 Vice Admiral Sir Henry Mackay Burrell , KBE , CB ( 13 August 1904 – 9 February 1988 ) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Navy ( RAN ) . He served as Chief of the Naval Staff ( CNS ) from 1959 to 1962 . Born in the Blue Mountains , Burrell entered the Royal Australian Naval College in 1918 as a thirteen @-@ year @-@ old cadet . His first posting at sea was aboard the cruiser HMAS Sydney . During the 1920s and 1930s , Burrell served for several years on exchange with the Royal Navy , specialising as a navigator . Following the outbreak of World War II , he filled a key liaison post with the US Navy , and later saw action as commander of the destroyer HMAS Norman , earning a mention in despatches . 
