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View Full Version : HMAS Vampire - also HMS Vampire


herakles
20-04-2008, 01:45
There are three ships bearing this name. The first is the topic of this post. The second was a submarine (P72) launched in 1943 and broken up in 1950. The third was an Australian built Daring Class destroyer launched in 1956. One of her duties was escort to HMY Britannia during the Queen's Jubilee visit to Australia. She was paid off in 1986 and is now preserved as a museum ship at the Australian National Maritime Museum at Darling Harbour in Sydney's Port Jackson, where it serves as the museum's largest floating exhibition. Vampire is the largest museum ship in Australia.

HMS Vampire, a V Class destroyer, was launched May 1917. In October 1933 she was transferred to the Australian Navy and renamed HMAS Vampire.

She assisted in the evacuation from Greece in 1941. In December she joined the Eastern Fleet, based at Colombo. Soon after she joined Repulse and Tenedos for a trip to Australia but this was then cancelled.

With Repulse and the Prince of Wales, she was in Singapore Harbour when they were all attacked on 8 Dec 1941 by the Japanese. There was no ship damage.

The same day, Force Z went to sea. As well as Repulse and the Prince of Wales, there were the destroyers Vampire, Tenedos and Electra. On the 9th, the force was ordered back to Singapore. On the afternoon of the 10th, Repulse and Prince of Wales were sunk. The three destroyers moved in to pick up survivors.

On 9 April 1942, whilst escorting the British carrier Hermes off Batticaloa, they were attacked by Japanese carrier aircraft. Both ships sunk, Vampire broken in half by a well placed bomb. Nine crew were lost.


There's some good pictures of HMAS (HMS) Vampire here: http://www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/great_britain/pages/destroyers/hms_vampire_d68_page_1.htm

Crew from HMS Vampire assisted in rescuing some crew from the Aberdeen trawler Imperial Prince when she founded on the Belshevie Sands in October 1923.

See here for a description: http://www.bavidge.co.uk/black_dog.htm

The picture shows the National Maritime museum.

For a picture of HMAS Vampire see the thread "On This Day". I cannot post the same picture twice.

kookaburra
08-07-2009, 06:46
Here's a sort of interesting pic of HMS Vampire in 1919 in a billowing harbour, but I'm not sure where. Its off a French site dealing with the sloop Fantome 11, which is one of the vessels in the foreground here, and - I'm a bit confused, but may be a successor or the same sloop of that name that served in the RAN 1915-1924.

Vampire was acquired by the RAN along with the other destroyers of the later 'Scrap Iron Flotilla,' in December 1933.

David Verghese
29-04-2011, 19:44
I am reasonably certain that this attached photo of HMAS Vampire was taken in February 1942 somewhere between Batavia in Java and Colombo in Ceylon. I have circumstantial evidence that it may have been taken from HMAS Hobart.

She was lost to Japanese air attacks, along with HMS Hermes, April 9 1942.

David

Dick
30-04-2011, 07:04
David,

I believe this photo to have been taken 30 Dec 1941 - 3 Jan 1942 whilst Vampire was escorting convoy BM9A on the final leg to Singapore.

There are no single 2pdrs yet fitted on the raised platform just aft of the torpedo tubes. The Australians say that these were fitted 5th January at Singapore.

I too believe that the photo was taken from Hobart but I'd like to check that your circumstantial evidence for thinking this is not the same as mine. Is your reason something written in a photo album you have recently seen?

Best wishes.