ICBM landed north-west of Fiji, and was observed by both the two Australian ships and a fleet of 18 warships from the People's Liberation Army Navy. On 6 November 1980, the two ships joined the patrol boats and to perform a ceremonial entry into Darwin as part of the city's Navy Week. Decommissioning and preservation On 25 June 1986, Vampire left active service. She was decommissioned on 13 August 1986, having spent 27 years in service, and travelled . She was later presented to the Australian National Maritime Museum for preservation as a museum ship: on loan from 1990 to 1997, then transferred outright in 1997. Vampire is the largest museum piece on display in Australia. In 1991 Vampire appeared in the children's television program The Girl From Tomorrow Part II: Tomorrow's End. The ship is also used for training RAN divers in hull clearance. In 1994, two disabled twin Bofors mounts were returned to the destroyer, replacing those removed in 1980. On 9 April 1997, permission was granted for Vampire to fly the Australian White Ensign, despite not being a commissioned warship. The destroyer is towed to every five years for maintenance and cleaning. During a docking in October 2006, rumours spread among RAN personnel that Vampire would be refitted and returned to active service. During the same refit, a fire broke out in the ship's boiler room. Nobody was injured, and no irreparable damage was caused. An overhaul of the RAN battle honours system completed in March 2009 saw Vampire retroactively honoured for her service in the Strategic Reserve between 1964 and 1966—the time of the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation. Any future ships named HMAS Vampire will carry the battle honour "Malaysia 1964–66" in addition to the honours earned by the previous HMAS Vampire. In November 2015, the warship was moved to the new Warships Pavilion 'Action Stations' at the Australian National Maritime Museum alongside HMAS Onslow and HMAS Advance. In January 2023, Vampire moved to Cockatoo Island Dockyard to begin repairs to its hull and various other components, COSTING ABOUT $3M. Gallery Notes References Citations Books Journal and newspaper articles External links – Royal Australian Navy history webpage for HMAS Vampire HMAS Vampire – vessel page at the Australian National Maritime Museum Daring-class destroyers (1949) of the Royal Australian Navy Ships built in New South Wales 1956 ships Training ships of the Royal Australian Navy Museum ships in Australia