HMAS Perth (D 38)

Perth underway during the early 1990s
HMAS Perth underway during the late 1980's
History
Australia
NamesakeCity of Perth
BuilderDefoe Shipbuilding Company, Michigan, US
Laid down21 September 1962
Launched26 September 1963
Completed22 May 1965
Commissioned17 July 1965
Decommissioned15 October 1999
Motto"Fight And Flourish"
Honours and
awards
FateSunk as dive wreck 24 November 2001
BadgeShip's badge
General characteristics
Class and typePerth-class (Modified Charles F. Adams-class) destroyer
Displacement
  • 3,370 tons standard
  • 4,618 tons full load
Length
Beam14 m (46 ft)
Draught6 m (20 ft)
Propulsion4 × Foster Wheeler boilers, 2 × General Electric steam turbines, 70,000 shp (52 MW), 2 propellers
Speed35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph)
Range6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement311 sailors, 22 officers
Armament

HMAS Perth (D 38) was the lead ship of the Perth-class guided missile destroyers operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Built in the United States to a modified version of the Charles F. Adams design, Perth entered service with the RAN in 1965.

The destroyer made three deployments to the Vietnam War, earning a RAN battle honour and two United States Navy commendations for her service. The majority of the ship's career was spent on training exercises and goodwill visits to other nations, with one deployment as far as the Mediterranean. Perth was decommissioned in 1999, and sunk as a dive wreck off the coast of Western Australia in 2001.