Class: Daring Destroyer
Launched: 1956
At: Cockatoo Island Dockyard, Sydney
Commissioned: 1959
Length: 389 feet
Beam: 43 feet
Draft: 18 feet
Displacement: 3,950 tons full load
Speed: 34 knots (designed)
Complement: 320
Armament: Six 4.5 inch dual-purpose guns, two single and two twin 40/60 mm Bofors AA guns, Mark 10 Limbo anti-submarine mortar, quintuple 21 inch torpedo launcher
Address:
Australian National Maritime Museum
GPO Box 5131
Sydney, NSW 2001
Australia
+61 2 9298 3777
Fax: +61 2 9298 3780
http://www.anmm.gov.au/site/page.cfm
Latitude: -33.869144817, Longitude: 151.199838493
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The Daring class were the largest destroyers, and the first large all welded ships, built in Australia. They were a British design dating from the later stages of World War II, and were the products of the technology and strategies of the time. They provided aircraft carrier escort and gunfire support to the Fleet.
She served in the Royal Australian Navy During the Cold War from 1959 to 1986, and during this 27 year period, steamed a total of 808,026 nautical miles. She took part in many exercises and joint operations with other navies. She took part in the SEATO exercises held off Singapore during the Indonesian Confrontation with Malaysia in 1965 and made troop escort runs to Vietnam in 1965, 1966, 1967 and 1969, but was not involved in any combat.
The 1970s saw Vampire undertake more fleet tours, naval exercises and provide occasional ceremonial and Royal escorts. During 1980 Vampire was refitted as a training ship and became a member of the RAN Training Squadron. By the time of her being paid off in 1986 large gunships of her type were being replaced by newer missile ships.
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