HMAS Hobart was a Perth-class guided missile destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Built in the United States of America to a slight variant of the United 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 the Vietnam 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 a United States Air Force aircraft.
HMAS Hobart in California, 1992
Hobart replenishing from USS Guadalupe during her first Vietnam War deployment
Damage to Hobart from the USAF missile
Hobart (second row from left, bottom) cruises as part of a joint US-Australian battle group around the US Navy battleship USS New Jersey
The Perth-class destroyers were three modified Charles F. Adams-class guided missile destroyers operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Ordered from Defoe Shipbuilding Company during 1962 and 1963, HMA Ships Perth, Hobart, and Brisbane were the first guided missiled-armed warships, and the first naval ships of United States design, to enter service with the RAN. All three ships operated during the Vietnam War, while Brisbane also participated in the Gulf War. The class was decommissioned between 1999 and 2001, with all three vessels later sunk as dive wrecks.
HMAS Perth at sea in 1980
Hobart underway in 1992
Perth and Brisbane in 1995
The bridge and forward gun turret of Brisbane on display at the Australian War Memorial