HMAS Brisbane : Combat Data Centre : Telephone assembly and hand-piece bracket

The Assembly is a pressed metal rectangular case, painted grey. At the rear of the case are three welded mounting brackets, each drilled for a single bolt. A female electrical supply plug is fitted to the left side, with black leashed cover. On the right side are two cable exit points. On the base is a cable fitting a cable runs from this to the phone hand-piece. The pressed brass lid of the box is secured by four screws. In the centre of the lid is mounted a brass indicator disc and selector handle. An indicator plaque is mounted above the disc at the 12 O'clock position. Setting on the dial are JA, JL, IJS, JC, 8JP, 2JZ and JCT. The hand-piece cable is coiled and has a black plastic cover. The hand-set is moulded in black synthetic material. The covers for the speaker and mouth-piece are brass. A circular push-button on the hand-grip activates the hand-piece. The handset has a silver button in the middle of the hand piece. Also engraved on the hand-piece is `Sound Powered Handset Type H-203/U, stock No: 1N5965-840-884 `Sound Powered Handset Type H-203/U, stock No: 1N5965-840-8849, Stromberg-Carlson. No Serial No. The telephone handset bracket is made of two sections, the front is a pressed metal rectangular dish with rounded ends, partially cut away to allow the phone to be inserted. The rear section is another pressed rectangular dish with three holes to allow the unit to be secured to the wall. A curved brass strip has been fastened to the inside of the phone bracket to assist with keeping the phone hand-piece in place.

This component was removed from HMAS Brisbane after the ship was de-commissioned in 2001. The telephone was fitted in the Combat Data Centre and was part of the ship's internal communication system. 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.