HMAS Brisbane : Gun Plot Room : Control Panel Mk 146 Md 1

The Control Panel Mk 146 Md 1 is located on the back wall of the gun plot room. It is a rectangular metal cabinet that has been painted grey. On the rear face of the cabinet are eight shock mountings with attachment points for bolts. On the bottom surface are nine cable exit points. The cables have been cut approx 500mm outside the unit. The front of the box is a hinged door, with a silver handle on the right hand side. Inset in the door are two vision panels, the right hand panel can be slid upwards to provide access to an interior switch. Two warning stickers are present, they read `DANGER- 440 VOLTS' and `DANGER ' ELECTRICAL SHOCK HAZARD'. A small red metal plate is also attached which reads `Danger ' 440 volts'. A small metal nomenclature plate is also attached to the front of the electrical box, which reads ` Control Panel DWG 1369004, Mk 146 Mod 1, Serial No. 78 . Made by General Electric. A grey double power point is also attached to the lower RHS of the box.

This component was removed from HMAS Brisbane after the ship was de-commissioned in 2001. The Control Panel Mk 146 Md 1 is located on the back wall of the Gun Plot Room. 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.