HMAS Stuart in Hong Kong Harbour in 1989 | |
History | |
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Builder | Cockatoo Docks and Engineering Company |
Laid down | 20 March 1959 |
Launched | 8 April 1961 |
Commissioned | 28 June 1963 |
Decommissioned | 26 July 1991 |
Motto | "Semper Paratus" |
Honours and awards | Eight inherited battle honours |
Fate | Broken up for scrap |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | River-class destroyer escort |
Displacement | 2,750 tons full load |
Length | 112.8 m (370 ft) |
Beam | 12.49 m (41.0 ft) |
Draught | 5.18 m (17.0 ft) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 31.9 knots (59.1 km/h; 36.7 mph) |
Sensors and processing systems | |
Armament |
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HMAS Stuart (F21/DE 48) was one of six River-class destroyer escorts built for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The ship was laid down by the Cockatoo Docks and Engineering Company at Cockatoo Island Dockyard in 1959, and commissioned into the RAN in 1963.
During the ship's career, Stuart achieved a number of historical firsts: she was the first RAN ship to fly the Australian White Ensign, and the first major vessel to be homeported at Fleet Base West.
Stuart was paid off in 1991, a year later than originally planned; RAN commitments to the Gulf War saw several warships deployed to the Middle East, and Stuart was retained in service to boost local defence. The destroyer escort was sold for scrapping.
The first four ships of the River class were based on the Royal Navy's Type 12 frigate, and were intended to close the gap between ships and submarines in regards to anti-submarine warfare, following the rapid improvement of submarines during and after World War II. [1]
Stuart was laid down by Cockatoo Docks and Engineering Company in Sydney on 20 March 1959. [2] She was launched on 8 April 1961 by Bettina Gorton, the wife of future Prime Minister John Gorton, then Minister for the Navy, and was commissioned into the RAN in Sydney on 28 June 1963. [2]
Stuart and the other River-class ships were fitted with the Ikara anti-submarine missile system: the first Australian-designed naval weapons system. [1] Stuart was the first ship to fire an Ikara missile, during trials in August 1963. [3]
On 25 December 1966, while operating as part of the Far East Strategic Reserve, Stuart was the first ship to fly the Australian White Ensign. [4] The Australian White Ensign did not officially replace the British White Ensign as the ensign flown by RAN ships until 1 March 1967. [4]
From late 1968 until 1969, Stuart was designated Flagship of the RAN, while the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne underwent a major refit. [5]
During April and May 1970, she carried out escort duties for the Royal Yacht Britannia during the visit to Australia by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. [6]
Following the destruction of Darwin by Cyclone Tracy in December 1974, Stuart was one of thirteen RAN ships deployed as part of the humanitarian aid mission Operation Navy Help Darwin. [7] Stuart sailed from Sydney on 26 December. [8]
Stuart, along with HMA Ships Hobart, Vampire, and Supply, visited the United States in 1976 for the nation's bicentennial celebrations. [9]
In 1979, Stuart entered dock to undergo a half-life modernisation refit valued at A$50 million. [10] This included upgrades to weapons and systems, reinforcement of the hull, and improvements to seakeeping and habitability. [10] The main improvement was the installation of the Australian-developed Mulloka sonar system. [10] Delays and cost increases meant that Stuart did not re-enter service until 1983. [10]
In January 1984, Stuart became the first major RAN warship to be homeported at Fleet Base West in Western Australia. [11] Between May 1984 and September 1986, the ship was deployed to South East Asia three times. [12] A six-month refit began in February 1987, followed by a six-month assignment to the training squadron with HMAS Stalwart and HMAS Jervis Bay. [12] Stuart returned to Western Australia in November 1988. [12]
Stuart was originally intended to leave service in early 1990, but the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait saw Australia commit several Adelaide-class frigates to the United States-led Coalition. [13] Stuart was kept in service to perform the local defence duties of the deployed frigates. [13]
Stuart was paid off on 26 July 1991. [12] She was later sold for scrapping. [12]
Her 4.5-inch Mk V/Mk 6 gun turret is on display at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia. [12]
HMAS Quiberon (G81/D20/D281/F03) was a Q-class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Although built for the Royal Navy and remaining British property until 1950, Quiberon was one of two Q-class destroyers commissioned into the RAN during World War II. She was passed into full RAN ownership in 1950, and converted into an anti-submarine frigate.
HMAS Queenborough (G70/D270/F02/57) was a Q-class destroyer that served in the Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
HMS Quality (G62/D18) was a Q-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy. Entering service in 1942, the destroyer served in several theatres of World War II. Following the war's conclusion, the ship was transferred to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), commissioning as HMAS Quality (G62/D262) in late 1945. Unlike her sister ships, which were refitted as anti-submarine frigates, Quality was not modified, decommissioned after only 59 days of service, and was sold for scrap in 1958.
HMAS Melbourne (R21) was a Majestic-class light aircraft carrier operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) from 1955 until 1982, and was the third and final conventional aircraft carrier to serve in the RAN. Melbourne was the only Commonwealth naval vessel to sink two friendly warships in peacetime collisions.
HMAS Swan, named for the Swan River, was a River-class destroyer escort of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Constructed in Melbourne following the loss of HMAS Voyager, Swan entered service in 1970.
HMAS Brisbane was one of three Perth-class guided missile destroyers to serve in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The United States-designed ship was laid down at Bay City, Michigan in 1965, launched in 1966 and commissioned into the RAN in 1967. She is named after the city of Brisbane, Queensland.
HMAS Melbourne was an Adelaide-class guided-missile frigate of the Royal Australian Navy, which entered service in 1992. Melbourne has been deployed to the Persian Gulf on several occasions, and served as part of the INTERFET peacekeeping taskforce in 2000. On 26 October 2019, Melbourne was decommissioned from the RAN, subsequently being transferred to Chile. The ship was commissioned into the Chilean Navy as Almirante Latorre on 15 April 2020.
HMAS Vampire was the third of three Australian-built Daring-class destroyers serving in the Royal Australian Navy (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.
The Australian White Ensign is a naval ensign used by ships of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) from 1967 onwards. From the formation of the RAN until 1967, Australian warships used the British White Ensign as their ensign. However, this led to situations where Australian vessels were mistaken for British ships, and when Australia became involved in the Vietnam War, the RAN was effectively fighting under the flag of another, uninvolved nation. Proposals were made in 1965 for a unique Australian ensign, which was approved in 1966, and entered use in 1967.
The Adelaide class of six guided missile frigates was constructed in Australia and the United States for service in the Royal Australian Navy. Two were later sold to the Chilean Navy. The Adelaide class was based on the United States Navy's Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates, but modified for Australian requirements. The first four vessels were built in the United States, and the final two were constructed in Australia. The first ship entered service in November 1980.
The Perth-class destroyers were three modified Charles F. Adams-class guided missile destroyers operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Ordered from Defoe Shipbuilding Company during 1962 and 1963, HMA Ships Perth, Hobart, and Brisbane were the first guided missiled-armed warships, and the first naval ships of United States design, to enter service with the RAN. All three ships operated during the Vietnam War, while Brisbane also participated in the Gulf War. The class was decommissioned between 1999 and 2001, with all three vessels later sunk as dive wrecks.
HMAS Voyager was a Daring-class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), that was lost in a collision in 1964.
HMAS Vendetta was one of three Daring-class destroyers built for and operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The destroyer was built by Williamstown Naval Dockyard and entered service in 1958. During her early career, Vendetta was deployed to the Far East Strategic Reserve on multiple occasions. In 1965 and 1966, the destroyer undertook deterrence patrols during the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation. Along with several runs escorting the troop transport HMAS Sydney to South Vietnam, from late 1969 to early 1970 Vendetta was assigned to combat operations and became the only Australian-built warship to serve in a shore bombardment role during the Vietnam War.
The River class was a class of six destroyer escorts operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Plans to acquire four vessels, based on the British Type 12M frigate, began in the 1950s. The first two vessels had some slight modifications to the design, while the next two underwent further changes. Two more ships were ordered in 1964, following the Melbourne-Voyager collision; these were based on the Type 12I frigate.
HMAS Yarra, named for the Yarra River, was a River-class destroyer escort of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The antisubmarine warship operated from 1961 to 1985.
HMAS Torrens was a River-class destroyer escort of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Torrens entered service in 1971, and was active until her decommissioning in 1998.
HMAS Yarra, named for the Yarra River, was a River-class torpedo-boat destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Ordered in 1909 for the Commonwealth Naval Forces, Yarra was temporarily commissioned into the Royal Navy on completion in 1910 and handed over to Australian control on arrival in Australia.
The River class was a class of six torpedo-boat destroyers operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The design was based on a modified version of the British River-class destroyer, 13 of which were planned under the 1904 Naval Estimates, but were cancelled before orders were placed. The first batch of three ships was ordered for the Commonwealth Naval Forces in 1909, followed later by a second batch of three a few years later. All six vessels are named after Australian rivers.
HMAS Oxley was an Oberon class submarine of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
The first involvement Australia had with naval aviation was in 1911, when an Australian-born Royal Navy officer became one of the first four naval officers to receive pilot qualifications. During World War I, the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) experienced several forms of airborne operation, with HMAS Brisbane operating a seaplane, while HMA Ships Sydney and Australia were used for experiments with aircraft launch platforms. An aircraft embarked aboard Sydney was also involved in one of the first naval air battles. Several Australians also flew as part of the Royal Naval Air Service.