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HMAS VAMPIRE ship's badge

Date1950s

Object number00030115

NameBadge

MediumMetal, wood

DimensionsOverall: 350 x 300 x 30 mm

ClassificationsEphemera

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from John Smith

Terms

DescriptionA painted HMAS VAMPIRE ship's badge consisting of Vampire bat within rope circle, surmounted by naval crown and 'VAMPIRE 'in blue name scroll.The ship's motto, 'AUDAMUS', Latin: "Let Us Be Daring", appears in gold lettering on blue scroll beneath rope circle. The ship's badge is mounted on wooden shield. The badge was manufactured at Cockatoo Island Dockyard and often it was common for Dockyard workers to manufacture ship's badges and then cast additional badges for their friends.HistoryHMAS VAMPIRE, Australia's largest museum vessel, is the last of the country's big gun ships. After this, Australia's fighting ships were equipped with missile weaponry. The Daring class were the largest destroyers built in Australia. Their strong, light construction combined high speed with maximum armament. VAMPIRE served in the Royal Australian Navy from 1959 to 1986. Its arsenal included: •3 twin turrets housing 6 x 4.5-inch guns (still in place) •2 single-gun and 2 twin-gun Bofors anti-aircraft guns (still in place) •5 anti-ship torpedo launchers (removed in 1970) •surface to subsurface anti-submarine mortar (removed in 1980) Despite this armament, VAMPIRE had a peaceful career, even while escorting troops to Vietnam in the 1960s. In 1977, VAMPIRE had a brush with royalty as the RAN escort for HMY BRITTANIA during the Queen's Silver Jubilee tour of Australia. In 1980, it was refitted as a RAN training ship and ceased operations in 1986 and is now part of the Australian National Maritime Museum. SignificanceThe badge is historically significant as it dates to the period of HMAS VAMPIRE's commissioning, and was manufactured at Cockatoo Island, the site of Australia's first naval dockyard.