HMAS Brisbane : Flag Locker : 'Flotilla' Pennant

Accession Number REL33210.078
Collection type Technology
Object type Maritime vessel or watercraft
Maker Harry West Flags
Place made Australia: New South Wales, Sydney
Date made Unknown
Conflict Gulf War, 1990-1991
Vietnam, 1962-1975
Description

Standard forked pennant used on the HMAS Brisbane. The background (field) is blue with a large white stripe running horizontally across the middle of the flag. The flag represents 'Flotilla'. Attached to the hoist is a tag that reads HARRY WEST FLAGS 1 BRADLEY AVE MILSONS POINT 02 99250722 8345 99 571 Year 199 CODE SIZE DES RAN. Also attached to the hoist is a brass ring and a dog-latch clip.

History / Summary

The flag is part of a set that was usually stored in the Flag Locker REL33210, and was removed from HMAS Brisbane after the ship was decommissioned in 2001. The locker was located on the Flag Deck at Level 03 aft of the Bridge. The flag was used in combination with other flags to send coded signals, and is part of the ship’s external 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.

Related information