Accession NumberP8Title (extended title only)HMAS SwanDescriptionWood Plaque with a silver plate engraved picture of HMAS SWAN DE50 with the motto “Forward” – Presented by the Commanding Officer HMAS SWAN
The plaque was gifted to the Mayor and City upon a visit by the Ships Commanding Officer upon a deployment to Fremantle.
Silver plated message – “Presented to the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Fremantle from the Commanding Officer HMAS SWAN 6th September 1988Date6th September 1988ProvenanceHMAS SWAN was A River Class Destroyer Escort, commissioned in 1967 by the Royal Australian Navy. It was named after the Swan River and was the third Naval Ship of the Royal Australian Navy to carry that name.
The ship has a long link with Fremantle, having visited on many occasions and was based just south of Fremantle for the bicentenary in 1988.
The ship served during the peace time operations of the Royal Australian Navy. The ship was decommissioned at HMAS Stirling just south of Fremantle in 1996. During her last voyage she sailed into the Swan River at Fremantle flying the message “Don’t muck with the duck 1970-1996 Farewell from Swan”
After her decommissioning the Swan was gifted by the Royal Australian Navy to Western Australia and was used as a dive wreck, being sunk off Meelup Beach, Geographe Bay, DunsboroughRelevance to the CityHMAS SWAN served in the Royal Australian Navy in the defence of Australian waters and has been based around Fremantle for much of her service, including being based just south of Fremantle at HMAS Stirling at Garden Island.
The ship was decommissioned at HMAS Stirling just south of Fremantle in 1996. It then became a dive wreck off the Western Australian coast.
