Designed and built in Britain during WWI, the Vampire first served with the British Royal Navy before being transferred to the Royal Australian Navy in 1933. After serving in the Mediterranean,she joined the British Navy's Force Z at Singapore, and together with the Prince of Wales,Repulse, and 3 other destroyers, sortied on December 8, 1941. The ships were spotted, and in the ensuing attack by Japanese planes both the Prince of Wales and Repulse were sunk, with the destroyers left to rescue survivors. After this incident, the HMAS Vampire continued to operate in the Indian Ocean until April 9, 1942, when she was sunk off Ceylon along with the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes by Japanese carrier planes.