HMAS Torrens (DE 53)

HMAS Torrens (DE 53) was a River-class destroyer escort of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Built at the Cockatoo Island Dockyard in Sydney, Torrens was commissioned in 1971 and decommissioned in 1998. She was the last of the River-class destroyers to serve in the RAN.

Torrens was primarily designed for anti-submarine warfare. Her armament included two 4.5-inch guns in a single twin mounting forward, anti-submarine mortars, and torpedo tubes. Throughout her service, Torrens participated in numerous exercises and operations, both domestically and internationally, including deployments to Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean.

After decommissioning, Torrens was intentionally sunk as a dive wreck in Geographe Bay, Western Australia, in 1999. The sinking was part of a program to create artificial reefs and dive sites, providing economic benefits to the region through tourism. The wreck is now a popular destination for scuba divers.