Daring class destroyer (1949)

The Australian Daring-class destroyer HMAS Vampire on display at the Australian National Maritime Museum
Class overview
Name:	Daring class
Operators:	Royal Navy  Royal Australian Navy  Peruvian Navy
Preceded by:	Battle class
Succeeded by:	County class (RN) Perth class (RAN)
Built:	1949–1959
In commission:	1952–2007
Planned:	16 (RN) 4 (RAN)
Completed:	8 (RN) 3 (RAN)
Cancelled:	8 (RN) 1 (RAN)
Lost:	1, Voyager
Preserved:	1, Vampire
General characteristics For RN vessels
Type:	Destroyer
Displacement:	Standard: 2,830 tons, Full load: 3,820 tons
Length:	390 ft (120 m)
Beam:	43 ft (13 m)
Draught:	12.75 ft (3.89 m)
Propulsion:	2 Foster Wheeler boilers 650 psi (4.5 MPa), 850 °F (454 °C), Parsons steam turbines (English Electric in RAN ships), 2 shafts, 54,000 shp (40 MW)
Speed:	30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Range:	4,400 nautical miles (8,100 km; 5,100 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement:	297
Sensors and processing systems:	Radar Type 293Q target indication Radar Type 291 air warning Radar Type 274 navigation Radar Type 275 fire control on director Mk.VI Radar Type 262 fire control on director CRBF and STAAG Mk.II
Armament:	6 × QF 4.5 inch /45 (113 mm) Mark V guns in 3 twin mountings UD Mark VI 4 × 40 mm /60 Bofors A/A in 2 twin mounts STAAG Mk.II 2 × 40 mm /60 Bofors A/A in 1 twin mount Mk.V 2 × pentad tubes for 21-inch (530 mm) torpedoes Mk.IX 1 × Squid A/S mortar

The Daring class was a class of eleven destroyers built for the Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Constructed after World War II, and entering service during the 1950s, eight ships were constructed for the RN, and three ships for the RAN. Two of the RN destroyers were subsequently sold to and served in the Peruvian Navy (MGP). A further eight ships were planned for the RN but were cancelled before construction commenced, while a fourth RAN vessel was begun but was cancelled before launch and broken up on the slipway.

The Daring-class ships were both the largest and most heavily armed ships serving in Commonwealth navies to be classified as destroyers. They were also the last destroyers of the RN and RAN to possess guns as their main armament (instead of guided missiles), which saw use during the Indonesian Confrontation and the Vietnam War.

The Daring-class destroyers were in service in the RN and RAN from the 1950s to the 1980s. Following decommissioning, two RN Darings were sold to Peru, which operated one ship until 1993 and the other until 2007. One ship of the class is preserved: HMAS Vampire as a museum ship at the Australian National Maritime Museum.

The Darings were the largest destroyers then built (1949) for the RN, having a displacement of 3,820 tonnes, a length of 390 feet (120 m), a beam of 43 feet (13 m), and a draught of 12.75 feet (3.89 m).

The Darings were the last conventional gun destroyers of the RN, and were armed with the QF 4.5 inch /45 (113 mm) Mark V gun in three double mounts UD Mk.VI (later renamed simply Mark N6). The main armament was controlled by a director Mark VI fitted with Radar Type 275 on the bridge and a director CRBF (close range blind fire) aft with Radar Type 262 providing local control for 'X' turret on aft arcs. Remote Power Control (RPC) was provided for the main armament. Darings were capable of a rate of fire of 16 rounds per minute per gun, or about 100 rounds per minute overall.