page_title: HMAS Yarra (D79)
section_title: Operational history
hierarchical_section_title: HMAS Yarra (D79) / Operational history
caption_attribution_description: AWM caption&#160;: "Italy: Tuscany, Livorno. The destroyer HMAS Yarra at a dry dock in Italy. She was probably undergoing repairs after colliding with HMAS Huon on 8 August."
context_page_description: HMAS Yarra, named for the Yarra River, was a River-class torpedo-boat destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy. Ordered in 1909 for the Commonwealth Naval Forces, Yarra was temporarily commissioned into the Royal Navy on completion in 1910 and handed over to Australian control on arrival in Australia.
  From 1914 to 1917, Yarra was involved in wartime patrols in the Pacific and South East Asian regions, before she and her sister ships were transferred to the Mediterranean for anti-submarine operations. She returned to Australia in 1919 and was used primarily to train naval reservists. Decommissioned into reserve then reactivated on five occasions between 1919 and 1928, Yarra was paid off for the final time in 1928, was taken to Cockatoo Island Dockyard for stripping, then was sunk in 1932 as a target ship.
context_section_description: During the early stages of World War I, Parramatta operated with the Australian fleet in the search for the German East Asia Squadron, then was involved in the capture of German colonies in the South Pacific region, including German New Guinea, and the consolidation of Allied occupation in these regions. On 5 February 1915, Yarra, Parramatta, and HMAS Warrego sailed for Australia, where they were used for convoy escort duties along the continent's eastern coast until August. The ships were refitted at Sydney, then sent to patrol the Far East. Yarra returned to Australia on 8 May 1916, and patrolled home waters until May 1917, when she and her sister ships were ordered to Malta.
  The Australian vessels underwent anti-submarine training, then were deployed to Brindisi for anti-submarine patrols of the Adriatic. On 17 October 1918, Yarra was assigned to the Black Sea, before sailing to England at the start of 1919. The ship earned two battle honours for her wartime service: "Rabaul 1914" and "Adriatic 1917–18".
  On 6 March 1919, Yarra sailed for home, in company with several other Australian ships. Yarra and Parramatta ran out of fuel on 26 April, less than a day out from Darwin, and had to be towed into port by Warrego. The destroyer was placed into reserve then recommission on five occasions between 1919 and 1928, with most of her operations facilitating the training of naval reservists.
caption: Yarra undergoing a drydocking at Livorno in 1917
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