.jpg) HMASHobart in California, 1992 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Australia | |
| Namesake | City of Hobart |
| Builder | Defoe Shipbuilding Company, Michigan, US |
| Laid down | 26 October 1962 |
| Launched | 9 January 1964 |
| Commissioned | 18 December 1965 |
| Decommissioned | 12 May 2000 |
| Motto | "Sic Fortis Hobartia Crevit" (Thus Did Hobart Grow Strong) |
| Honours and awards |
|
| Fate | Sunk asdive wreck 5 November 2002 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Perth-class guided missile destroyer |
| Displacement |
|
| Length |
|
| Beam | 47 ft 1 in (14.35 m) |
| Draught | 15 ft 3 in (4.65 m) maximum |
| Propulsion | 2 ×General Electric steam turbines, 70,000 shp (52,000 kW), 2 shafts |
| Speed | 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph) |
| Range | 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Complement | 20 officers, 312 sailors |
| Armament |
|
HMASHobart (D 39) was aPerth-class guided missile destroyer of theRoyal Australian Navy (RAN). Built in the United States of America to a slight variant of theUnited States Navy (USN)Charles F. Adams class, she was commissioned into the RAN in 1965. In March 1967,Hobart became the first RAN combat ship deployed to fight in theVietnam War. This marked the start of consistent six-month deployments to the warzone, which continued until late 1971;Hobart was redeployed in 1969 and 1970. During the 1968 tour, the destroyer was attacked by aUnited States Air Force aircraft.
After the Vietnam War,Hobart saw service duringOperation Navy Help Darwin; the RAN disaster relief effort followingCyclone Tracy, was the first RAN ship to dock atHMAS Stirling in Western Australia, and completed a round-the-world voyage in 1976. The ship was modernised during the late 1970s.Hobart was decommissioned in 2000, and sunk as adive wreck off South Australia.
Hobart was one of threePerth-class guided missile destroyers built for the RAN.[1] Based on theUnited States Navy'sCharles F. Adams class,Hobart had a displacement of 3,370 tons at standard load, and 4,618 tons at full load, a length of 440 feet 3 inches (134.19 m)overall and 420 feet (130 m)between perpendiculars, a beam of 47 feet 1 inch (14.35 m), and a maximum draught of 15 feet 3 inches (4.65 m).[1][2] Propulsion was provided by two General Electric turbines, which provided 70,000 shaft horsepower (52,000 kW) to the destroyer's two propeller shafts.[1]Hobart could achieve speeds of 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph).[2] The ship's company consisted of 20 officers and 312 sailors.[1]
As a guided missile destroyer,Hobart's main armament consisted of aMark 13 missile launcher firingTartar missiles and twoIkara anti-submarine missile launchers.[1] This was supplemented by two5"/54 caliber Mark 42 guns and twoMark 32 triple torpedo tube sets.[1][3] Over the course of the ship's career, the Mark 13 launcher was modified to fireStandard missiles, the Ikara launchers were stripped out in 1989 and twoPhalanx CIWS units were installed in 1991.[1][4]
Hobart was laid down by theDefoe Shipbuilding Company atBay City, Michigan on 26 October 1962.[1] The ship was launched on 9 January 1964 by Alison Hay, the wife ofDavid Hay, theAustralian ambassador to the United Nations.[1]Hobart was commissioned into the RAN on 18 December 1965.[1] The cost of the destroyer was approximately A$45 million, including the initial load of supplies and ammunition.[1] During construction, the ship was assigned the United States Navyhull number DDG-26.[5] After commissioning,Hobart remained in American waters for eight months on trials and training exercises.[1]Hobart left the US on 3 August 1966, and sailed via Hawaii and Fiji before reaching her namesake city on 1 September.[1] The ship spent very little time in Australian waters before being deployed to fight in theVietnam War in March 1967.
During the mid-1960s, the United States government pressured Australia to increase the resources it was committing to the Vietnam War; one of the requests was for a combat vessel to help the USN meet the demand fornaval gunfire support operations.[6] The idea of deploying a RAN combat ship was initially hampered by the number of ships available, particularly with commitments to theFar East Strategic Reserve and involvement in theIndonesia-Malaysia Confrontation, along with the difficulty of operating and maintaining British-designed ships with USN resources.[7] On 14 December 1966, the Australian Cabinet approved the deployment ofHobart as part of increases toAustralian military commitment to the conflict.[8][9] Destroyers deployed to the Vietnam theatre generally operated in one of four roles:
Although RAN ships on deployment were expected to fulfil all duties of an equivalent American destroyer, they were forbidden by the Australian government from operating outside the Vietnam theatre on unrelatedUnited States Seventh Fleet duties (such as theTaiwan Patrol Force, guard ship duties atHong Kong, or theSpace Recovery Program).[19] After theinvasion of Cambodia in 1970, RAN ships were also prohibited from enteringCambodian waters.[12]
While deployed to Vietnam, the destroyers were placed under the administrative control of Commander Australian Forces Vietnam in addition to that of theFlag Officer Commanding Australian Fleet.[20] Operationally, the RAN vessels were under the command of the Seventh Fleet.[21] Arrangements were made to provide logistic support through theUnited States Pacific Fleet.[21] A USN lieutenant was assigned to each ship during deployments to act as a liaison with the Seventh Fleet.[22] The deployment ofHobart in March 1967 began a pattern of six-month deployments for RAN destroyers, with a constant RAN presence with the Seventh Fleet.[9] Australia was the only allied nation to provide naval support to the United States Navy during the Vietnam War.[23]
On 15 March 1967,Hobart arrived atU.S. Naval Base Subic Bay to join the Seventh Fleet.[24] After a comprehensive familiarisation period,Hobart replacedUSS Fechteler on 31 March, taking over the US destroyer's gunfire support duties.[22] By 04:45 the next morning, the Australian ship had already fired 100 rounds.[25] On 3 April, the forward 5-inch gun mount became unserviceable, a state which remained for four-and-a-half-days.[25]Hobart remained on the gunline until 15 April, during which she fired 1,651 shells.[26] The ship was then rotated to Sea Dragon operations.[27] The destroyer was fired on byshore batteries several times, and on one occasion took minor shrapnel damage.[28] Several explosions in 5-inch/54 gun mounts during the later weeks of April saw all equipped destroyers (includingHobart) reassigned to other duties while investigations into the cause (believed to be a bad batch of ammunition) were explored.[29]Hobart was attached to the carrier escort group forUSS Kitty Hawk on 23 April.[29] On 29 April, the destroyer sailed to Subic, underwent self-maintenance, then returned to Sea Dragon operations.[30] Over the next week,Hobart andUSS Allen M. Sumner cooperated on the interdiction of coastal shipping during a period of heavy activity; previous successes saw the North Vietnamese begin to increase retaliation with coastal artillery in an attempt to dissuade American operations.[31] Apart from a brief stint on the gunline,Hobart remained assigned to Sea Dragon until 26 May, when sailed to Subic for maintenance, with both 5-inch gun barrels replaced.[32]
_refuels_HMAS_Hobart_(D39)_off_Vietnam_in_1967.jpg)
After delays caused bymonsoonal conditions, the ship returned to the gunline on 18 June.[33] During this period, the destroyer was also called on to escort the amphibious warfare ships involved in theBeacon Torch landings.[33] After mid-June, the number of fire missions undertaken byHobart dropped because of a need to conserve 5-inch/54 ammunition across the Seventh Fleet, and the fact that Marines in the area had successfully established their own artillery units in the area and were less reliant on naval gunfire.[33] On 23 June,Hobart rotated to Sea Dragon.[33] A reduction in the number of seaborne infiltration attempts and the increasing availability of spotter aircraft meant that most gunfire missions were against inland targets like truck convoys.[34] On 10 July, the destroyer left the operational area and sailed to Subic via Hong Kong, and underwent self-maintenance.[34] This was completed on 24 July, andHobart sailed for the operational area.[35] The ship was double tasked to theUSS Forrestal escort group and Sea Dragon operations; three destroyers were required to escort the carrier at any time, with any additional ships operating on Sea Dragon duties.[36] On 29 July, afire aboard the carrier necessitated the carrier's removal from the operational area;Hobart was one of the ships assigned to escort and assist with casualties.[36] The ship returned to Sea Dragon operations on 31 July.[36] This continued until 16 August, and after maintenance at Subic,Hobart was attached to the gunline on 6 September.[37] On 14 September,Hobart arrived in Subic, handed over responsibility toHMAS Perth, and sailed for home.[37]
During this deployment,Hobart fired over 10,000 rounds at 1,050 targets during 160 days at sea, and was fired on ten times, with no casualties.[1]Hobart was awarded the United StatesNavy Unit Commendation for this tour of duty.[1] Personnel awards included aDistinguished Service Order, aBritish Empire Medal, aMention in Despatches and 25 Naval Board commendations.[37]
Hobart was deployed to Vietnam for the second time in 1968, relievingPerth on 31 March.[38] On 13 April, the destroyer arrived on the gunline to relieveUSS Henry B. Wilson.[39] Five days later, she began Sea Dragon operations withUSS Collett.[40] The ships were unsuccessfully shelled by coastal artillery on 22 and 23 April, then spent the next three days attempting to attract attention from shore batteries so they could be bombed by aircraft.[40]Hobart's participation in Sea Dragon ended in late April, and after maintenance in Hong Kong andTaiwan from 1 to 20 May, resumed gunline duties.[39][41] This continued until 2 June, when the destroyer's guns required new barrels.[40] On 11 June, the destroyer returned to the Sea Dragon area of operations, joiningUSS Theodore E. Chandler.[42] During this deployment, boat traffic between the mainland andTiger Island was seen as a priority, with gunline ships also granted approval to operate against targets in this area.[42] Early in the month, problems with the 5-inch/54 guns aboardHobart and several US destroyers appeared;Hobart's captain decided to only fire the guns in emergencies until the problem was clearly identified.[43] The destroyerUSS Edson joinedHobart andChandler to make up for the lack of firepower.[43]
During the evening of 16–17 June, the three destroyers were ordered to undertake surveillance missions around Tiger Island, because of reports of North Vietnamese helicopter activity in the area.[44] At 03:09,Hobart's radar picked up an aircraft approaching with noIFF transponder active.[45] At 03:14, the aircraft fired a single missile at the ship, which killed one sailor, wounded two others and damaged the chief petty officer's mess, air search radar and missile control compartments and the ship's funnels.[46] Two minutes later, the aircraft made a second pass and fired two missiles.[47] The missiles hit simultaneously: one penetrated the superstructure and damaged the gunners' store, engineers workshop and aft seamans' mess, while the other hit close to the original missile, causing further damage to the mess and missile control room, while also damaging the Tartar checkout room, killing another sailor and wounded six others.[48] There was also major damage around the destroyer's Ikara magazine, but asHobart was not carrying any Ikara missiles at the time, the potential magazine fire did not occur.[49] The aircraft came around for a third attack run, but was scared off whenHobart's forward gun turret, under independent control, fired five rounds at the aircraft.[50][51] At 03:30,Edson reported coming under fire, andHobart's captain ordered the three destroyers to take up anti-aircraft formation.[51] At 05:15, the three destroyers linked up with the cruiserUSS Boston (which had been hit by a missile from another aircraft) and the escorting destroyerUSS Blandy, and continued anti-aircraft manoeuvring.[50] After being relieved,Hobart sailed for Subic Bay, where the damage was inspected by RAN and USN personnel, including three admirals.[50] Debris collected fromHobart and the other ships indicated that the missiles were ofUnited States Air Force (USAF) origin.[52]
The attacks onHobart and the other ships were the capstone of a series of firing incidents between 15 and 17 June, and an inquiry was held by the USN into the incidents, with three RAN personnel attending as technical advisors.[52][53] The inquiry found that a few hours before the attack onHobart,Patrol Craft Fasts PCF-12 and PCF-19, along withUSCGC Point Dume, were attacked by what they identified at the time as hovering enemy aircraft, but were believed to be friendly planes; PCF-19 was sunk in the attack.[54][55]F-4 Phantoms of the USAFSeventh Air Force, responding several hours after the attack on the PCFs, were unable to distinguish between the radar signature of surface ships and airborne helicopters and instead opened fire onHobart,Boston, andEdson.[53][55]Hobart underwent repairs in Subic Bay, and returned to duty on the gunline on 25 July.[56]
During the evening of 27 July,Hobart was involved in anotherfriendly fire incident; this time, shells from the ship fell close to a Marine unit's command post and injured three Marines.[57] The fault was found to be with the Marine unit's spotter, who was inexperienced, failed to signal the close proximity of friendly units to the target, and failed to fully identify the target before calling for five rounds of shellfire.[57] AlthoughHobart was asked to rotate Sea Dragon duties on 2 August to relieve a destroyer experiencing gunnery faults, nine days early, the destroyer's captain refused, as he wanted more time to prepare the ship after the repairs, particularly as the air warning radars were yet to become operational, and the gun mounts were experiencing minor problems.[58] The Sea Dragon deployment did not eventuate, and after operating near the DMZ,Hobart was reassigned to gunfire support duties around southern Vietnam on 12 August.[59] On 22 August, the destroyer fired to support the1st Australian Task Force inPhuoc Tuy Province: the first time a RAN destroyer provided naval gunfire support for Australian soldiers in the war.[60] On 29 September,Perth relievedHobart at Subic, andHobart sailed for home.[61] One sailor was awarded aDistinguished Service Medal for his actions during the 17 June attack (the government received advice that as it was a friendly fire incident, a non-combat medal like the British Empire Medal should be awarded instead, but this was ignored), while two Mentions in Despatches and 23 Naval Board commendations were also issued.[62]
Hobart returned to Vietnam for her third tour on 28 March 1970, taking over from theDaring-class destroyerHMAS Vendetta.[63] After working up, the destroyer relievedUSS Ernest G. Small from gunline duties on 6 April.[63] On 21 April, the ship moved north to near the DMZ.[64] Three days later, the destroyer rammed and sank a South Vietnamese fishing craft, but rescued the five crew and transported them to shore.[64] At the end of April, the ship sailed to Subic for maintenance.[65] After this was completed,Hobart returned to gunline duties on 11 May, and remained on station until 24 May, when the destroyer sailed toSingapore for maintenance.[66]Hobart resumed gunline operations on 6 June; these continued until 28 June, when she sailed to Subic for rebarrelling.[67] The ship returned to the gunline on 9 July, and operated until 29 August, when she sailed to Singapore for maintenance, thenBangkok for naval exercises.[68] Returning on 13 September,Hobart was called to relieveUSS Lloyd Thomas on the gunline after an explosion in one of the American destroyer's gun mounts.[69] On 22 September,Hobart sailed to Subic.[69] The destroyer was relieved byPerth on 26 September.[70] Two personnel were mentioned in despatches, and 23 Naval Board commendations were issued for the deployment.[69]
During 1971, the Australian government decided to withdraw all forces from Vietnam by the end of the year.[71]Hobart made no further deployments to Vietnam, and afterHMAS Brisbane completed her assigned operations in September 1971, no further RAN ships were deployed to the warzone for combat operations.[71]Hobart received thebattle honour "Vietnam 1967–70" for her wartime service, adding to the eight honours inherited from the previous ship of the name.[72][73]
_battle_group_with_Australian_ships_1986.JPEG)
In 1972,Hobart underwent modernisation in the US.[4] In June 1974, the destroyer was involved in theExercise Kangaroo One.[4] On 15 October,Hobart departed from Sydney withHMAS Supply for a five-week tour of Australian andNew Zealand ports.[4] While in her namesake city,Hobart was visited byCharles, Prince of Wales; the first time the royal had boarded an Australian warship.[4]
On 27 December 1974,Hobart sailed from Sydney as one of thirteen RAN ships involved inOperation Navy Help Darwin; the RAN disaster relief effort following the destruction ofDarwin byCyclone Tracy on 24–25 December 1974.[4][74] Later in the year, the destroyer participated in the multinational exerciseRIMPAC 75, then embarked on a three-month deployment in theIndian Ocean, during whichHobart became the first RAN ship to visitMalé in theMaldives, and the first warship to dock atHMAS Stirling, the new naval base inWestern Australia.[4] Between May and September 1976,Hobart sailed on a round-the-world voyage; the 109-day deployment was named ExercisePhineas Fogg after the main character fromAround the World in Eighty Days. During this voyage, the ship visited nineteen ports in twelve countries, and represented Australia at the fleet review offNew York City commemorating theUnited States Bicentennial.[4]
During 1977 and 1978,Hobart underwent a half-life modernisation, during which the propulsion system was converted from furnace oil to diesel fuel, and a Naval Combat Data System was installed.[4] In July 1979,Hobart and the Antarctic Support VesselThala Dan were sent toMacquarie Island to retrieve a badly injured researcher and return him to Australia.[75] In order to transfer the researcher to the ship,Hobart's personnel constructed a makeshift helipad, which was used byThala Dan's helicopter to deliver the injured man to the destroyer.[75]Hobart remained in Australian waters during the early 1980s, with the exception of deployments toHawaii for RIMPAC, to the North West Indian Ocean for 6 months in 1981 and participation in Kangaroo exercises.[4] The destroyer underwent refit in 1984.[4] In 1985,Hobart sailed toCanada to represent Australia at a naval review recognising the 75th anniversary of theRoyal Canadian Navy's founding.[4] During 1986, the ship was deployed to South-east Asia, which was repeated in 1987.[4] During early 1988, the destroyer participated in activities celebratingAustralia's Bicentenary, then later in the year sailed to join the RIMPAC exercise.[4] In 1989, the destroyer's Ikara launchers were removed during a refit.[4]
Hobart visited New Zealand in 1991 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of theRoyal New Zealand Navy.[4] During 1992, the destroyer participated in RIMPAC.[4] In 1993,Hobart visited South-east Asia, then participated in the firstExercise Kakadu.[4] The ship returned to Hawaii for RIMPAC 94, and was assigned command of one of the exercise task groups.[4] In 1995, the ship was again deployed to South-east Asia, participated in celebrations of the 50th anniversary of thePacific War's end, and visited New Zealand.[76]Hobart won theGloucester Cup for 1995, a trophy awarded to the most efficient ship of the RAN during a calendar year; this was the eighth time the Cup was won by the destroyer.[76] The ship was docked for refit for most of 1996, with post-refit trials extending into 1997.[76]
During early 1998,Hobart was deployed to exercises in New Zealand, then sailed to Queensland in May.[76] From August until December, the ship, accompanied byAdelaide,Brisbane, andSydney, visited ports inIndonesia and South-east Asia.[76]Hobart spent most of 1999 either alongside in Sydney, or on exercises inJervis Bay.[76]
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Hobart paid off on 12 May 2000.[76] She was given to theSouth Australian Government by the federal Department of Defence in August 2000.[77]
Prior to the scuttling, preparatory work was done to ensure safe diving and minimal environmental impact, based on international best practices and mostly undertaken atPort Adelaide by contracted labour and some volunteers. Oil and other contaminants were removed. The goal was to maintain the vessel's character as a fighting ship, but in the interests of safety, some entrances were sealed, some doors, hatches and sharp and protruding objects were removed, and corridors and openings widened. All furniture and equipment obstructing access or not secured was removed.[78]
The ship was sunk as adive wreck on 5 November 2002 inYankalilla Bay,South Australia at35°28′51.6″S138°09′26.0″E / 35.481000°S 138.157222°E /-35.481000; 138.157222, 4.8 nautical miles (8.9 km) west-north-west ofMarina St. Vincent, within theEncounter Marine Park. The wreck site is officially known as theFleurieu Artificial Reef. The scuttled ship is scheduled as a historic shipwreck as per the South AustralianHistoric Shipwrecks Act 1981 and has a protected zone of 550-metre (1,800 ft) radius which prohibits boating activity unless the operator has a permit.[79][80][81][82][83]
The HMASHobart Memorial Lookout is located is north ofWirrina Cove, at Little Gorge, on the road toNormanville.[84]
Text has been copied from this source, which is available under aAttribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY 3.0 AU) licence.
 United States Navy | |
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 Royal Australian NavyPerth class | |
 German NavyLütjens class | |
 Hellenic NavyKimon class |
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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 2002 | |
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