Sir Ernest Frederick Augustus Gaunt (1865-1940), a native of Australia, was an admiral in the Royal Navy.

He was born in Beechworth , Victoria, Australia, the son of William Henry Gaunt and Elizabeth Mary Palmer. Gaunt's brother Guy Reginald Gaunt was also an admiral. Their sister, Mary Elizabeth Bakewell Gaunt , was a well-known author in Australia and wrote several travel books.

Gaunt joined the Royal Navy in 1878 at the age of 13. In 1881 he was a seaman on HMS Wolverine, by 1891 he was a lieutenant on Belleisle, and by 1896 he was 1st Lieutenant on the armoured cruiser Narcissus . In 1898 and 1899 Gaunt was 1st Commissioner for Weihawei and Administrator for Liukungtao , China. In 1900, he was Commissioner and Superintending transport officer Weihawei, China, at the time of the Boxer Rebellion. In 1903, he commanded a landing party from the Mohawk at Durbo in Swaziland.

In 1913, he became Commodore of the Royal Naval Barracks in Chatham, England, and in 1913/1914, he was aide-de-camp to King George V. In 1916, during World War I, he commanded 1st Battle Squadron in the Battle of Jutland as Rear Admiral; his flagship was Colossus. From 1917 to 1919, he was commander-in-chief of the East Indies, in 1921/1922 of the Western Approaches. In 1925 he retired, and was knighted. He died in Chelsea, London, England.