'Voyager', 1964

Australia's worst peacetime naval disaster occurred 19 miles south-west of Jervis Bay on 10th February 1964, when the 20,000 tons Aircraft Carrier HMAS 'Melbourne' sliced the 3,600 tons Destroyer HMAS 'Voyager' in two.

Both ships were involved in night flying training. The 'Voyager' had been acting as ‘plane guard’, normally positioned behind and to the port (left) of the carrier to rescue the crew from any ditching or crashing aircraft. When 'Melbourne' changed course to ensure departing or arriving aircraft were heading into the prevailing wind, the 'Voyager' ended up ahead of and to the starboard (right) of the carrier, so was instructed to resume normal plane guard position. Instead of circling and passing behind 'Melbourne', the 'Voyager' inexplicably cut across the bow of 'Melbourne', and the collision resulted.

Most of those on the bridge of the 'Voyager' were killed instantly. The bow section sank after 10 minutes, trapping most of the 82 men who were killed in the collision. The rest of the vessel sank about an hour later. 232 others on board the 'Voyager' survived, and most were taken aboard the damaged 'Melbourne' which then slowly returned to Sydney to undergo extensive repairs. There were no casualties aboard the 'Melbourne'.

Two Royal Commissions were held into the accident, one in 1964, the second in 1967. This has been the only time in Australian history that two Royal Commissions have been held to investigate the same incident.

(The 'Melbourne' was later involved in a virtually identical collision on 3rd June 1969 in the South China Sea when it collided with the destroyer USS 'Frank E. Evans' of the United States Navy, which was acting as a plane guard to 'Melbourne' during anti-submarine exercises. The 'Frank E. Evans' was cut in two and 74 of its crew were killed.)

Image: Damage to HMAS 'Melbourne'.