The Scrap Iron Flotilla was an Australian destroyer group that operated in the Mediterranean and Pacific during World War II. The name was bestowed upon the group by Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels who described the fleet as a ""consignment of junk"" and ""Australia's Scrap-Iron Flotilla"". The flotilla consisted of five vessels; , which acted as flotilla leader, and four V-class destroyers; , , , . The ships were all built to fight in World War I, and were slow and poorly armed compared to newer ships. The five destroyers—the entirety of the RAN's destroyer force—departed Australia in November 1939 destined for Singapore where they carried out anti-submarine exercises with the Royal Navy submarine . On 13 November 1939, the flotilla left Singapore for the Mediterranean Sea, following a request from the Admiralty for assistance.