HMAS Voyager (D31)
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HMAS ''Voyager'' (D31/I31) (formerly HMS ''Voyager'' (G36/G16/D31)) was a W-class
destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
of the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
(RN) and
Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...
(RAN). Commissioned into the RN in 1918, the destroyer remained in RN service until 1933, when she was transferred to the RAN. Recommissioned, ''Voyager'' served in the Mediterranean and Pacific theatres of World War II until 23 September 1942, when she ran aground while trying to deliver troops to Timor. The ship was damaged by Japanese bombers while trying to refloat, then was scuttled by her crew.


Design and construction

''Voyager'' was a W-class destroyer constructed for the Royal Navy during World War I.Cassells, ''The Destroyers'', p. 166 The ship had a displacement of 1,100 tons at standard load, and 1,470 tons at full load. She was in
length overall __NOTOC__ Length overall (LOA, o/a, o.a. or oa) is the maximum length of a vessel's hull measured parallel to the waterline. This length is important while docking the ship. It is the most commonly used way of expressing the size of a ship, an ...
and long
between perpendiculars Length between perpendiculars (often abbreviated as p/p, p.p., pp, LPP, LBP or Length BPP) is the length of a ship along the summer load line from the forward surface of the stem, or main bow perpendicular member, to the after surface of the stern ...
, with a beam of , and a maximum draught of . Propulsion machinery consisted of three Yarrow boilers feeding two Brown-Curtis turbines, which provided to the two propeller shafts.Cassells, ''The Destroyers'', p. 167 Maximum designed speed was . ''Voyager'' had a range of at . The ship's company consisted of 6 officers and 113 sailors. At launch, ''Voyager''s main armament consisted of four single QF 4-inch Mark V guns. This was supplemented by a quad-barrelled
QF 2-pounder naval gun The 2-pounder gun, officially the QF 2-pounder ( QF denoting "quick firing") and universally known as the pom-pom, was a British autocannon, used as an anti-aircraft gun by the Royal Navy.British military of the period traditionally denoted s ...
, and five .303 inch machine guns of various types. The destroyer was also fitted with two 3-tube 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo sets, two
depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive Shock factor, hydraulic shock. Most depth ...
chutes, and four depth charge throwers. Later modifications to her armament included the installation of a second 2-pounder gun and two
Oerlikon 20 mm cannon The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original German Becker Type M2 20 mm cannon design that appeared very early in World War I. It was widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others, with various models emplo ...
, and the removal of one of the torpedo tube sets. ''Voyager'' was laid down by
Alexander Stephen and Sons Alexander Stephen and Sons Limited, often referred to simply as Alex Stephens or just Stephens, was a Scottish shipbuilding company based in Linthouse, Glasgow, on the River Clyde and, initially, on the east coast of Scotland. History The comp ...
at their shipyard in Glasgow, Scotland on 17 May 1917. She was launched on 8 May 1918. The destroyer was commissioned into the Royal Navy on 24 June 1918, the day of her completion. ''Voyager'' was the only ship of her class that carried a name starting with "V": the rest of the W class had names starting with "W".


Operational history

In July 1918, ''Voyager'' joined the
11th Destroyer Flotilla The British 11th Destroyer Flotilla, or Eleventh Destroyer Flotilla, was a naval formation of the Royal Navy from August 1915 to September 1945. History World War One The 11th Destroyer Flotilla was formed in August 1915 and was assigned to the ...
of the
Grand Fleet The Grand Fleet was the main battlefleet of the Royal Navy during the First World War. It was established in August 1914 and disbanded in April 1919. Its main base was Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. History Formed in August 1914 from the ...
. She remained part of the 11th Flotilla through the end of the War until the flotilla was disbanded in March 1919, then transferring to the newly established 1st Destroyer Flotilla of the Atlantic Fleet .English 2019, p. 83 On 22 April 1919, ''Voyager'' took part in a visit to the French port of
Cherbourg Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 Feb ...
by 13 British warships, including the battleships , , and . In June 1919, ''Voyager'' was deployed to the
Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
as part of the British intervention in the Russian Civil War. On 2 June, ''Voyager'' and the destroyer were patrolling off
Petrograd Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
when they clashed with the Russian destroyers and , exchanging gunfire at long range across a minefield, with no damage occurring on either side. On 12 October, the 1st Flotilla was ordered to return to the Baltic shortly after returning to Britain, and between 150 and 200 men from the destroyers of the flotilla, including ''Voyager'', refused to prepare their ships for sea, with 79 men not returning to their ships. The ships' crews were made up with men from the Atlantic Fleet's battleships to allow them to depart as ordered. On 25 October, the 1st Flotilla relieved the 20th Destroyer Flotilla at the Latvian cities of
Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...
and
Liepāja Liepāja (; liv, Līepõ; see #Names and toponymy, other names) is a state city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea. It is the largest-city in the Kurzeme Planning Region, Kurzeme Region and the third-largest city in the country after R ...
, which were being attacked by
Baltic German Baltic Germans (german: Deutsch-Balten or , later ) were ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since their coerced resettlement in 1939, Baltic Germans have markedly declined ...
forces of the
West Russian Volunteer Army The West Russian Volunteer Army or Bermontians was a pro-German military formation in Latvia and Lithuania during the Russian Civil War in 1918–20. History The Western Russian Volunteer Army, unlike the pro-Allies of World War I, Entente Vo ...
. On 28 October, ''Voyager'' fired 20 rounds at Baltic German infantry positions near Riga, and from 3 November, together with and the cruiser , provided artillery support for a Latvian offensive that drove the Baltic German forces away from Riga, the artillery support continuing until 10 November, when the retreating enemy were out of range of the British guns. On 16 November, ''Voyager'' carried a load of field guns and ammunition from Riga to Liepāja, where after heavy fighting, the Latvians, supported by the Royal Navy, had beaten back more attacks by the West Russian Volunteer Army. ''Voyager'' was deployed to Irish waters in May 1920 and January–March 1921, during the
Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence () or Anglo-Irish War was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and British forces: the British Army, along with the quasi-mil ...
. In January 1922, ''Voyager'' transferred to the
5th Destroyer Flotilla The British 5th Destroyer Flotilla, or Fifth Destroyer Flotilla, was a naval formation of the Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the ...
, and in February the year, took part in Atlantic Fleet exercises in the
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
, followed by a series of port visits. In 1925, the 5th Flotilla, including ''Voyager'' transferred to the
Mediterranean Fleet The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between t ...
and was renamed the 1st Destroyer Flotilla. On 17 July 1928, ''Voyager'' was in collision with the destroyer ''Vendetta'' while on passage between
Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...
and
Skyros Skyros ( el, Σκύρος, ), in some historical contexts Latinized Scyros ( grc, Σκῦρος, ), is an island in Greece, the southernmost of the Sporades, an archipelago in the Aegean Sea. Around the 2nd millennium BC and slightly later, the ...
. Both destroyers received minor damage, and underwent temporary repairs by the depot ship ''Sandhurst'', with more permanent repairs being made at
Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
.English 2019, p. 84 ''Voyager'' was refitted at Devonport between 3 May and 15 June 1929, returning to the Mediterranean in July that year. Her stay there was short, however, as on 6 November, the destroyer left Malta for Britain, arriving at
Sheerness Sheerness () is a town and civil parish beside the mouth of the River Medway on the north-west corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 11,938, it is the second largest town on the island after the nearby town ...
on 15 November, where her crew transferred to the destroyer ''Waterhen''. ''Voyager'' had her boilers retubed at
Chatham Chatham may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Chatham Islands (British Columbia) * Chatham Sound, British Columbia * Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi * Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...
from January to September 1930, before returning the Mediterranean to rejoin the 1st Flotilla. ''Voyager'' remained part of the 1st Flotilla until December 1932, when she was replaced by the newly-built . ''Voyager'' was reduced to reserve at
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...
on 17 January 1933.


Transfer to RAN

In 1933, the
British Admiralty The Admiralty was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy until 1964, historically under its titular head, the Lord High Admiral – one of the Great Officers of State. For much of it ...
decided to replace five S-class destroyers on loan to the RAN with five more capable (but slightly older) destroyers.Cassells, ''The Destroyers'', p. 154 ''Voyager'' was one of the five ships selected, and was commissioned into the RAN at Portsmouth on 11 October 1933. The ships arrived in Australia on 21 December 1933, and ''Voyager'' undertook routine peacetime duties until she was placed in reserve on 14 April 1936. The destroyer was recommissioned on 26 April 1938, and was involved in training cruises until the start of World War II.''HMAS Voyager (I)'', Sea Power Centre


World War II

On 14 October 1939, ''Voyager'' left Sydney. It was originally intended for the Flotilla to be based in Singapore, but en route it was decided that the ships would be of more use in the
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
. The arrival of the Australian Destroyer Flotilla was met with derision in Germany, with Nazi propaganda minister
Joseph Goebbels Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazi politician who was the ''Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief propagandist for the Nazi Party, and then Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 to 19 ...
referring to ''Voyager'' and her sister ships as "Australia's
Scrap Iron Flotilla The Scrap Iron Flotilla was an Australian destroyer group that operated in the Mediterranean and Pacific during World War II. The name was bestowed upon the group by Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels. The flotilla consisted of five Ro ...
", a moniker the ships quickly adopted. ''Voyager'' commenced operations on 1 January 1940, initially as a convoy escort operating out of Alexandria. The ship was docked at Malta for refit during April. On 13 June and again on 19 June, ''Voyager'' attacked submarines without success, but on 27 June she attacked the Italian submarine ''Console Generale Liuzzi'' off Crete with the British destroyers , , , and , forcing the Italians to surrender and scuttle their vessel. Two days later, the Allied ships encountered the Italian submarine ''Uebi Scebeli'' and sank her after capturing the crew.Goldrick, in ''The Royal Australian Navy'', p. 112 On 9 July, ''Voyager'' was involved in the
Battle of Calabria The Battle of Calabria, known to the Italian Navy as the Battle of Punta Stilo, was a naval battle during the Battle of the Mediterranean in the World War II, Second World War. Ships of the Kingdom of Italy, Italian ''Regia Marina'' were oppose ...
, as escort to the carrier . A day later, she was assigned to escort a convoy from Malta to Alexandria. On 23 July, there was a brief mutiny aboard the destroyer, when 12 sailors sat down outside their mess deck and refused to move until their issue was addressed.Frame & Baker, ''Mutiny'', p. 152 Two alternate issues have been described as the source of the protest: one was the state of the ship's armament, which was not configured for anti-aircraft warfare, the other was orders to repaint the ship in
camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...
, which would have prevented any chance for shore leave. The captain came down to the sailors and resolved their problem through discussion, although he made no official record of the cause of the mutiny or its solution, and also pressed no charges against the sailors. The destroyer remained near Alexandria until September, when she returned to Malta for refit. In October, ''Voyager'' transported supplies to help establish a base on
Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...
following the
Italian invasion of Greece Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
. The rest of 1940 was spent escorting the
Malta Convoys The Malta convoys were Allied supply convoys of the Second World War. The convoys took place during the Siege of Malta in the Mediterranean Theatre. Malta was a base from which British sea and air forces could attack ships carrying supplies f ...
and providing support to ground forces involved in the Libyan campaign.Cassells, ''The Destroyers'', p. 168 In March 1941, ''Voyager'' was involved in
Operation Lustre Operation Lustre was an action during the Second World War: the movement of British and other Allied troops (Australian, New Zealand and Polish) from Egypt to Greece in March and April 1941, in response to the failed Italian invasion and the loom ...
, the Allied reinforcement of Greece. The turn of fortune against the Allies in April required the evacuation of most of these forces; Operation Demon. On 21 April, ''Voyager'' was in Navplion, and accounted for the evacuation of 301 people, including 160 nurses. Following this, the ship became involved with the Tobruk Ferry Service, and made 11 runs to the besieged city of Tobruk before engine problems forced her withdrawal in July.Cassells, ''The Destroyers'', p. 169 ''Voyager'' sailed to Sydney for refitting; the first ship of the Scrap Iron Flotilla to leave the Mediterranean.Goldrick, in ''The Royal Australian Navy'', p. 119 After the completion of the refit, which lasted from September 1941 to March 1942, ''Voyager'' commenced convoy escort duties in Australian waters.


Loss

Following the capture of Timor by the Japanese in February 1942, and despite initial appearances that all Allied soldiers were captured or killed, it became evident that the 2/2nd Independent Company, supported by other surviving Australian and Dutch troops, were mounting a guerrilla campaign against the Japanese.Goldrick, in ''The Royal Australian Navy'', p. 130Bauer, ''Heroic stand of HMAS Armidale'', Throughout late 1942, a haphazard supply service began, and ''Voyager'' became involved when a sizable troop landing (400 commandos from 2/4th Independent Company) and evacuation (the 2/2nd, plus any Portuguese women and children) was planned for September 1942: the need for a large capacity, speed, and surprise requiring the use of a destroyer. The 2/4th boarded at Darwin on 22 September 1942, along with supplies and barges to convey them ashore. The planned landing place was
Betano Bay Betano is a village and suco in the southwest of Manufahi District, East Timor. In 2004, the suco had 4,577 inhabitants. The Betano Power Station The Betano Power Station (Portuguese Central Eléctrica de Betano) is an oil power station loca ...
, where ''Voyager'' anchored at 18:30 on 23 September. The destroyer's position was not the best, and as the soldiers began to disembark over the port side into the barges, ''Voyager''s commanding officer decided to reorient the ship. As the anchor was raised, a surge in the current pushed the ship towards the shore. Unable to use the port propeller shaft to push the destroyer away from the shore as the landing craft would have been swamped and dragged into the propeller, the commander attempted to swing ''Voyager'' around with the starboard shaft. ''Voyager'' was unable to complete the turn, with the ship running aground at the stern. Attempts to lighten the ship and float her free failed, and by the next morning's high tide, the stern and propeller shafts were embedded in the sand. At 13:30 on 24 September, the beached ship was spotted by two Japanese aircraft; the bomber shot down, but the escorting fighter escaped to report. At 16:00 a flight of Japanese bombers attacked the ship and the beach. The destroyer was damaged beyond recovery, and while none of the ship's company were injured, their alcohol supply – which had been brought ashore during the refloating attempts – was destroyed by a bomb. After the air attack, the ''Voyager'' personnel signalled Darwin to explain the ship's loss and request evacuation; they were retrieved by the corvettes and at 20:00 on 25 September. The destroyer's wartime service is recognised with seven
battle honour A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In European military t ...
s: "Darwin 1942", "Calabria 1940", "Libya 1940–41", "Greece 1941", "Crete 1941", "Mediterranean 1941", and "Pacific 1942".


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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Voyager (D31) V and W-class destroyers of the Royal Navy Ships built on the River Clyde 1918 ships World War I destroyers of the United Kingdom V and W-class destroyers of the Royal Australian Navy World War II destroyers of Australia Destroyers sunk by aircraft World War II shipwrecks in the Indian Ocean Maritime incidents in September 1942 Ships sunk by Japanese aircraft