World War II Database

HMAS Vampire was one of the five destroyers possessed by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in 1939, which was part of the Scrap Iron Flotilla that served the British Commonwealth cause during the Second World War. Her motto was "Let us be daring", a phrase that proved appropriately attached to a vessel of this name, as the name HMAS Vampire was also given to a Daring class destroyer that served in the RAN from 1959 to 1986, having been built on Cockatoo Island in the years immediately following the war. This later Vampire had steamed a total of 808,026 nautical miles during her 27 years of service. After she was decommissioned, she was given to the Australian National Maritime Museum, and became Australia's largest museum exhibit.

A powerful Japanese force, consisting of five fast carriers, under the command of Vice Admiral Nagumo set out from the Celebes on 26 March 1942, bound for Columbo, from where Vampire was escorting the light carrier, HMS Hermes, bound for Madagascar via Trincomalee. The first RAN ship bearing the name "Vampire" was sunk by Japanese bombers off Ceylon on 9 April while escorting the British light aircraft carrier, HMS Hermes, which was also sunk. A British hospital ship, HMS Vita, rescued the members of Vampire's crew that survived the assault. The survivors were taken to Columbo. Vita rescued some six hundred seamen from both ships. This, however, was not the first encounter in which Vampire faced Japanese aerial bombardment. She was part of Force Z, the British Commonwealth naval force in the waters surrounding Malaya which consisted of two British battlecruisers, HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse, and four destroyers, including HMAS Vampire. The Australian destroyer survived this earlier attack, as the Japanese torpedo bombers focused their torpedos on the larger, more powerful warships. The Allied aircraft assigned to Malaya at the time was totally inadequate to oppose the Japanese bombers. Vampire had some low calibre anti-aircraft guns, but she found that her 4-inch high angle guns were ineffective. All her crew could do was watch in horror as the British battlecruisers succumbed to the deadly stings of the swarm of Japanese bombers. Vampire performed a rescue of the survivors floating among the flotsam of HMS Repulse, sparing two hundred that escaped the sinking warship of a total crew of eight hundred aboard, an action foreshadowed by the service HMS Vita performed in 1942 for the crew of Vampire herself.

HMAS Vampire was the first Australian destroyer to leave the Mediterranean during the Second World War. She passed through the Suez Canal on 29 May 1941, after tiring Mediterranean service. On 17 April, while escorting an Allied convoy transporting troops and equipment to Greece for Lustre Force, HMAS Vampire came under bombardment by four German Junkers aircraft, and one of the port engines was hit. Near the conclusion of her service in that theatre, she began displaying engine problems. When she achieved speeds in excess of sixteen knots, Vampire would shake violently. This problem meant she was unable to gain the speeds necessary for the Tobruk Ferry runs, a shuttle service to which she had been assigned. It was decided that she would leave the Mediterranean, and travel to Malaya for an extensive refit. She entered Singapore dockyard on 20 June. The refit was complete by 15 November, but a collision with the steamer, Perak, in Keppel Harbour delayed Vampire's operational readiness. Commander W. T. A. Moran, RAN took command of Vampire on 16 November. Final trials concluded on 26 November. Force Z: consisting of the battlecruisers, HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse; and the destroyers HMS Electra, HMS Express, HMS Tenedos, and HMAS Vampire; slunk out of Keppel Harbour on 8 December and came under attack by a large force of Japanese aircraft, flying from airfields in Saigon, before the day was over. Soon the powerful British warships had been sunk, the torpedo bombers effectively ignoring the screening destroyers.

HMAS Vampire Operational Timeline

Photographs

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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Shannon says:
   9 Jul 2009 06:43:56 AM
   
   My Grandad was on board the Vampire in WWII. I havent heard him speak much about his time in the navy, however tonight he shared his stories with me. It is unimaginable and I am intrigued to know more.
   Thank you.
   
   Shannon
2. brian mortimore says:
   10 Sep 2009 06:28:25 PM
   
   My Maternal Grandfather was a first class petty officer his name was Lawrence Martin.
   He said when the Vampire sunk some crew were burnt alive from the bombs...he said he was rescued and was only 6 stone when discharged
   from the navy and went farming to Narembeen.
   Regards Brian.
3. Shannon says:
   10 Nov 2009 02:04:20 AM
   
   Incredible. I will speak to Grandad and ask him if he knew your maternal grandfather, I know that he'll be amazed to hear this.
   Thanks Brian.
   
   Regards,
   Shannon
4. Jan says:
   25 Nov 2009 07:22:15 PM
   
   My second cousin Petty Officer RAH Macdonald was on board the Vampire when it was attacked. Family story is that he died of wounds while in the water. In recent years a report I read gives Ronnie as actually dying in hospital a few days later. I have been unable to verify that. Can anyone help? Regards. Jan.
5. Alexandra says:
   24 Apr 2010 11:23:47 PM
   
   My Grandfather, Ronald Gregg, was on board the Vampire when it was attacked off Ceylon. He was one of the 12 who survived. He has some heartbreaking memories of it all. I shall ask him about your relatives. Please let me know if you find out any thing more of the Vampire. Regards, Alexandra
6. Dave Roberts says:
   13 May 2010 09:14:41 PM
   
   My Grandfather David Roberts served on the Vampire as a Able Seaman A.A Gunner. He was serving when it was sunk in this action. He died after the war but the family always spoke about how he said a number of sailors died in the water after she went down. He went on to serve on the Kiama for the rest of the war.
7. Kevin says:
   12 May 2011 10:06:49 PM
   
   My grandfather was also on the Vampire when it went down. His name is Eric J Ahern and was one of the survivors. If anyone has any more info I would be interested to hear.
8. kim says:
   23 Apr 2012 04:53:03 PM
   
   my grandfather was on the vampire when it went down petty officer francis charles greenshields and i am looking for photos if any of the whole crew can anybody help
9. Peter Horrocks POWTR says:
   29 May 2012 09:07:15 PM
   
   My father was a cook on the Vampire when it was sunk. He did not speak much about it but the info I have received he was a swimmer and assisted three sailors in the water untill they were picked up by the hospital ship. I would like more info if its available. His name was James Horrocks known as Jim
10. toni Munday says:
    11 Oct 2012 02:24:19 AM
    
    to Jan - your second cousin Ronald Macdonald - died in hospital - please conttact me at the HMAS Cerberus Museum - toni.munday@defence.gov.au - we are looking for a picture - while we found one one trove - we are after a better image -anyone who read and knows Jan please let her know
11. Doris Green says:
    23 Jan 2013 04:37:59 AM
    
    My mother Doris Borg was Married to P. O engineer Louis Anton Gyss, he died on the Vampire he was 21 years old, Doris was 16 years old. She was married and widowed in 1942. She later remarried my father. I can only imagine the shock when she received a letter a week or so after being informed of his death. She did not know what to think and went down to the docks where he said in his letter that he would meet her.
12. Shannon P. (Black) says:
    18 Feb 2013 07:09:25 AM
    
    There's so much to learn. I will find out more and hope to share my grandads stories with those interested.
    
    I must take time off to talk to grandad as he won't be around forever and I'm very lucky to be able too.
    
    Jan, grandad can remember Ronnie! He shared a story about him. I hope you've seen these responses.
    
    I will be back again soon to share what I learn.
    
    Please keep posting.
    
    Thank you.
    
    Shannon.
13. Jan says:
    25 Feb 2013 03:18:01 PM
    
    To Shannon.
    Hadn't checked the site for sometime, then for some unexplained reason did so last night and found your post. Great news. I would love to have any information you might have regarding Ronny.
    looking forward to hearing more.
    Jan.
14. toni says:
    1 May 2013 02:09:25 PM
    
    francis charles greenshields it seems was also on the vampire he is the nephew of my great grandmother maria theresa greenshields,i think that makes me 3rd cousin as he is my grandmothers first cousin,i have a photo of him with his brothers who also served in the navy.

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