appointed the Director of Naval Force Development.
8. Captain Bateman then conducted a study of the economic significance of seaborne trade to Australia, in the Department of Economics at Duntroon. Upon completion he posted to the Strategic and International Policy Division, where he was involved in the finalisation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
9. He returned to sea in December 1984 as the Commanding officer of HMAS Hobart (II), which included a deployment to the west coasts of Canada and the United States. he returned to Canberra in May 1986, where he completed a review of Australian Defence Force administration for the Vice Chief of the Defence Force.
10. He was promoted to Commodore in June 1986, and went on to hold the posts of Director General Military Staff, Director General Force Development, and Director General Maritime Studies Program, which led to the establishment of the Sea Power Centre – Australia.
11. Commodore Bateman retired from the RAN in December 1993, after 40 years in the Navy. In recognition of service to the RAN, in particular as Director General Maritime Studies Program. he was appointed a member of the Order of Australia.
12. From 1994 to 1999, he held the position of Director of the Centre for Maritime Policy (now the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security – ANCORS) at the University of Wollongong. He was also a member of the Ministerial Advisory Group on Oceans Policy and the National Oceans Advisory Group in the late 1990s.
13. Commodore Bateman completed is PHD from the University of NSW, where his academic career in Maritime Studies was recognised internationally for his expertise in the political aspects of the Law of the Sea, the prevention and management of incidents at sea, the South China Sea dispute, and modernisation of regional navies.
14. On behalf of the men and women of our navy, I extend my sincere condolences to Commodore Sam Bateman’s family.
15. A Memorial Service for the late Commodore Bateman will be held at the Mooloolaba Surf Club commencing at 1130 on 2 November. The family email address for requesting permission to attend by 28 October is at: sarahmqut@gmail.com. The Memorial Service will be live streamed on Zoom via HTTPS://BIT.LY/2HO6ICA with meeting ID: 815 9026 2249 and passcode: 471200.
CN sends.