Date: 10 February 1964
Location: Off Jervis Bay, New South Wales, Australia
Event:
HMAS Melbourne was conducting nighttime exercises with the destroyer HMAS Voyager. Voyager’s role was to act as a plane guard — positioned behind the carrier to rescue any airmen who might crash during takeoff or landing.
During a maneuver to reposition, Voyager unexpectedly turned across Melbourne’s bow. Despite efforts to avoid a collision, Melbourne struck Voyager at high speed. The massive carrier sliced the smaller destroyer in two.
Casualties:
82 men aboard Voyager were killed.
Aftermath:
The disaster shocked Australia. A Royal Commission was held, which eventually found that Voyager’s officers had made serious navigational errors and that the ship’s leadership was compromised — notably, its captain was reportedly unwell and possibly unfit for command.
This event triggered widespread reforms in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
2. The Collision between HMAS Melbourne and USS Frank E. Evans (1969)
Date: 3 June 1969
Location: South China Sea, during a Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) naval exercise
Event:
Again acting as an aircraft carrier during exercises, HMAS Melbourne was coordinating with several destroyers. The American destroyer USS Frank E. Evans was maneuvering to take up plane guard station when it made a fatal navigational mistake.
Instead of passing safely behind Melbourne, Evans turned toward the carrier’s bow. Before either ship could take evasive action, Melbourne struck Evans amidships.
Casualties:
74 American sailors were killed, many of them sleeping in the forward compartments of Evans that were sheared off by the collision.
Aftermath:
Once again, Melbourne was exonerated after inquiries, but the event led to tension between the U.S. and Australia.
The commanding officers of Evans were found to be at fault for improper maneuvering.
HMAS Melbourne gained an unfortunate reputation — some sailors nicknamed her "the ship that kills destroyers."
Final Note on HMAS Melbourne
Interestingly, despite her tragic history, HMAS Melbourne never saw active combat. She served mainly during peacetime before being decommissioned in 1982.
She was eventually sold for scrap and broken up in China — but parts of her, including radar systems, reportedly helped in the development of China's first aircraft carrier technologies.
