Operational History
On 25 May 1964, Derwent became the first RAN ship to launch a guided missile when she fired a Sea Cat missile.
During the mid-1960s, Derwent was one of several ships operating in support of the Malaysian government during the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation. This service was later recognised with the battle honour "Malaysia 1964–66"; the only one to be earned by the ship.
In 1976, Derwent was used to portray the fictional British warship HMS Hero during scenes filmed in Hong Kong and Singapore for the BBC action/drama series Warship. Footage of Derwent was used in the episodes Wind Song and Singapore Incident, which aired in 1977. Derwent and her personnel were issued with ship's badges, cap tallies, name plates, and life buoys identifying Hero as part of the filming process.
On 8 September 1980, Derwent joined five other RAN vessels to form the Australia Squadron. The Squadron, which included HMA Ships Melbourne, Perth, Stalwart, Supply, and Otama, spent two months in the Indian Ocean as part of a flag-showing cruise; the largest RAN deployment since World War II.
On 24 January 1990, Derwent was awarded the prestigious Duke of Gloucester Cup for being the most efficient ship overall during 1989. From 1991 to 1992, Derwent's Seacat and Ikara launchers were removed. During this time, Derwent was used as a training vessel.
Prior to Australian ships deploying to the Persian Gulf, Derwent conducted trials in launching the RBS 70 surface-to-air missile from a naval platform.
Read more about this topic: HMAS Derwent (DE 49)
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