 In honour of Robert Rankin the 6th and final Collins class submarine, HMAS "Rankin" was named in his honour.The ship's motto is "Defend the Weak", a reference to the efforts of Robert Rankin and "Yarra" to defend the unarmed convoy ships.A group of Australian naval historians and others are campaigning Rankin to be awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross (as was awarded to Captain Edward Fogarty Fegen of HMS "Jervis Bay", for similarly defending a convoy against hopeless odds).