New facility for junior rates opens

L to R: Ms Maria McColl nee Sheean, President Anchorage Club, LSSTD Samantha Clues, Mrs Anita Sheean, Mr Bert Sheean (Brother of Teddy Sheean) Mr Ed Sheean, and DGNPT, CDRE Simon Hart.

By LEUT Merv Cronin
At 18 years of age and a recently rated Ordinary Seaman at his death, Teddy Sheean is one of the most famous of the Royal Australian Navy’s war heroes. When Japanese torpedo bombers sank HMAS Armidale in 1942, 40 of her crew of 83 lost their lives.
Sheean kept his gun firing even as Armidale slipped beneath the waves.

He is the only junior rating to have a warship named for him, the Collins class submarine HMAS Sheean.

Every year on the anniversary of her sinking an Armidale survivor goes to a hotel and orders two beers–he drinks one –and then leaves. Sometimes as he leaves someone asks about the remaining beer. “My mates will be along to take care of that,” he says.

Hopefully this tradition will continue in the Teddy Sheean Bar at HMAS Cerberus.

“One of the greater pleasures of a Senior Officer is to open new facilities that directly benefit the welfare of the people under his command and today it is the turn of the rated junior sailors to be recognised,” said DGNPT, CDRE Simon Hart in formally opening the bar.

The opening of the Teddy Sheean Bar marks the day that the achievement of a junior sailor to attain his or her rate is recognised by the formal allocation of a separate recreation area.

The Teddy Sheean bar has been directly funded by CreST the HMAS Cerberus canteen; part of another successful Category School enhancement program.

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