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Commemorative box to house the HMAS VAMPIRE port and glasses
Commemorative box to house the HMAS VAMPIRE port and glasses

Commemorative box to house the HMAS VAMPIRE port and glasses

Maker
Date1986
Object number00046566
NameBox
MediumCardboard
DimensionsOverall: 340 x 95 x 94 mm, 377 g
ClassificationsTools and equipment
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Phillip McKendrick
DescriptionThis boxed commemorative decommissioning port with four glasses was produced for the final decommissioning of HMAS VAMPIRE in 1986. Each glass has Vampire's badge on it with the ship's motto AUDAMUS. HMAS VAMPIRE was a Daring class destroyer which served in the Royal Australian Navy from 1959 to 1986. The destroyer is currently a museum ship moored at ANMM.HistoryAt the end of active service, naval ships are decommissioned and a ceremony is held to mark this passing. It is a time to reflect on the achievements of the ship and its company. Decommissioning ceremonies are important traditions in any navy and are accompanied by a formal procedure as well as more informal ones - such as the production of a port or whisky as a memento of the historic moment. 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 They were superseded by guided missile destroyers in which sophisticated technology posed different design challenges.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. Thus VAMPIRE, which served from 1959 to 1986, represents the culmination of a type of warship and the strategy it served. 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. The museum is proud to present this ship to the thousands who visit yearly. SignificanceThis commemorative port set represents the passing of a naval warship out of active service. It is a memento of the life of the ship.