Beginning his naval career at the age of 13 as a cadet on the Royal Navy's training shipBritannia, Creswell was promoted to midshipman in 1867 and on 20 October 1871 became a sub-lieutenant. Having already served in the Channel Fleet, Creswell was transferred to the China Station. In 1873 while serving on the gunboat he was shot in the hip during a skirmish with pirates from the Laroot River, PenangMalaya but remained at his post. His bravery won him promotion to lieutenant but his wound meant returning to England to recuperate. Creswell's next seagoing appointment, to the East India Station, was followed by a period in Zanzibar, where he commanded a flotilla involved in suppressing the slave trade. Illness, however, again forced his return to England. Creswell retired from the Royal Navy in 1878 and, seeking to become a pastoralist, he emigrated to Australia in 1879. A stint in the Northern Territory, however, convinced Creswell that he was ill-suited to outback life. During a visit to Adelaide in 1885 he met a former naval colleague and was convinced to take up an appointment as First Lieutenant on South Australia's only naval vessel, HMCS Protector, a posting he very much enjoyed. Creswell soon began agitating for the establishment of an Australian naval force to supplement the Royal Navy squadron based in Sydney. In mid-1895, he reached the rank of captain; by 1899, he was arguing strongly for an Australian navy. On 1 May 1900, he was appointed Commandant of the Queensland Maritime Defence Force, but was soon released to command Protector on its deployment to China to assist in suppressing the Boxer Rebellion. After Federation, Creswell's lobbying for an Australian navy gained momentum. He was regarded by many as Australia's chief spokesman on naval matters, hence his appointment in February 1904 to the new position of Naval Officer Commanding the Commonwealth Naval Forces. He had retained his position in Queensland and accepted the role of Naval Commandant in Victoria but his energies were primarily focused on the national navy. Alarmed at Germany's growing naval might by 1909, Australia's admiralty sought to dramatically increase Australia's naval strength. In company with Colonel Justin F. G. Foxton, Creswell attended the Imperial Conference, which resulted in the Naval Defence Act of 1910 being passed which created the Australian navy. In 1911, Creswell was promoted to rear admiral in the service of the Royal Australian Navy. As part of his coronation honours, the King made him Knight Commander of the order of St Michael and St George. The fact that Australia's navy was ready for service when the First World War began was largely the result of Creswell's hard work and lobbying. During the war he was involved as an administrator in ship construction, the development of shore support, and the arranging of convoys. After the war he worked on developing a defence program for Australia, focussing mainly on ensuring the continued strengthening of the RAN.
Considered the father of the RAN, Creswell retired in 1919 and took up farming in Victoria; in the same year he was created KBE. He was promoted to Vice Admiral in 1922. He died on 20 April 1933 and was survived by his wife Adelaide Elizabeth née Stow two sons and a daughter. Two sons were killed during the First World War. Captain Randolph William Creswell served in the 3rd Anzac Camel Battalion, AIF and was killed in action on 6 November 1917 at Tel el Khuweifle, Palestine. He is buried at Beersheba War Cemetery. His twin brother, Lieutenant Edmund Lindsay Creswell was wounded at Bullecourt, but survived the war. Lieutenant Colin Fraser Creswell was lost in the sinking of submarine E47 off the Dutch coast on 20 August 1917. Creswell has been honoured with the naming of the naval base,, the site of the Royal Australian Naval College at Jervis Bay.
