HMAS Anzac (D59)

HMAS Anzac during her acceptance trials in 1951
History
Australia
Namesake:	The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps
Builder:	Williamstown Naval Dockyard
Laid down:	23 September 1946
Launched:	20 August 1948
Completed:	22 March 1951
Commissioned:	14 March 1951
Decommissioned:	4 October 1974
Reclassified:	Training ship (1961)
Motto:	"United We Stand"
Honours and awards:	Battle honours: Korea 1951–53 Malaya 1956
Fate:	Sold for scrap, 24 November 1975
General characteristics
Class and type:	Battle class destroyer
Displacement:	2,436 tons (as destroyer) 3,450 tons (as training ship)
Length:	379 ft (116 m) overall 355 ft (108 m) between perpendiculars
Beam:	41 ft (12 m)
Draught:	21 ft 11.5 in (6.693 m)
Propulsion:	2 Admiralty 3-drum boilers, Parsons geared turbines, 50,000 SHP, 2 shafts
Speed:	31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph)
Complement:	320 as destroyer 169 + 109 trainees as training ship
Armament:	4 × QF 4.5 inch /45 (113 mm) Mark V guns in 2 twin mountings UD Mark VI 12 × 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns (3 twin, 6 single) 2 × 21 in 5-tube Pentad torpedo tube sets Squid anti-submarine mortar

HMAS Anzac (D59) was a Battle class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Named after the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, the destroyer was commissioned in 1951. The ship served on two tours of duty during the Korean War, and attempts to distinguish herself from British ships led to the practice of red kangaroo symbols on Australian warships. During 1956, Anzac served during the Malayan Emergency. In 1960, a malfunction in the destroyer's gun direction equipment caused Anzac to fire directly on sister ship HMAS Tobruk during a gunnery exercise, with Tobruk left unrepairable. In 1961, the destroyer was reclassified as a training vessel. Anzac remained in service until 1974, and was sold for breaking a year later.

Anzac was built to the British Battle class destroyer design. The ship had a displacement of 2,436 tons as designed, although this displacement increased to 3,450 tons after her 1963 reclassification as a training ship. She was 379 feet (116 m) long overall and 355 feet (108 m) long between perpendiculars, with a beam of 41 feet (12 m), and a draught of 21 feet 11.5 inches (6.693 m). Propulsion was provided by two Admiralty 3-drum boilers supplying steam to Parsons geared turbines; these generated 50,000 shaft horsepower for the destroyer's two propeller shafts.Anzac was designed to reach 31.5 knots (58.3 km/h; 36.2 mph), but could usually only reach 31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph). The ship's company originally consisted of 320 personnel, but after conversion into a training ship, this changed to 169 ship's company plus 109 trainees.

The main armament of Anzac consisted of four 4.5-inch Mark VI guns in two twin turrets. This was supplemented by twelve Bofors 40 mm guns for air defence, (three twin mountings and six single mountings, a Squid anti-submarine mortar, and two sets of 5-tube 21-inch Pentad torpedo launchers.