HMAS Brisbane : Anchor

The anchor consists of two sections, the first is a cast steel shank with square cross section. At the uppermost part is a single steel pivot channel for connection to the anchor chain. At the base of the shank is a half sphere that engages in the anchor fluke assembly and is retained by a large steel pin. The base consists of a U shaped cast steel assembly. The upper arms of the U terminate in the anchor flukes. The base of the arms teminates in the crown, of rectangular horizontal section. The central part of the crown provides a housing for the base of the anchor shank. Beneath one of the horizontal sections on the crown the manufacturere's details are cast: LHR. DAEWON. KOREA. Beneath the other is marked 2721KG 1995, U.S. NAVY. MK 2. The anchor is painted black, with the Nato Stock Number 2040-00-368-4764 stencilled in white on the shank and the flukes.

This component is a spare part obtained from Navy at the same time as major components were removed from HMAS Brisbane after the ship was de-commissioned in 2001. The anchor is of a type fitted to all three DDG vessels in RAN service.

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. Vessels of 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.