HMAS Stuart (DE 48)

HMAS Stuart in Hong Kong Harbour in 1989
History
Australia
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	2 × English Electric steam turbines 2 shafts; 30,000 shp total
Speed	31.9 knots (59.1 km/h; 36.7 mph)
Sensors and processing systems	LW02 long range air warning radar 1979: Mulloka sonar system SPS-55 surface-search/navigation radar M22 gun fire control system ELT-901 Electronic Warfare system
Armament	2 × 4.5in Mark 6 guns 2 × Limbo Mark 10 anti-submarine mortar 1 × quad Seacat SAM launcher 1 × Ikara ASW system 2 × Mark 32 torpedo tubes

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.