Guns: 6 x 4.5 ins 6 x 4.5 ins

6 x 40 mm AA 4 x 40 mm Bofors AA

HMAS Voyager is shown above after commissioning. At the time that this photo was taken her pennant numbers were painted in the same style and position as Royal Navy ships. The Royal Australian Navy altered to a different style and much more forward position, just behind the anchor, in late 1963

After commissioning at Sydney, HMAS Voyager spent the first eleven months of her career in Australian waters. Following a refit lasting from mid October 1957 to January 1958, she proceeded to Singapore. Service as a unit of the Far East Strategic Reserve followed until August 1958 when she returned to Sydney.

Following a refit, which kept her in dockyard hands until late January 1959, HMAS Voyager departed Sydney in March 1959 for further Far East service. In April 1959, she proceeded to Hong Kong for boiler repairs, and then back to Sydney, arriving on 29th June 1959. HMAS Voyager remained at Sydney and in Australian waters until 10th November 1959, when she proceeded in company of HMAS Melbourne to New Zealand, returning to Australia in early December 1959.

After service in east Australian waters, HMAS Voyager departed Sydney for the Far East on 28th March 1960, returning to Sydney on 22nd June for refit. Following the refit, she spent the last two months of the year working up in the Sydney area. The beginning of 1961 found HMAS Voyager again en route for the Far East. She returned to Sydney in June and remained in Australian waters until November 1961 when she again visited New Zealand.

In February 1962, HMAS Voyager departed Sydney for further service with the Strategic Reserve lasting until June. She returned to Sydney via Guam and Papua New Guinea. From July to September, she was refitting and from October to the end of the year, she was engaged in working up and exercises.

HMAS Voyager is shown above at exercise off the coast of New Guinea, in 1962

On 31st January 1963, HMAS Voyager sailed from Sydney for what was to be her final tour of duty in the Far East, lasting from February to July. On return to Australia, she proceeded to Williamstown Dockyard to commence a long refit, which was completed in January 1964. To the end of January, HMAS Voyager had steamed a total of 218,300.4 miles since commissioning.

On the night of 10th February 1964, HMAS Melbourne was engaged in night flying exercises off the New South Wales coast. HMAS Voyager was acting in the role of 'plane guard' involving the rescue, if necessary, of aircrew personnel from the sea. At approximately 8.56 PM, some twenty miles southeast of Jervis Bay, she collided with HMAS Melbourne. HMAS Voyager was cut in two by the impact. Her forward section sank soon afterwards and the after section some time later. The disaster resulted in the loss of 82 lives (14 officers, including the commanding officer, 67 sailors and one civilian dockyard employee). There were 232 survivors. HMAS Melbourne was damaged but sustained no casualties.