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HMAS Derwent (DE 49) [Pre Modernisation] |
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HMAS DERWENT (F22 / DE 49) was a River Class Destroyer Escort, laid down by the Williamstown Naval Dockyard at Melbourne in Victoria on 17 June 1959. She was launched on 17 April 1961 and commissioned on 23 April 1964. DERWENT was named after the Derwent River in Hobart, Tasmania. HMAS DERWENT was the first of the class to be equipped with the SEACAT anti-aircraft missile system. The missile launchers were fitted during construction. On 25 May 1964 she test-fired a SEACAT missile and became the first Australian warship to fire a guided missile. DERWENT was deployed 3 times to Vietnam as an escort for the troop carrier HMAS SYDNEY. She was deployed on 24 May - 05 Jul 1966, 03 Feb - 28 Feb 1969 and 26 Oct - 18 Nov 1971. At the end of her service life, prior to being decommissioned, DERWENT assumed the role as a training ship. The Ikara and SEACAT missile systems were removed but she had one remaining weapons task left, to trial the RBS70 surface-to-air missile system before it was fitted to the HMAS WESTRALIA for her deployment to the Persian Gulf. DERWENT was decommissioned on 08 August 1994 at HMAS STIRLING after 30 years' service. She had steamed 890,927 nautical miles (1,649,997 km) during her naval career. Although no longer an active member of the Australian fleet, she was still able to serve the Navy as a series of destructive tests were conducted on the hulk over a ten-week period. These tests were part of the Royal Australian Navy’s ship survivability enhancement program. Included were a series of fire, smoke, weapons effects and electronics experiments. On 21 Dec 1994, DERWENT was sunk in deep waters, 15 nautical miles (28 km) west of Rottnest Island. Launched: 8 April 1961 |
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