HMAS Vampire (D11)

History

The Dreadnought-class destroyer was an initiative of the British Navy during the Cold War (1947-1991) immediately after the end of World War II (1939-1945), and was established by a total of 11 units built to serve the British Royal Navy (8 units) and the Royal Australian Navy (3 units). A total of twenty were originally planned, of which sixteen were delivered to the former and four to the latter.

This class follows the ageing wartime combat class type and is itself replaced by the British serviced county class and the RAN serviced Perth class.

The Bold was built from 1949 to 1949 and in service from 1952 to 2007. When commissioned, they were the largest dimensional destroyers ever built for both services. One of the ships that fell victim to the RAN was the HMAS Vampire (D11), laid on 1 July 1953 from the Cockatoo Island Shipyard.

The ship was launched on October 27, 1956, and officially commissioned with the RAN on June 23, 1959. It fights under the motto "Audeamus" (which translates to "Let's Dare") and is known by several nicknames that allude to its official name - "Bat", "Batti" and "Bat Mobile".

The Vampire displaces 2,800 tons under standard load, increasing to 3,560 tons under full load. Her dimensions include a barrel length of 388.11 feet, a beam of 42.11.4 feet and a draft of 42.11 feet.

Power comes from 2 x Foster Wheeler boiler units feeding British Electric (EE) gear steam turbines producing 54,000 hp to drive the 2 x axles below the stern. Under ideal conditions, the warship can whizz past at speeds in excess of 30 knots and have a range of 3,700 nautical miles (4,300 miles).

There are a total of 320 crew members on board, including 20 officer-level staff, of whom about 300 are conscripted.

The shape of the ship conformed to the post-war design of the time; the main guns with turrets were placed in front of the bridge works, followed by an exposed main mast. The funnel is located near the midship and the second hull superstructure is combined with an auxiliary mast.

The hull line sloped aft of the forecastle and continued uninterrupted to the stern.

The warship was equipped with the systems required at the time, including various sonar devices, artillery director, air search radar, and surface search radar.

The armament is centered on a 6 x 4.5 inch QF gun, arranged around three twin gun turrets, two of which are located above the forward turret and the remaining turrets mounted aft. Additionally, 6 x 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns (AA) are mounted on 2 x double gun mounts and 2 x single gun mounts.

4 x 12.7mm Browning Heavy Machine Guns (HMG) as last line of defense (Mark IV torpedo series) and 1 x "Limbo" anti-submarine mortar (later removed). Before the end of her career, the Vampire carried the Seacat surface-to-air missile (SAM) system.

All in all, the bold design is effective and capable of dealing with almost any maritime threat.

While at sea, Vampire toured the Southeast Asian theater of operations and worked as part of her career under the banner of the Far East Strategic Reserve. She participated in the confrontation between Indonesia and Malaysia as an ally of Malaysia (1963-1966) and supported Allied operations during the Vietnam War (1955-1975), especially in escort/deterrence roles.

She provided security during a royal visit to Australia in 1977 and was downgraded to a training ship in 1980 - she ended her career on 13 August 1986, officially retiring after nearly 30 years of her loyal service.

The Australian National Maritime Museum has exhibited the warship since 1990 and fully owned it in 1997. In 2009, she received retrospective honors for her exploits from 1964 to 1966. Today, she's a well-preserved museum ship fighting alongside fellow players HMAS Advanced and HMAS Onslow.

Specification

BASIC

Year of Service

1959

Origins

Australia

Status

stop service

Reserved.

supplement

320

staff

Class information

Class

Daredevil class

Class Size

4

ships

Class

HMAS Duchess (D154); HMAS Vampire (D11); HMAS Vendetta (D08); HMS Voyager (D04)

Operator

Australia

Characters

Sea Bombing

Maritime bombardment/attack of surface targets/areas primarily through ship-based ballistic weapons.

Land Assault

Littoral attacks against surface targets primarily through ship-based missiles/missile weapons.

Sea Patrol

Active patrolling of critical waterways and sea areas; also serves as a local deterrent against air and maritime threats.

Airspace Denial/Deterrence

Neutralization or deterrence of flying elements by airborne missile weapon ballistics.

Fleet Support

Provide support (fire or materiel) to major surface fleets in blue water environments.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

389. 0 feet

118.57m

Ray

43. 0 feet

13.11m

Draft

12.8 feet

3.90m

Shift

3,200 t

Power and Performance

Installed Power:

2 Foster Wheeler boilers with 2 British electric gear steam turbines producing 54,000 hp and driving 2 shafts aft.

Surface Velocity

31. 0 nodes

(35.7 km/h)

Area

3,737nm

(4,300 miles | 6,920 km)

Arms

6 x 4.5" (113 mm) QF guns in three turrets with twin guns (two front, one rear). 6 x 1'6" (40 mm ) Bofors anti- 2 x machine guns in double turrets and 2 x single turrets. 4 x .50 caliber (13 mm) Browning Heavy Machine Guns (HMG). 1 x 21" (530 mm) five-barrel torpedo launcher (Mark IV torpedo).

1 x "Limbo" anti-submarine mortar (already built) or 1 x "Sea Cat" surface-to-air missile system (SAM) (later added).

Aircraft

None.