HMAS Brisbane : Engine Room : Air filtration system.

The air filtration system consists of three individual units joined together by copper pipes. The first unit is an air filter regulator, type 91F60/RH. Part of the label is obscured by a metal bracket. The unit is cylindrical in shape and has an indicator gauge with a white face and black rim attached. The second unit is the largest of the three and is a Nullmatic Controller, made by Moore Products Co, Model No: 55, serial No: 18191-1. The controller is also cylindrical in shape with a gauge attached, the gauge has a white face and clear rim. At the top of the unit is a black twist handle. The unit also has a white sticker which reads: `R.A.N Calibration Program CALIBRATION DUE 03/01. The third unit is the smallest of the three and is also cylindrical in shape. The unit is grey with a white bracket and black twist top at the top. This unit also has a gauge attached, which has a white face and a black rim. A warning sticker reads: `Read instructions before installing to prevent personal injury or damage to equipment.' Two of the pipes carry small taps.

This component was removed from HMAS Brisbane after the ship was de-commissioned in 2001. The Filtration System was fitted in the ship's Engine 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.