v.1.0 June 17, 2001
This list is by David Stratton and taken from Mr. Andrew Toppan's World Navies www.hazegray.org The list is updated with information from Mr. Toppan’s April 2001 update of the RAN.
Interested readers should proceed directly to the website: this is only an outline of the information available under the topic.
· From the view of a modern reader, the following are worth noting:
many ships were on loan or purchased second-hand from the Royal Navy; this accounts for their relatively short time in service.
· Ships did not cost the GNP of a small state in the first half of the 20th Century, so even new ships could be scrapped after what - in our terms - would be short service lives. Of course, in the 19th Century and earlier, because technology changed slowly, ships could be kept for many decades. Now they can be kept for so long because of refitting/rebuilding.
· The Australian Navy, respecting tradition, prefers to stick to the same names wherever possible.
· Through the post-World War 2 period, Australia has maintained a fairly consistent level of numbers, unlike most navies, which have shrunk dramatically. Land-based F-111s have taken over the role of aircraft carriers.
· The Canberra was lost before she had a chance to fire a shot, along with three American cruisers in the Battle of Savo Island, one of the many naval actions off Guadacanal, and perhaps the worst maritime defeat ever suffered by the US Navy. To honor her, the United States renamed the USS Pittsburgh (CA 70) then under construction, after the Canberra - an extremely rare honor. The new Canberra was the second ship of the very large and powerful Boston heavy cruiser class. Later she became CAG-2, converting to a Talos SAM ship and then eventually decommissioning in the early 1970s.
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Aircraft Carriers |
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MODIFIED MAJESTIC CLASS CARRIERS
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Sydney
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1948-73
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Melbourne
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1955-82
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Battlecruiser |
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INDEFATIGABLE CLASS BATTLECRUISER
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Australia
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1913-21
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Cruisers |
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Protector
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1911-43
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CHALLENGER CLASS LIGHT CRUISER
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Encounter
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1919-29
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PELORUS CLASS LIGHT CRUISERS
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Pioneer
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1915-22
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Psyche
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1915-22
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TOWN CLASS LIGHT CRUISERS
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Brisbane
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1916-29
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Melbourne
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1913-28
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Sydney
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1913-28
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IMPROVED TOWN CLASS LIGHT CRUISER
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Adelaide
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1922-45
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COUNTY CLASS HEAVY CRUISERS
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Australia
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1928-58
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Canberra 1928-1942
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Shropshire
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1943-49
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MODIFIED LEANDER CLASS LIGHT CRUISERS
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Sydney
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1935-41
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Hobart
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1938-47
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Perth
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1939-42
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Sunk Sunda Strait
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Destroyers
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RIVER CLASS TORPEDO BOAT DESTROYERS
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Huon
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1915-28
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Parramatta
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1910-28
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Swan
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1916-28
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Torrens
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1916-26
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Warrego 1912-1928
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Yarra
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1910-19
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MARKSMAN CLASS DESTROYER LEADER
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Anzac
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1920-35
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ADMIRALTY S CLASS DESTROYERS
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Stalwart
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1920-25
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Success 1920-30
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Swordsman 1920-29
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Tasmania
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1920-28
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Tattoo
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1920-33
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SCOTT CLASS DESTROYER
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Stuart
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1933-46
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V & W CLASS DESTROYERS
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Vampire
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1933-42
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Sunk in Indian Ocean
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Vendetta
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1933-45
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Voyager
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1933-42
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Ran aground
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Waterhen
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1933-41
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Sunk in Mediterranean Sea
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TRIBAL CLASS DESTROYERS
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Arunta
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1942-68
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Warramunga
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1942-63
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Bataan
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1945-58
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N CLASS DESTROYERS
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Napier
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1940-45
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Nepal
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1942-45
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Nestor
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1941-42
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Sunk in Mediterranean
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Nizam
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1941-45
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Norman
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1941-45
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Q CLASS DESTROYERS
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Quiberon
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1942-72
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Quickmatch
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1942-72
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Quadrant
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1945-63
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Quality
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1945-57
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Queensborough
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1945-75
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DARING CLASS DESTROYERS
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Voyager
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1957-64
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Lost in collision
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Vampire
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1959-85
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Vendetta
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1958-79
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Duchess
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1964-77
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BATTLE CLASS DESTROYERS
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Anzac
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1951-?
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Tobruk
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1950-72
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CHARLES F ADAMS CLASS DESTROYERS
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Perth
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1965-?
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Decommissioned
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Hobart
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1965-?
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Decommissioned
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Brisbane
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1967-?
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Decommissioned
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RIVER CLASS FRIGATES
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Barcoo
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1944-63
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Burdekin
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1944-46
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Diamantina
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1945-46
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Gascoyne
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1943-66
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Hawkesbury
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1944-55
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Lachlan
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1945-48
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Macqaurie
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1945-62
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Barwon
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1945-62
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MODIFIED RIVER CLASS FRIGATES
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Condamine
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1945-62
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Culgoa |
1945-72
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Murchison |
1945-62
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Shoalhaven
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1945-62
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OLIVER HAZARD PERRY CLASS FRIGATES
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Adelaide
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1980-
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Canberra
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1981-
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Sydney
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1983-
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Darwin
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1984-
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Melbourne
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1984-
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Newcastle
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1984-
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ANZAC CLASS FRIGATES
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Anzac
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1996-
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Arunta
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1998-
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Warramunga
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2000-
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Stuart
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2000-
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Parramatta
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2001
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Ballarat
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2002-
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Toowomba
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2003-
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Perth
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2004-
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Destroyer Escorts |
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RIVER CLASS DESTROYER ESCORTS
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Yarra
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1961-85
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Parramatta
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1961-?
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Stuart
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1963?
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Derwent
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1964-94
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Swan
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1970-96
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Torrens
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1971-98
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Submarines |
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E CLASS SUBMARINES
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AE1
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1914-14
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Lost off New Guinea
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AE2
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1914-15
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Sunk in Sea of Marmora
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J CLASS SUBMARINES
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J1
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1919-25
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J2
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1919-26
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J3
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1919-26
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J4
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1919-24
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J5
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1919-24
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J7
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1919-29
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O CLASS SUBMARINES
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Otway
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1927-39
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Lost by collision off Norway
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Oxley
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1927-31
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OBERON CLASS SUBMARINES
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Oxley
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1967-92
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Otway
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1968-94
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Onslow
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1969-94
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Ovens
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1969-95
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Orion
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1977-98
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Otama
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1978-?
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Decommissioned
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COLLINS CLASS SUBMARINES
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Collins
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1996-
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Farncomb
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1998-
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Waller
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1998-
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Dechaineux
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1999
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Sheean
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2000-
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Rankin
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2001-
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