HMAS ''Vampire'' was the third of three Australian-built s serving in the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the navy, naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (Australia), Chief of Navy (CN) Vice admiral (Australia), Vice Admiral Mark Hammond (admiral), Ma ...

(RAN). One of the first all-welded ships built in Australia, she was constructed at Cockatoo Island Dockyard between 1952 and 1959, and was commissioned into the RAN a day after completion. ''Vampire'' was regularly deployed to South East Asia during her career: she was attached to the Far East Strategic Reserve on five occasions, including during the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation, and escorted the troop transport on six of the latter's twenty-five transport voyages to

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...

. In 1977, the destroyer was assigned to escort the

royal yacht A royal yacht is a ship used by a monarch or a royal family. If the monarch is an emperor the proper term is imperial yacht. Most of them are financed by the government of the country of which the monarch is head. The royal yacht is most often c ...

during

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

and

Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...

's visit to Australia. In 1980, ''Vampire'' was reclassified as a

training ship A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house class ...

. The warship remained in service until 1986, when she was decommissioned and presented to the

Australian National Maritime Museum The Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) is a Australian government, federally operated maritime museum in Darling Harbour, Sydney. After considering the idea of establishing a maritime museum, the federal government announced that a nation ...

for preservation as a

museum ship A museum ship, also called a memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public for educational or memorial purposes. Some are also used for training and recruitment purposes, mostly for the small numb ...

; the largest museum-owned object on display in Australia.

Design

The Royal Australian Navy initially ordered four s, which were to be named after the ships of the " Scrap Iron Flotilla" of World War II. The ships were modified during construction: most changes were made to improve habitability, including the installation of air-conditioning.Cooper, in Stevens, ''The Royal Australian Navy'', p. 167 ''Vampire'' and her

sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same Ship class, class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They o ...

s were the first all-welded ships to be constructed in Australia.Cooper, in Stevens, ''The Royal Australian Navy'', p. 168 The ''Daring''s had a standard

displacement Displacement may refer to: Physical sciences Mathematics and physics *Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...

of 2,800 tons, which increased to 3,600 tons at full load. ''Vendetta'' and her sisters were long, with a beam of , and a draught of at mean, and at full or deep load. Her propulsion system consisted of two Foster Wheeler boilers, feeding two

English Electric The English Electric Company Limited (EE) was a British industrial manufacturer formed after World War I by amalgamating five businesses which, during the war, made munitions, armaments and aeroplanes. It initially specialised in industrial el ...

geared turbines, which provided to two propeller shafts. ''Vampire'' could sail at over , and had a range of at . Her standard ship's company consisted of 20 officers and 300 sailors.

Armament

''Vampire''s main armament consisted of six Mark V guns mounted in three Mark 6 twin turrets, two forward and one aft.Shaw, ''HMAS Vampire'', p. 9 Her anti-aircraft outfit consisted of six 40 mm Bofors; two single mountings on the forward

superstructure A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships. Aboard ships and large boats On water craft, the superstruct ...

, and two twin mountings on the aft superstructure.Bastock, ''Australia's Ships of War'', p. 320 Four .50 cal () Browning machine guns were carried for point defence.Cassells, ''The Destroyers'', pp. 147–48 Five

torpedo tube A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...

s were fitted to a single Mark IV pentad mount on the deck between the forward and aft superstructures. For

anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in the older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations ar ...

, a

Limbo The unofficial term Limbo (, or , referring to the edge of Hell) is the afterlife condition in medieval Catholic theology, of those who die in original sin without being assigned to the Hell of the Damned. However, it has become the gene ...

anti-submarine mortar was carried on the aft deck, offset to port. The twin Bofors, torpedo launcher, and Limbo mortar were all removed during various refits.Shaw, ''HMAS Vampire'', p. 10 A Sea Cat missile system was installed at some point during her career. HMAS Vampire forward

''Vampire'' was fitted with a Type 170 attack

sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances ( ranging), communicate with or detect objects o ...

, a Type 174 search sonar, and a Type 185 submarine detection sonar.Shaw, ''HMAS Vampire'', p. 25 The original fire control directors were a Flyplane 3 and an MRS 8.Shaw, ''HMAS Vampire'', p. 7 These were replaced during the 1970–71 refit with two M22 units. The air warning radar was replaced with an LW-02 air search radar during the same refit, and an 8gr-301A surface search and navigation radar was installed.

Construction

''Vampire'' was laid down at Cockatoo Island Dockyard in Sydney, New South Wales on 1 July 1952.Cassells, ''The Destroyers'', p. 148 The destroyer was launched on 27 October 1956 by the wife of the Governor-General, Sir William Slim.Bastock, ''Australia's Ships of War'', p. 321 She was completed on 22 June 1959, and commissioned into the RAN in Sydney a day later. Between laying down and completion, the ship's cost increased from A£2.6 million to A£7 million.

Operational history

1959–1970

After competing work-up trials and entering active service, ''Vampire'' underwent training exercises with ships of the RAN and

Royal New Zealand Navy The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN; ) is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The fleet currently consists of eight ships. The Navy had its origins in the Naval Defence Act 1913, and the subsequent acquisition of the cruiser , whi ...

(RNZN) until early 1960. ''Vampire'' was deployed to the Far East Strategic Reserve in March 1960, and sailed to Singapore after a brief visit to New Zealand. She returned to Sydney in December, and was docked for refit until April 1961. The destroyer was awarded the Gloucester Cup for 1960, recognising her as the most efficient ship in the RAN. Following the refit, ''Vampire'' operated in Australian waters, including participation in the training exercise Tuckerbox in August, then returned to the Far East in September.Bastock, ''Australia's Ships of War'', p. 322 On 1 December 1961, a chief petty officer died aboard from illness. The destroyer was in Hong Kong for Christmas, then in January 1962, visited

Nha Trang Nha Trang ( or ; ) is a coastal city and capital of Khánh Hòa Province, on the South Central Coast of Vietnam. It is bounded on the north by Ninh Hoà town, on the south by Cam Ranh city and on the west by Diên Khánh District. The city had ...

and

Saigon Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

with . ''Vampire'' received the Gloucester Cup again for 1961. the first months of 1962, the ship participated in training exercises in the South China Sea and the Bay of Bengal, before returning to Australia on 7 April. ''Vampire'' participated in Exercise Tuckerbox II during August and September, and was present at

Fremantle, Western Australia Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...

during November for the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth. On 31 January 1963, ''Vampire'' departed for her third FESR deployment, which lasted until late July. During this, the destroyer participated in South East Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO) Exercise Sea Serpent. After returning to Sydney, ''Vampire'' was taken in hand by Garden Island Dockyard for refit, which concluded in February 1964. During the docking, the ship was awarded the Gloucester Cup for 1963; the third time the award was granted to the ship. After post-refit trials, ''Vampire'' sailed for her fourth Far East deployment in June, and was involved in Exercise Litgas shortly after reaching the region. From October until January 1965, the ship was involved in the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

response to the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation; carrying out patrols around the Malay Peninsula to interdict vessels smuggling troops into Malaysia.Shaw, ''HMAS Vampire'', p. 6 The destroyer remained in South East Asia until January 1965, and returned to Sydney on 12 February. After a short period of leave and self-maintenance, ''Vampire'' sailed again for the Far East in April, exercising with the en route from Manus Island to Manila. ''Vampire'' escorted the aircraft carrier during SEATO Exercise Seahorse. During early June, ''Vampire'' accompanied the troop transport for parts of the latter's first transport voyage to Vietnam.Nott & Payne, ''The Vung Tau Ferry'', p. 169 The ship's fifth Far East deployment was concluded when she reached Sydney on 22 June. On 20 December, the ashes of Vice Admiral Sir Hastings Harrington were scattered from ''Vampire'' off the coast of Sydney. ''Vampire'' was sent on her sixth Far East deployment in March 1966. In late April, ''Vampire'' was temporarily withdrawn from Strategic Reserve service to escort ''Sydney'' on her third Vietnam voyage: the destroyer returned to Hong Kong on 9 May.Nott & Payne, ''The Vung Tau Ferry'', p. 170 During late May and early June, ''Vampire'' participated in SEATO Exercise Sea Imp. On 10 June 1966, ''Vampire'' collided with the Danish merchant ship ''Emilie Maersk'' on the

Chao Phraya River The Chao Phraya River is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand. Etymology Written evidence of the river being referred to by the ...

; the destroyer received only minor damage, and was repaired in Singapore. From July to August, the destroyer was assigned to

Tawau Tawau (), formerly known as Tawao, is the capital of the Tawau District in Sabah, Malaysia. It is the third-largest city (or town)While Tawau have a population of more than 100,000 of which is considered city elsewhere in the world it is offic ...

to protect the region from Indonesian aggression during the Confrontation. This primarily consisted of using her radar to detect approaching vessels and coordinate interception efforts, although ''Vampire'' was called on to provide

fire support Fire support is a military tactics term used to describe weapons fire used to support friendly forces by engaging, suppressing, or destroying enemy forces, facilities, or materiel in combat. It is often provided through indirect fire, though th ...

for Commonwealth land forces on two occasions. The ship returned to Sydney on 13 August.Bastock, ''Australia's Ships of War'', p. 323 On 4 January 1967, ''Vampire'' sailed for her seventh FESR tour. The destroyer provided assistance to the grounded freighter ''Mata Thevi'' in February, and from April until May, accompanied ''Sydney'' on the latter's fifth and sixth troop transport voyages.Nott & Payne, ''The Vung Tau Ferry'', p. 171 During the voyage back to Australia in late August and early September, ''Vampire'' made port visits in Indonesia; the first RAN ship to do so after the Confrontation's end. On arrival in Sydney, the destroyer was docked for a six-month refit. In July 1968, ''Vampire'' and other vessels of the RAN were involved in training exercises with the

. The destroyer visited Indonesia again in September, then served as review ship during a ceremonial fleet entry into Sydney Harbour: for this role, several weapons, including one of the three 4.5-inch turrets, were temporarily removed. On 23 March 1969, ''Vampire'' returned to the Far East. On 14 May 1969, the destroyer met ''Sydney'' off Singapore, and escorted the troopship to

Vũng Tàu Vũng Tàu (''Hanoi accent:'' , ''Saigon accent:'' ) is an important port city in southern Vietnam. It serves as the maritime port of Ho Chi Minh City, the largest city in Vietnam. Vũng Tàu covers of area and consists of 16 urban wards and on ...

on the former aircraft carrier's fourteenth Vietnam voyage.Nott & Payne, ''The Vung Tau Ferry'', p. 174 The destroyer returned to Australian waters in October. On 16 April 1970, ''Vampire'' joined a fleet of 45 naval ships from 13 nations to perform a ceremonial entry into Sydney Harbour as part of the first

Australian Bicentenary The bicentenary of Australia was celebrated in 1988. It marked 200 years since the arrival of the First Fleet of British convict ships at Sydney in 1788. History The bicentennial year marked Captain Arthur Phillip's arrival with the 11 ships ...

, celebrating the discovery and claiming of the east coast of Australia by

James Cook Captain (Royal Navy), Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 176 ...

Refit (1970–1972)

In June 1970, ''Vampire'' was handed over to Williamstown Naval Dockyard for a $US10 million modernisation. The modernisation consisted of over 2,000 upgrades and modifications. The sensor suite, including fire control systems, air radar, and surface radar, was updated. The destroyer's armament was refurbished, with the main gun turrets rebuilt and the Bofors reconditioned, although the torpedo pentad mount was removed. The superstructure was rebuilt, with the primary aim to enclose the open bridge area, along with modernisation of the ship's galleys and installation of more air conditioning. Redesigned masts and funnel cowlings were fitted. ''Vampire'' reentered active service on 4 March 1972.

1972–1986

In October 1972, ''Vampire'' was deployed to Singapore for four months as part of the ANZUK force: the first ''Daring''-class destroyer assigned to the force. She was temporarily withdrawn in November to accompany ''Sydney'' on her twenty-fifth and final voyage to Vũng Tàu.Nott & Payne, ''The Vung Tau Ferry'', p. 178 ''Vampire'' returned to Sydney on 1 March 1973. In April, the destroyer sailed to

Apia Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga. The Apia Urban A ...

, Samoa for the South Pacific Forum. In September, the destroyer was part of a multinational training exercise off New Zealand, then returned to Sydney and was present for the opening of the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

on 20 October.Bastock, ''Australia's Ships of War'', p. 324 ''Vampire'' began 1974 by participating in a joint Australia-Indonesia military exercise, before sailing to the Coral Sea in June to participate in Exercise Kangaroo I. In September 1974, the ship entered Garden Island Dockyard for an eight-month refit. On 22 August 1975, ''Vampire'', sister ship , and the supply ship were prepositioned in Darwin following tensions between Indonesia and the former Portuguese colony of East Timor (which cumulated in the Indonesian

invasion An invasion is a Offensive (military), military offensive of combatants of one geopolitics, geopolitical Legal entity, entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory (country subdivision), territory controlled by another similar entity, ...

in December).Jones, in Stevens, ''The Royal Australian Navy'', p. 231 The ships were to evacuate Australian citizens and Timorese refugees if needed, but this did not eventuate. On 21 September, the destroyer left Darwin for a five-month Strategic Reserve deployment. During her fifth deployment, which ended with her return to Sydney on 18 February 1976, ''Vampire'' joined training exercises with United States Navy ships in the China Sea, and visited sixteen ports in six countries for diplomatic and goodwill purposes. On 31 May 1976, ''Vampire'' and the destroyer escort departed Sydney Harbour for the United States. The two ships, along with the destroyer , visited ports along the west coast of the United States as the RAN representatives during the

United States Bicentennial The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic. It was a central event in the memo ...

: ''Vampire'' visited

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

and

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

. ''Vampire'' returned to Sydney on 6 August, but departed seven days later to participate in exercises in South East Asia.Cassells, ''The Destroyers'', p. 149 During the visit of

and

to Australia in March 1977, ''Vampire'' was assigned as the escort to . ''Vampire'' met ''Britannia'' on 11 March, and accompanied the royal yacht to Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Fremantle. Between April and July 1977, ''Vampire'' was involved in two rescue missions and three fleet training exercises. On 5 September, ''Vampire'' left Sydney as "part of the RAN contribution to Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee." The destroyer returned on 18 October. At the end of 1977, ''Vampire'' participated in Exercise Compass 77, held off Sri Lanka. The destroyer was primarily involved in training exercises during 1978 and 1979. In April 1979, it was announced that ''Vampire'' would be converted into a training ship. This refit was carried out from 21 January to 18 April 1980, and included the removal of the destroyer's M22 fire control radars, LW-02 air search radar, Limbo anti-submarine mortar, and twin Bofors mounts, and the installation of a training classroom where the Limbo previously resided. Following the conversion, ''Vampire'' was assigned to the RAN training squadron, where she joined . On 13 May, ''Vampire'' and ''Jervis Bay'' were ordered to the Solomon Islands to observe the splashdown of China's first intercontinental ballistic missile test-firing.Lind, ''The Royal Australian Navy'', p. 296 The ICBM landed north-west of Fiji, and was observed by both the two Australian ships and a fleet of 18 warships from the

People's Liberation Army Navy The People's Liberation Army Navy, also known as the People's Navy, PLA Navy or simply Chinese Navy, is the naval warfare military branch, branch of the People's Liberation Army, the national military of the People's Republic of China. It i ...

. On 6 November 1980, the two ships joined the patrol boats and to perform a ceremonial entry into Darwin as part of the city's Navy Week.

Decommissioning and preservation

On 25 June 1986, ''Vampire'' left active service. She was decommissioned on 13 August 1986, having spent 27 years in service, and travelled . She was later presented to the

for preservation as a

: on loan from 1990 to 1997, then transferred outright in 1997. ''Vampire'' is the largest museum piece on display in Australia. In 1991 ''Vampire'' appeared in the children's television program The Girl From Tomorrow Part II: Tomorrow's End. The ship is also used for training RAN divers in hull clearance. In 1994, two disabled twin Bofors mounts were returned to the destroyer, replacing those removed in 1980. On 9 April 1997, permission was granted for ''Vampire'' to fly the Australian White Ensign, despite not being a commissioned warship.Shaw, ''HMAS Vampire'', p. 22 The destroyer is towed to every five years for maintenance and cleaning.Shaw, ''Historic RAN ships in Australia'', p. 19 During a docking in October 2006, rumours spread among RAN personnel that ''Vampire'' would be refitted and returned to active service.Brooke, ''Destroyer revamped'' During the same refit, a fire broke out in the ship's boiler room.Pride of naval museum catches fire, ''The Daily Telegraph'' Nobody was injured, and no irreparable damage was caused. An overhaul of the RAN

battle honour A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or Military operation, operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In ...

s system completed in March 2009 saw ''Vampire'' retroactively honoured for her service in the Strategic Reserve between 1964 and 1966—the time of the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation. Any future ships named HMAS ''Vampire'' will carry the battle honour "Malaysia 1964–66" in addition to the honours earned by the previous HMAS ''Vampire''. In November 2015, the warship was moved to the new Warships Pavilion 'Action Stations' at the

alongside and . In January 2023, ''Vampire'' moved to Cockatoo Island Dockyard to begin repairs to its hull and various other components, costing about $3M.HMAS Vampire passes through Sydney Harbour for major conservation work
Declan Bowring,

ABC News Online ABC News, also known as ABC News and Current Affairs, is a public news service produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The service covers both local and world affairs, broadcasting both nationally as ABC News, and across the Asia- ...

, 2023-01-18 As of April 2023, ''Vampires radio room hosts an active

Amateur Radio Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency radio spectrum, spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emer ...

station, operated by a group of local Amateurs. The station operates under the radio

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally as ...

VK2VMP.VK2VMP
on qrz.com

Gallery

File:HMAS Vampire (D11) underway c1962.jpg, HMAS ''Vampire'' underway in c1962 File:HMAS Vampire (D11) underway in the Red Sea, circa in 1975.jpg, HMAS ''Vampire'' underway in the

Red Sea The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...

in c1975 File:HMAS Vampire Daring Class Destroyer 3 (30154426023).jpg, View of HMAS ''Vampire''s two forward main 4.5-inch guns File:HMAS Vampire (D11) aft superstructure.jpg, HMAS ''Vampire''s aft superstructure File:HMAS Vampire 2017.jpg, HMAS ''Vampire'' in 2017 File:HMAS Vampire (15135237624).jpg, HMAS ''Vampire''s builder plaque File:Rockingham Naval Memorial Park, Commemorative plaque for HMAS Vampire (D11), March 2020.jpg, Commemorative plaque for HMAS ''Vampire'' at Rockingham Naval Memorial Park in March 2020

Notes

References

Citations

Books

* * * * * * ** **

Journal and newspaper articles

* * *

External links

* – Royal Australian Navy history webpage for HMAS ''Vampire''
HMAS Vampire
– vessel page at the Australian National Maritime Museum
VK2VMP
– amateur radio (QRZ) page for the amateur radio station VK2VMP operating aboard HMAS Vampire {{DEFAULTSORT:Vampire (D11) Daring-class destroyers (1949) of the Royal Australian Navy Ships built in New South Wales 1956 ships Training ships of the Royal Australian Navy Museum ships in Australia Australian National Maritime Museum