 At the outbreak of World War II , Waller was appointed captain of HMAS Stuart , taking charge of a group of four other obsolete ex @-@ RN destroyers — HMA Ships Vampire , Vendetta , Voyager , and Waterhen — that the Germans later nicknamed the " Scrap Iron Flotilla " . The ships were en route to Singapore for training when the British and Australian governments agreed that they should be assigned to the Mediterranean as the 19th Destroyer Division , under Waller 's control . Arriving at Malta in late December , Waller made a positive initial impression on senior RN commanders ; this was soon borne out by his actions during the salvage of the <unk> , a disabled tanker . In May 1940 , he was appointed to command the 10th Destroyer Flotilla , which included the vessels of the " Scrap Iron Flotilla " plus four modern British destroyers , and a month later was promoted to captain . 
