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Image Not Available for HMAS VAMPIRE Wardroom Dinner order of service and menu
HMAS VAMPIRE Wardroom Dinner order of service and menu
Image Not Available for HMAS VAMPIRE Wardroom Dinner order of service and menu

HMAS VAMPIRE Wardroom Dinner order of service and menu

Date8 July 2011
Object number00026800
NameOrder of service
MediumPaper, ink
DimensionsOverall (Closed): 210 x 148 mm
Overall (Open): 210 x 297 mm
ClassificationsEphemera
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionOrder of service and menu from HMAS VAMPIRE Wardroom Dinner held at the Australian National Maritime Museum on 8 July 2011and hosted by CMDR Chris Bolton RAN (RTD). HMAS VAMPIRE was a Daring class destroyer operating in the decades following World War II, a class regarded as 'super destroyers' in their day. It was the last of the conventional gun destroyers. Under the care of the Australian National Maritime Museum, it is often the focal point of naval ceremonies and functions.HistoryHMAS VAMPIRE was a Daring class destroyer, the second with this name, and was ship number 189 built at Cockatoo Island Dockyard. It was a modified version of the English Daring class. It was laid down in 1952, launched in 1956 and joined the RAN fleet after commissioning and successfully completing acceptance trials offshore in 1959. The vessel's sister ships are HMAS VENDETTA and HMAS VOYAGER. The Daring class destroyers, operating in the decades following World War II, came towards the end of 20th-century destroyer development. They were superseded by guided missile destroyers in which sophisticated technology posed different design challenges. In the Royal Australian Navy, VAMPIRE's class was replaced by American-built guided missile frigates. VAMPIRE, which served from 1959 to 1986, represents the culmination of a type of warship and the strategy it served. VAMPIRE was active as part of the Far East Strategic Reserve until 1971 and later with the Five Power Defence Arrangements, being deployed to east Asian waters for service in operations and naval exercises in 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964-1965, 1966, 1967, 1972-1973, 1975-1976, 1977, 1979. Between June 1970 and November 1971 VAMPIRE underwent a half-life modernisation and re-fit which included replacement of a major portion of the superstructure. In April 1973 the vessel visited Suva (Fiji) and Apia (Samoa), hosting the Australian Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam, during the South Pacific Forum. In March 1977 VAMPIRE was deployed for Royal Escort duty to the Royal Yacht BRITANNIA during the visit of Queen Elizabeth II. VAMPIRE is the last of the biggest destroyers ever built in Australia, a class regarded as 'super destroyers' in their day. With guns as its main armament, HMAS VAMPIRE is also the last Australian example of a conventional gun destroyer, and it's the last surviving example of a steam turbine propelled Australian warship. Original armament included: six 4.5-inch (114mm) dual-purpose guns in three twin mountings; two single and two twin 40/60 mm Bofors AA guns; Mark 10 Limbo anti-submarine mortar; and a quintuple 21-inch (530 mm) torpedo launcher. The cramped living spaces graphically illustrate the nature of warship design: machinery, communications and weaponry come before the comfort of the crew. In the early 1980s it became a training ship and the anti-submarine system was removed to make way for a classroom. On 13 August 1986 VAMPIRE, the last of its class, was decommissioned and in 1997 was transferred to the Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) where it is currently on display. Today VAMPIRE is used as a focal point for Navy reunion events.SignificanceThe traditions of the navy are reflected in the many ceremonial events associated with the life of a ship. This order of service is indicative of the strong role of ceremony in naval life. HMAS VAMPIRE is one of the vessels in the museum's historic fleet and is often the focal point for navy reunions and ceremonies. These events form part of the vessel's history.