- Author
- Dennard, Luke, Midshipman, RAN
- Subjects
- Biographies and personal histories, Ship histories and stories, WWII operations
- Tags
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- RAN Ships
- HMAS Shropshire, HMAS Australia II, HMAS Sydney II
- Publication
- December 2007 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)
Thus, Collins understood the importance of morale which is defined as being ‘… a state of mind, a mental attitude of confidence and well-being in individuals.’ Furthermore, a major influencing factor on morale is leadership; by demonstrating sound decision-making, Collins instilled high morale in a time of tense pressure for the ship’s company.
Course of History
The sinking of the Bartolomeo Colleoni was a significant victory for the Allies taken in context of the war effort at the time where 1940 witnessed Britain and the Commonwealth fighting both German and Italian forces virtually alone. The victory ultimately proved Australia and her Navy had come of age and were able to defeat superior faster ships through professionalism instilled through Collins’ sound leadership principles.
Conclusion
This essay has sought to examine leadership qualities through analysing the career of Rear-Admiral Collins and found that Collins’ ability to change leadership styles to suit the environment enabled the instilment of self-confidence, providing clear direction and purpose whilst understanding the importance of morale. The latest class of submarine, the Collins class, bears his name; the first of these, HMAS Collins, was launched by his widow in 1993, and is an example of Australia’s recognition of a significant war-time leader.