Almost 80 years after sacrificing his life to save his mates, World War II hero Teddy Sheean has posthumously been awarded Australia's highest military honour.
The ordinary seaman from Tasmania has become the first member of the Royal Australian Navy to receive a Victoria Cross.
Sheean died aged 18 in December 1942 when the HMAS Armidale was sunk by Japanese bombers in the Timor Sea.
As the ship went down, he strapped himself to an anti-aircraft gun and fired at enemy planes, saving the lives of 49 crewmates.
"He gave his life so those who remained on the surface had a fighting chance at survival," Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Michael Noonan said before the ceremony at Canberra's government house on Tuesday.
"Teddy did not choose sacrifice in an attempt to win a war, he did it to save his friends."
Sheean's family have for decades campaigned for his actions to be recognised.
The Victoria Cross was presented to his nephew Garry Ivory, with the medal to be displayed at the War Memorial's Hall of Valour.
Governor-General David Hurley said Sheean, one of 14 children, was a charismatic man full of confidence and his story still resonated today.
"In the toughest of times he, and many like him, stepped up to serve their country," he said.
"His rowdy last night in Latrobe (in northern Tasmania) before departing is still a strong part of local folklore.
"In the words of his nephew, who was 11 when Teddy went off to the war ... 'He never picked a fight, but he never walked away from one'."
Scott Morrison gave a video address saying Sheean's story will "grow with the ages".
"He now takes his place as one of the guiding lights of the country he indeed served to save," the prime minister said.
"But there was a great cost. Teddy never saw the end of the war or the peace he helped secure."
An expert panel in July found an earlier decision to deny him a Victoria Cross was wrong, with Mr Morrison describing it as a "substantial injustice".
The Queen in August agreed to award Sheean the medal, the 101st given to an Australian.
HMAS Sheean, a Collins Class submarine, is the first and only Royal Australian Navy ship to bear the name of an ordinary seaman.
