Abstract

The loss of HMAS Voyager following a collision with HMAS Melbourne on 10 February 1964 was a national tragedy for Australia. Britain and the United States were quick to express their sympathy and both offered to loan a ship to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) to offset their loss. The offers were genuine and were intended to aid an important partner. The RAN had been tied closely to the RN since its creation, but the 1950s and 1960s witnessed an important transition and the RAN’s decision to purchase the American designed and built Charles F. Adams class destroyer as its new class of escorts in 1961 exemplified an increasing alignment with the United States Navy (USN). The Voyager tragedy reignited the debate over standardization and afforded both the Royal Navy (RN) and USN with an opportunity to attempt to strengthen ties with the RAN. The eventual Australian decision to accept the British offer, ultimately, had little effect on the development of the RAN. Rather than harking back to a time when the RAN was an appendage of the RN, the decision to select the British ship was a mark of its increasing independence.

摘要

HMAS Voyager在 1964 年 2 月 10 日与 HMAS Melbourne相撞后的损失对澳大利亚来说是一场全国性的悲剧。英国和美国很快表达了他们的同情，并提出向澳大利亚皇家海军（RAN）借一艘船以弥补他们的损失。这些提议是真实的，旨在帮助一个重要的合作伙伴。RAN 自成立以来一直与 RN 密切相关，但 1950 年代和 1960 年代见证了一个重要的转变，RAN 决定购买美国设计和建造的查尔斯·F·亚当斯级驱逐舰，作为其 1961 年的新护航级例证与美国海军 (USN) 保持一致。该旅行者这场悲剧重新引发了关于标准化的争论，并为皇家海军 (RN) 和 USN 提供了尝试加强与 RAN 关系的机会。澳大利亚最终决定接受英国的提议，最终对 RAN 的发展几乎没有影响。与其说 RAN 是 RN 的附属物，不如说选择这艘英国船的决定是其日益独立的标志。