HMAS Vampire May 1967.

HMAS Vampire is seen here, from the flight deck of HMAS Sydney, steaming to the rear of the Sydney to complete an 180° turn and come alongside the Sydney in preparation to take on a supply of fuel oil.
This type of occurrence gave the 5RAR members, on their way home from South Vietnam, some entertainment on their relaxing voyage back to Australia in May 1967.

^[1]HMAS Vampire was the third of three Australian-built Daring-class destroyers serving in the Royal Australian Navy. One of the first all-welded ships built in Australia, she was constructed at Cockatoo Island Dockyard between 1952 and 1959, and was commissioned into the RAN a day after completion. Vampire was regularly deployed to South East Asia during her career: she was attached to the Far East Strategic Reserve on five occasions, including during the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation, and escorted the troop transport HMAS Sydney on six of the latter's twenty-five transport voyages to South Vietnam.

When 5 RAR (both tours of duty) was being transported on the 'Vung Tau Ferry' her escorts were:

♦ April 1966 from Australia to Vung Tau: HMAS Melbourne, HMAS Vampire and HMAS Yarra.

♦ April-May 1967 from Vung Tau to Sydney: HMAS Vampire.

♦ February 1969 Fremantle to Vung Tau: HMAS Derwent.

♦ February-March 1970 from Vung Tau to Sydney: HMAS Yarra.