The Duke of Gloucester’s Cup was instituted in 1946. His Royal Highness Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, presented a silver cup to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) as a prize for the ship that shot down the greatest number of sleeve targets during a calendar year.
Continuing the competition proved impractical. More recently, the cup has been awarded as a prize for the RAN unit displaying the highest level of proficiency.
The first RAN major fleet unit awarded the prize was HMAS Hobart (I) in 1947. The first submarine to win was HMAS Onslow in 1977. In 2011, RAN Clearance Diving Team 4 wrested the cup from the fleet to become the first Clearance Diving Team to receive the award.
Several RAN units have won the cup multiple times. HMAS Hobart (II) took the prize on eight separate occasions during its long commission. Others that have won the award in successive years include HMA ships Quadrant, Vampire (II), Sydney (III), Hobart (II) and Darwin.
On occasions when a fleet unit wins the award, a five-pointed gold star is painted on the vessel in recognition of the achievement. The star is removed only when the award passes to another RAN unit.