HMAS Brisbane : Gun Plot Room : Miscellaneous I.D and instructional plates and telephone directory sheet.

Accession Number REL32980.019
Collection type Technology
Object type Maritime vessel or watercraft
Maker Unknown
Date made Unknown
Conflict Gulf War, 1990-1991
Vietnam, 1962-1975
Description

Selection of metal (10), brass (3) and plastic (2) I.D and instructional plates (15 in total) from various positions and pieces of equipment in the gun plot room. The plates range in size but all are rectangular in shape, bar two, which are square shaped. The content of the plates vary, some carry a warning, others nomenclature and others equipment I.D numbers. The plates have glue on the back and require cleaning. The telephone directory sheet is an A4 piece of paper, which has been laminated, and carries the phone numbers for all areas of the HMAS Brisbane. The title at the top reads HMAS Brisbane Telephone Exchange ' Phone directory.

History / Summary

These components were removed from HMAS Brisbane after the ship was de-commissioned in 2001. They are installed in 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.