HMAS Perth at sea in 1980
| |
Class overview | |
---|---|
Name | Perth class |
Builders | Defoe Shipbuilding Company, Bay City, Michigan |
Operators | Royal Australian Navy |
Preceded by | Daring class |
Succeeded by | Hobart class |
Subclasses | Charles F. Adams class (parent) |
In commission | 1965–2001 |
Completed | 3 |
Preserved | 3 (as dive wrecks) |
General characteristics | |
Type | Guided missile destroyer |
Displacement |
|
Length |
|
Beam | 47.1 ft (14.4 m) |
Draught | 20.1 ft (6.1 m) |
Propulsion |
|
Speed | 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph) |
Range |
|
Complement |
|
Sensors and processing systems |
|
Electronic warfare & decoys | |
Armament |
|
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.