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HMAS Perth II (DDG 38)
Commissioned 17th July 1965 ... Paid off 15th October 1999
Sister Ships: HMAS Hobart (DDG 39) & HMAS Brisbane (DDG 41).
Displacement:
3,370 tons standard (4,550 tons, deep load)Armament:
Two 5 inch (127 mm) D.P. (2x1) guns, One single TARTAR Surface to Air, Two single IKARA A/S Missile Launchers, Six 12.75 inch (325 mm) Mk, 32 A/S (2x3) torpedo-tubes.Dimensions:
420 ft (w.1.) 440 ft. 9 in (o.a.) x47 ft. x 16 ft (mean) 21 ft. 6 in (max) (128.2/134 x 14.3 x 4.9/6.6 m.)Machinery:
Four Foster Wheeler D Type boilers. Two-shaft General Electric geared turbines; 70,000 shp = 35 knots.
Oil fuel:
900 tons.
Radius of Action:
8,000 miles at 20 knots.Builders:
Defoe Shipbuilding Corp, Bay City, Mich.Laid down:
21st September 1962Launched:
26th September 1963.HMAS Perth II Related links:
HMAS Perth Association -- Official former HMAS Perth -- On the Gunline -- Fight & Flourish -- RAN in VietnamCitation for HMAS Perth (II) (United States Navy Unit Commendation)
The Secretary of the Navy takes pleasure in Commending HMAS Perth (II) (D38) for Services set forth in the following:
For Exceptionally Meritorious Service from 9 September 1967 to 5 April 1968 in the planning and execution of combat missions against enemy aggressor forces in direct support of Free World Objectives. While operating as a unit of the US Seventh Fleet, HMAS PERTH delivered extensive, destructive naval gunfire again enemy supply routes, coastal defense sites, troop concentrations, and fortified positions in both North and South Vietnam. The prowess and teamwork displayed by the personnel of PERTH were uniformly characterized by personal valor, professional acumen, and individual initiative. Although often within the range of enemy coastal defense sites, PERTH quickly responded with skill and resourcefulness, silencing enemy batteries while manoeuvring adroitly to avoid sustaining any damage or injury to herself. As an element of Task Unit 70.8.9 HMAS PERTH provided Naval Gunfire Support for United States and Allied Forces ashore in the Republic of Vietnam, and as an element of Task Group 77.1 in the Gulf of Tonkin, supported Naval Operations against North Vietnamese logistics groups and lines of communications. The tenacity, professionalism, and dedication demonstrated by the officers and men of PERTH reflect great credit upon themselves and the Royal Australian Navy.
Citation for HMAS Perth (II) (United States Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation)
The Secretary of the Navy takes pleasure in presenting the Meritorious Unit Commendation to HMAS PERTH (D38) for service as set forth in the following:
For meritorious service from 24 September, 1968 to March 1969 while participating in combat operations against enemy aggressor forces in South East Asia. As a member of the United States SEVENTH Fleet assigned to SEA DRAGON operations, HMAS PERTH contributed significantly to SEVENTH Fleet combat operations by conducting numerous successful fire missions against heavily defended enemy logistic installations and lines of communications. When PERTH was engaged by enemy shore batteries on two occasions, the combination of her crew members' spirited teamwork and capable leadership produced quick and precise evasive action to spare the ship any material or personnel casualties. PERTH's high accurate fire inflicted heavy losses on enemy assets and was instrumental in assuring the success of allied operations wherever she was stationed. The outstanding performance, superlative accomplishments, and inspiring devotion to duty displayed by the officers and men of HMAS PERTH throughout her deployment, reflect credit upon themselves and the Royal Australian Navy.
Over Her Career
HMAS Perth and her sister ships, Hobart & Brisbane, underwent a number of refits, ensuring that weapon systems, radar and accomodation were up-to-date and USN standards. In early 1999, her last year of service, HMAS Perth and HMAS Arunta visited Vietnam, the first Australian combat warships to do so since the Vietnam war. As a final farewell to the country she helped protect, HMAS Perth visited every state in Australia, the picture below is her final anchorge in Jervis Bay N.S.W. the afternoon before steaming into Sydney Harbour, flying her Paying Off Pennant
The decommissioned Perth was scuttled in the pristine waters of King George Sound in Albany W.A. on 24th November 2001 becoming the southern hemisperes largest artificial reef.