HMAS Tobruk (D37) was a of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Built at the Cockatoo Island Dockyard, the destroyer was completed in 1950. Tobruk was deployed to the Korean War twice, and served with the Far East Strategic Reserve on three occasions during the late 1950s. In 1960, she was damaged beyond economical repair by sister ship during a gunnery exercise, which led to the destroyer's decommissioning that year, and sale for scrap in 1971. Design and construction Tobruk was a Battle-class destroyer. The ship had a standard load displacement of 2,436 tons and a full load displacement of 3,400 tons. She was long overall and long between perpendiculars, had a beam of , and a draught of . Propulsion machinery consisted of Admiralty 3-drum boilers connected to Parsons geared turbines, which supplied to the ship's two propeller shafts. Although designed with a maximum speed of , Tobruk achieved during full-power trials. Maximum range was at , or at . The ship's company consisted of 19 officers and 301 sailors. Tobruks primary armament consisted of four Mark III guns, fitted forward in two twin turrets. For anti-aircraft defence, the ship carried twelve 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns: three twin mountings on the aft half of the ship, and six single mountings. Two five-tube Pentad torpedo tube sets were carried. Tobruk was also fitted with a Squid anti-submarine mortar. The ship was laid down by the Cockatoo Docks and Engineering Company at their shipyard on Cockatoo Island, New South Wales on 5 August 1946. Tobruk was launched on 20 December 1947 by the wife of Bill Riordan, Minister for the Navy. The destroyer was commissioned into the RAN on 8 May 1950, although she was not completed until 17 May. The ship's name comes from the Siege of Tobruk. Operational history After completing trials and workups, Tobruk was deployed to the Korean War in August 1951. Between October 1951 and January 1952, the destroyer carried out six patrols, primarily serving as an aircraft carrier escort, or performing shore bombardments. Tobruk returned to Australia in February 1952. In October, she was part of the security patrol around the Montebello Islands during Operation Hurricane, the first British nuclear weapons test. In June 1953, Tobruk returned to Korea for a second deployment. Although a ceasefire was signed in July 1953, Tobruk remained in the area until January 1954, then returned to Australia for a