HMAS Vendetta (D08)
HMAS Vendetta alongside HMAS Melbourne and HMAS Voyager in 1959
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History | |
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Australia | |
Name | Vendetta |
Builder | Williamstown Naval Dockyard |
Laid down | 4 July 1949 |
Launched | 3 May 1954 |
Commissioned | 26 November 1958 |
Decommissioned | 9 October 1979 |
Motto |
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Honours and awards |
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Fate | Sold for scrap in 1987 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Daring-class destroyer |
Displacement |
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Length | 390 ft (120 m) |
Beam | 43 ft (13 m) |
Draught |
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Propulsion |
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Speed | Over 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) |
Range | 3,700 nautical miles (6,900 km; 4,300 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
Complement | 20 officers, 300 sailors |
Armament |
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HMAS Vendetta was one of three
The ship underwent a two-year modernisation from 1971 to 1973, and in December 1974 was one of thirteen RAN warships involved in
Design and construction
The Royal Australian Navy initially ordered four Daring-class destroyers, 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.[1] Vendetta and her sister ships were the first all-welded ships to be constructed in Australia.[2]
The Darings had a standard
Vendetta's main armament consisted of six 4.5-inch guns mounted in three twin turrets, two forward and one aft with a maximum rate of fire of 16 rounds per minute per barrel or 96 rounds per minute overall.
Vendetta was laid down at
Vendetta was commissioned on 26 November 1958.
Operational history
1959–1969
In April 1959, Vendetta operated in New Zealand waters, before visiting New Guinea in June.
Vendetta was deployed to the Far East in March 1962, and returned to Sydney in late June.
Vendetta returned to the FESR in mid-1964, this time escorting the aircraft carrier
Vendetta and Duchess' returned to Australia in March.
Vietnam deployment
In 1968, it was realised that the combination of maintenance requirements and other operational deployments meant that none of the RAN's three US-built Perth-class destroyers would be available to serve in the Vietnam War once HMAS Brisbane completed her deployment in late 1969.[16] They started investigating the possibility of deploying a Daring-class destroyer, with the main concern being the supply of 4.5-inch (110 mm) shells, as the USN destroyers were standardised to 5-inch (130 mm) shells.[16] After receiving reassurance from the USN that any logistical issues regarding Australian supplies, including ammunition, were "merely a problem to be overcome", Vendetta was marked for the deployment in November 1968, as she was the only available Daring or River-class vessel available.[16][17] The decision to send Vendetta meant that the consistent deployment of an Australian warship with the United States Seventh Fleet since March 1967 would continue, and steps towards breaking a 'two-tier' culture within the RAN favouring the Perth-class ships would be made, with associated benefits to morale.[17][18]
On 15 September 1969, Vendetta left Australia for South Vietnam, and relieved Brisbane at Subic on 26 September.
Vendetta sailed for a gunline assignment at
On 17 January, Vendetta was forced to sail to Hong Kong for boiler repairs.
The destroyer was the only Australian-built warship to serve as a combatant in Vietnam,
1970–1979
Vendetta sailed for a FESR deployment in September 1970.[31] She escorted the troopship Sydney for the third and final time during the former carrier's seventeenth voyage: Vendetta met the transport off Manila in late October, with the two ships in Vietnam during 31 October and 1 November.[36][37] During November, the destroyer visited ports in India, before returning to Hong Kong for Christmas.[31] She returned to Sydney in April 1971, and after participating in training exercises and a cruise in northern Australian waters, arrived in Williamstown on 29 September for her half-life modernisation refit.[31] The modernisation cost US$20 million.[38] The fire-control system was replaced, a long-range air radar was installed, and the superstructure was modified, including a roof for the bridge.[38] Vendetta re-entered service on 2 May 1973.[31]
From March until July 1974, Vendetta was again deployed to the Far East.
Most of 1976 was spent undergoing maintenance at Williamstown.[32] In 1977, Vendetta was deployed to the Far East.[32] Another deployment was made in 1978, starting in July.[32] While en route, the destroyer visited Honiara to participate in celebrations of Solomon Islands independence from Australia.[32]
Decommissioning and fate
Vendetta paid off on 9 October 1979.
Following an overhaul of the RAN battle honours system, completed in March 2010, Vendetta's service was recognised with the honours "Malaysia 1964–66" and "Vietnam 1969–70".[41][42]
Citations
- ^ a b Cooper, in Stevens, The Royal Australian Navy, p. 167
- ^ a b Cooper, in Stevens, The Royal Australian Navy, p. 168
- ^ a b c d e f g h Bastock, Australia's Ships of War, p. 320
- ^ "HMAS Vendetta (II)". NAVY Serving Australia with Pride. Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Bastock, Australia's Ships of War, p. 324
- ^ a b c d Frame, Where fate calls, p. 36
- ^ Cassells, The Destroyers, p. 160
- ^ Cooper, in Stevens, The Royal Australian Navy, pp. 168–9
- ^ Cassells, The Destroyers, pgs. 153, 163–4
- ^ Cassells, The Destroyers, pp. 160–1
- ^ a b c Cassells, The Destroyers, p. 161
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Bastock, Australia's Ships of War, p. 325
- ^ a b Nott & Payne, The Vung Tau Ferry, p. 170
- ^ a b Grey, Up Top, p. 106
- ^ a b Nott & Payne, The Vung Tau Ferry, p. 171
- ^ a b c Frame, No Pleasure Cruise, p. 235
- ^ a b Grey, Up Top, p. 207
- ^ Cooper, in Stevens, The Royal Australian Navy, p. 204
- ^ a b c d e Grey, Up Top, p. 208
- ^ Grey, Up Top, pp. 82–3
- ^ Grey, Up Top, p. 144
- ^ Grey, Up Top, pp. 94–5
- ^ Grey, Up Top, pp. 130–5
- ^ Grey, Up Top, p. 132
- ^ Grey, Up Top, pp. 155–6
- ^ Grey, Up Top, p. 209
- ^ Grey, Up Top, p. 210
- ^ a b Grey, Up Top, p. 211
- ^ a b c Grey, Up Top, p. 212
- ^ Grey, Up Top, p. 214
- ^ a b c d e f Bastock, Australia's Ships of War, p. 326
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Cassells, The Destroyers, p. 162
- ^ Grey, Up Top, p. 321
- ^ Fairfax, Navy in Vietnam, p. 169
- ^ Grey, Up Top, p. 126
- ^ Grey, Up Top, p. 108
- ^ Nott & Payne, The Vung Tau Ferry, p. 175
- ^ a b Jones, in Stevens, The Royal Australian Navy, p. 218
- ^ Jones, in Stevens, The Royal Australian Navy, p. 234
- ^ Jones, in Stevens, The Royal Australian Navy, p. 231
- ^ Royal Australian Navy, Navy Marks 109th Birthday With Historic Changes To Battle Honours
- ^ Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Navy Ship/Unit Battle Honours
References
Books
- Bastock, John (1975). Australia's Ships of War. Cremorne, NSW: Angus and Robertson. OCLC 2525523.
- Cassells, Vic (2000). The Destroyers: their battles and their badges. East Roseville, NSW: Simon & Schuster. OCLC 46829686.
- Fairfax, Denis (1980). Navy in Vietnam: a record of the Royal Australian Navy in the Vietnam War 1965–1972. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. OCLC 9854447.
- OCLC 26806228.
- OCLC 55980812.
- OCLC 39074315.
- Nott, Rodney; Payne, Noel (2008) [1994]. The Vung Tau Ferry: HMAS Sydney and Escort Ships (4th ed.). Dural, NSW: Rosenberg. OCLC 254773862.
- Stevens, David, ed. (2001). The Royal Australian Navy. The Australian Centenary History of Defence (vol III). South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press. OCLC 50418095.
- Cooper, Alastair. "The Korean War Era"; "The Era of Forward Defence". The Royal Australian Navy.
- Jones, Peter. "Towards Self Reliance"; "A Period of Change and Uncertainty". The Royal Australian Navy.
News articles
- "Navy Marks 109th Birthday With Historic Changes To Battle Honours". Royal Australian Navy. 1 March 2010. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
Websites
- "Royal Australian Navy Ship/Unit Battle Honours" (PDF). Royal Australian Navy. 1 March 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2012.