HMAS Brisbane : Gun Plot Room : Computer Set Control Mk 167 Mod 3

Accession Number REL32980.005
Collection type Technology
Object type Maritime vessel or watercraft
Maker Sperry Gyroscope Co
Place made United States of America: New York
Date made Unknown
Conflict Gulf War, 1990-1991
Vietnam, 1962-1975
Description

The Computer Set Control is a rectangular metal cabinet. Attached to the front is a set of three angled consoles mounted on a metal frame. The base of the middle console protrudes to make up a table. The desk surface and front edge is covered with a heavy protective layer of blue plastic sheet. On the lower section of the front of the unit is an access panel with 25 female electrical sockets. A removable hinged door at the rear of the cabinet provides access to the internal components. Inside the cabinet is a tape recorder (mounted in the upper section), a converter and logic assembly, and power supplies (mounted in the space between the converter and logic assembly, and the front of the wall of the cabinet). The unit is mounted to the GPR compartment floor via a set of four shock mounts, each with four bolt holes. On the back of the unit is a nomenclature plate which reads: `Computer, set control Mk167 Mod3, ASSY53711-5610880-2, Sperry Division, Gyroscope Sperry Corporation, Great Neck, N.Y' However, the serial number has not been filled in nor any other details. There is also a large poster of a black panther ' the `Steel Cat', on the back of the unit. The CSC provides an input/output interface between the DPS and other elements of the Gun Weapon System (GWS). Among the functions performed by the CSC are GWS operating mode selection, sub-mode selection, signal conversion, entry of data into the DPS, display of GWS parameters and DPS data, and monitoring GWS operational status.

History / Summary

This component was removed from HMAS Brisbane after the ship was de-commissioned in 2001. The Computer Set Control (CSC) is located in the Gun Plot Room. The CSC provides an input/output interface between the Data Processing Set (DPS) and other elements of the Gun Weapon System (GWS). Among the functions performed by the CSC are GWS operating mode selection, sub-mode selection, signal conversion, entry of data into the DPS, display of GWS parameters and DPS data, and monitoring GWS operational status.HMAS Brisbane [II] was commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy in December 1967 and was the second vessel of that name to serve in the RAN. Known officially as DDG-41, Brisbane was the third of the RAN's American-built "Charles F. Adams" class guided-missiles destroyers. This class were the first major Australian warships designed and built in America, and were constructed by the Defoe Shipbuilding Co. The original complement of the Brisbane was 20 officers and over 300 sailors. Main armament was two 5-inch/54 calibre guns and anti-submarine torpedoes. The Ikara missile system was subsequently added. In later service the ship was known by the nick-name ‘the Steel Cat’. The HMAS Brisbane saw operational service in two conflicts. During the Vietnam War the ship undertook two tours of duty with the United States Seventh Fleet, in 1969 and again in 1971. The ship’s major task was to provide gunfire support for the land campaign. During the Gulf War (1990-91), Brisbane was one of four Australian warships to serve a tour in Gulf waters. The Brisbane arrived in the Gulf in December 1990 and operated there until March 1991, performing a number of roles. Apart from contributing to the anti-aircraft defences in the carrier screen, the ship also kept watch for mines and ensured that small civilian craft kept well away from the carrier group. Later, during Operation Desert Storm, the Brisbane controlled fighter combat air patrols and tanker aircraft. The ship’s final role was as an escort for US replenishment ships. In 2003 HMAS Brisbane was retired from service in the Royal Australian Navy. The Brisbane was the last steam powered ship in the RAN. HMAS Brisbane was sunk as a recreational dive wreck off the coast of southern Queensland in July 2005.