Daring-class destroyer (1949)

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 Radar Type 903 fire control on system MRS-3
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 (533 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 intended to fill some of the duties of cruisers, which post WW2 were considered both expensive and obsolete by naval planners, and were briefly officially considered a hybrid type (Darings) before being rated 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.