“Your first ship is like your first love, you never forget it.”

The Memorial acquired the bridge of HMAS Brisbane [II] in 2007. Decommissioned just six years prior, the ship had seen service right from the Vietnam War through to the First Gulf War in the 1990’s.

HMA Ships Perth [II], Hobart [II] and Brisbane [II] were the three Charles F Adams Class Guided Missile Destroyers (DDGs) built in the United States for the Royal Australian Navy. Construction of Brisbane began in 1965 and was undertaken by the Defoe Shipbuilding Company in Michigan. Brisbane [II] was commissioned into the RAN just two years later in December 1967.

Brisbane first saw active service during the Vietnam War, departing from Sydney in March 1969. During this deployment, Brisbane provided artillery support to troops on land, firing on the enemy with support from aircraft above assisting to direct their fire. Brisbane returned to Sydney in October 1969 to be fitted with an anti-submarine guided missile system, before returning to Vietnam for a second deployment in 1971, conducting further missions South of Phan Thiet. Brisbane returned to Australia in early October, beginning a routine of training exercises and maintenance.

In late 1974, Brisbane was directed to Darwin, where the crew rendered assistance in the wake of the devastation caused by Cyclone Tracy as part of Operation Navy Help Darwin. In the years following, Brisbane participated in further exercises including a deployment to Hawaii in 1977 for the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) and a deployment to the United Kingdom for Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee Fleet Review. Life on-board Brisbane consisted of similar exercises and deployments until Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, when the Brisbane was ordered to make ready for deployment to the Middle East under Operation Damask II, entering the First Gulf War; Brisbane’s last operational deployment. Before departing Australia, Brisbane undertook refits to upgrade existing equipment and was the only DDG to be deployed to the Gulf.

In early November 1990, Brisbane, in company with HMAS Sydney [IV], departed for the Middle East. The two ships entered the Persian Gulf in early December, beginning Maritime Interception Force duties. Later, under Operation Desert Storm in 1991, Brisbane served as part of defensive screening for US Carrier Battle Groups, providing anti-ship and anti-aircraft protection. Brisbane returned to Australia in 1991, concluding its service in the Gulf.

The Memorial’s visitor services manager and retired Leading Seaman, Gerard Pratt, served on-board Brisbane as a radio operator, joining the crew after its return from the First Gulf War. Brisbane was the first ship he ever served on, joining as an able seaman just before his 21st birthday. “Your first ship is like your first love…” he said “You never forget it. As a young sailor, it was just incredible to serve in a real warship…”

After returning from the Gulf, Brisbane took part in numerous deployments around Australia and to south-east Asia until it was decommissioned in 2001. After almost 35 years in service, Brisbane had travelled over one million nautical miles, leaving behind an extensive history. The ship was scuttled off the coast of Queensland in 2005 for use as a dive site. Prior to this, the bridge was removed and donated to the Memorial in 2007, where it is now displayed alongside the original five inch gun mount, just outside Gerard’s office window. “Seeing it [the bridge] there every day brings back good memories of all my deployments… I walk into the bridge some days just to reflect and it smells the same as it did 20 years ago… that really takes me back.”

HMAS Brisbane’s bridge is one of the Memorial’s largest collection items relating to Australian service in conflicts following the Second World War. The bridge is accessible through the Memorial’s Conflicts 1945-Today galleries where visitors can ascend the stairs and view the interior of the bridge, shown just as it was in 2001.  

Further reading: https://www.navy.gov.au/hmas-brisbane-ii