Voyager, a Daring class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy, sank after a collision with the aircraft carrier Melbourne on Feb. 10, 1964. As a result of the collision, 82 men on board the Voyager died. Nobody on board the Melbourne was injured, and 232 of the men on board Voyager survived. The Melbourne struck the Voyager amidships and cut it in two. The collision took place about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of Jervis Bay, New South Wales, while both vessels were taking part in maneuvers. It was a clear but moonless night, and the visibility was about 20 miles (32 kilometers). Winds were light and variable.
The captain of the Voyager, Duncan Herbert Stevens, was among those who died. A royal commission investigated the disaster in August 1964. Further evidence presented to federal Parliament in 1967 cleared Captain Ronald John Robertson of the Melbourne of any blame.
