Ex HMAS Perth
GPS: S 35° 04.791
E 117° 58.073'
Location: Albany
Site depth: 34 metres
Divable conditions: Protected from swell
Visibilty: Usually <10 metres
Vessel: Royal Australian Navy Destroyer
Construction: Steel
Tons: 4,850
Vessel Length: 133 metres
Wreck event: Purpose sunk 2001
image: navy.gov.au/hmas-perth-ii
Built in Michigan USA and built to the Charles F Adams class Destroyer design for the US Navy, the HMAS Perth II was laid down in 1963 and commissioned to the Royal Australian Navy in 1965, the Perth II sailed to Australia for the first time in March 1966. The Guided Missile Destroyer served the Royal Australian Navy for 34 years from 1965 to 1999, amongst its various deployments the HMAS Perth served the US Navy's 7th Fleet throughout 3 tours to Vietnam in 1967 to 1971. The destroyer routinely joined the gunline firing in support of ground troops, firing a total of 30,711 five inch shells during her three deployments, and came under fire from coastal batteries five times during her time in the war zone.
The HMAS Perth II was decommissioned in 1999 and in November 2001 she was scuttled as a dive wreck west of Seal Island in King George Sound off Albany. The largest of the purpose sunk wrecks in Western Australia, the Perth offers a more challenging but rewarding dive. Compared to the HMAS Swan III, the Perth II was left with much more of the ship's fittings left inside the wreck and prepared with full access to the engine room. Scuttled in the protection of the sound, the wreck is well hidden from the ocean swell although it is known for less than ideal visibility. It is however, one of the most interesting and impressive wrecks on the coast.
