HMAS Brisbane : Gun Plot Room : Power Supply Unit for Radar Set

The power supply of the radar set is rectangular unit, with an open top, the face and internal components are mounted on pivots located at the lower front corners. At the rear of the unit are a number of electrical components and fittings. On the front face of the unit are two square consoles each with two indicator gauges, these are separated by a smaller rectangular panel with two selector switches and a nomenclature plate. Along the lower sides are two U channels to allow the entire unit to be slid into a larger rack (not held). This unit is made of grey metal and has 2 silver handles, one on the right and left side of the front panel. The front panel also has, on the RHS, two dials, one displaying the current and the other displaying the radiate hours. There are two nomenclature plates on the unit, although one is blank. The other reads `Power Supply PP-571/SPG-48, Part No 878654, Serial No: BNT1, for Radar Equipment, Raytheon Company, Lexington Mass. On the LHS of the front panel the dials have been covered with a piece of paper which advises that one of the components was leaking. On the lower front panel are three turn-switches used to adjust the dials above, while in the middle there are two black switches for current and voltage. A metal bracket has been secured to the right and left side of the unit.

This component was removed from HMAS Brisbane after the ship was de-commissioned in 2001. The Power Supply is fitted in the Gun Plot Room and is part of either the Gun or Missile radar systems. 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.