HMAS Brisbane : Gun Plot Room : Amplifier Mk 76 Mod 8,

The Amplifier Mk 76 Mod 8 consists of 2 rectangular consoles placed side-by-side. This is console 2 of 2. The console consists of two cabinets, divided into top and bottom sections. On the top section the control/instrument panel slopes out at an angle to allow for easier usage. The top half of the console can be opened using a metal handle which is located under the instrument panel. The lower half of the console is a removable access panel secured by eight screws. The lower panel is flat and has no equipment. A single nomenclature plate is used for the two consoles and reads: NAVORDYSYSCOM Amplifier, Mk 76 Mod 8, W.T 844, Serial No. 140. Each console is attached to the GPR compartment floor, but the details of the attachment are not currently held. The Amplifier Mk 76 console is 4-feet high, and contains the power cabinet assembly, the logic cabinet assembly and the cable entrance cabinet assembly. The power cabinet assembly contains meters and switches for monitoring the field currents and armature currents for the three-amplidyne generators. This cabinet has a parallel switching capability with the Control Panel Mk 110 Mod 4 for starting each of the three amplidynes. The logic cabinet assembly contains lamp indicators and displays, and a keyboard for entering data into a built-in Motorola Microcomputer 68000. The microcomputer processes input positioning orders for the director for the generation of amplidyne generator control field excitation signals. The cable entrance cabinet assembly contains all of the connectors required for interfacing ship's cables with the Amplifier Mk 76. The cabinet also provides the foundation for the Amplifier Mk 76.

This component was removed from HMAS Brisbane after the ship was de-commissioned in 2001. The Amplifier is located in the Gun Plot Room and is the second of two such units. It is part of the Radar Set AN/SPG-53F, which is in turn part of the Gun Fire Control System used to direct the ship’s two 5 in. 54 calibre guns. 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.