HMAS Brisbane (II) was the 3rd of 3 improved Charles F Adams class guided missile destroyers (DDG) built in the United States (US) for the Royal Australia Navy (RAN). Ships of the same class were HMA Ships Perth (II) and Hobart (II). 

The destroyers were referred to in the RAN as Perth class DDGs and their primary role was air defence. Seen by many as one of the most successful acquisitions in the post-the Second World War era, the ships had increased capabilities in all warfare areas, but particularly air defence and command and control.

HMA Ships Perth, Brisbane and Hobart at sea

HMA Ships Perth, Brisbane and Hobart

It was commissioned in the RAN under the command of Captain Alan Willis RAN on 16 December 1967 at Boston Naval Shipyard. 

Brisbane put to sea for the first time on 17 January 1968 for consolidated operability tests in the Boston Operating Areas. It remained in North American waters until September conducting sea trials and exercises primarily off the US west coast. 

Brisbane left Los Angeles for Australia on 28 September 1968. It arrived in its namesake port, Brisbane, via Pearl Harbor and Suva, on 17 October and the following day, at a ceremony conducted in the Botanical Gardens, the Freedom of the City of Brisbane was conferred on HMAS Brisbane. It arrived in its home port of Sydney for the first time on 22 October. By then it had already steamed more than 30 341 nm since commissioning.

Vietnam War

In January 1969 Brisbane’s crew began preparing for the ship’s first deployment to the Vietnam War. It left Sydney for Vietnamese waters on 20 March 1969 and arrived at Subic Bay, Philippines, on 31 March. After a brief workup, it arrived in Vung Tau, South Vietnam, on 15 April and conducted its first naval gunfire support mission that evening; a night harassment mission in the Vinh Binh province 70 miles south of Saigon.

Brisbane’s naval gunfire support missions typically involved conducting one or more spotted missions during the day followed by a harassment fire mission of about 4 hours duration at night. 

It remained in the area south of Saigon until 8 May when it was assigned to support an operation on the island of Phu Quoc near the Cambodian border. It left Vung Tau on 18 May to return to Subic Bay for maintenance followed by rest and relaxation visits to Manila, Philippines and Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

It returned to the area of operations (AO) on 10 June where it joined USS Rowan in support of Task Force South. Over the course of 4 days the 2 destroyers conducted 189 naval gunfire support missions mostly aimed at intelligence targets or Viet Cong base camps. Brisbane then conducted operations south of the demilitarised zone with the cruiser USS St Paul, and later in an area northeast of Phan Thiet before departing the AO on 29 June for a maintenance period in Singapore.

 On the morning of 30 June, while en route to Singapore, Brisbane encountered a burning merchant ship, MV Sincere. A firefighting party was dispatched but the blaze could not be contained and Sincere was abandoned. Its crew was evacuated to Brisbane for passage to Singapore. Brisbane stood by the burning vessel until 3 July when the salvage tug Salvana arrived and took Sincere in tow, but the ship later sank 80 nm north-east of Pulau Tioman.

Brisbane returned to Vietnamese waters to form part of the destroyer screen for the USN carriers Oriskany and Constellation. It left the AO on 14 September and was relieved by HMAS Vendetta (II) in Subic Bay on 28 September.

Brisbane followed a routine program of exercises, training and maintenance until early 1971 when it left for its second deployment to Vietnam on 16 March. This proved to be the RAN’s last gunline deployment. It arrived in Subic Bay, via Manus Island, on 28 March and arrived in the AO on 5 April. Its first period on the gunline was comparatively quiet conducting multiple missions in the regions known as Military Regions 3 and 4, south of Phan Thiet.

Brisbane visited Singapore, Subic Bay and Cebu City in late April and early May before returning to the gunline on 15 May to relieve USS Floyd B Parks as the commander of TU 70.8.9, marking the first time an RAN officer held the position of gunline commander. It operated just south of the demilitarised zone until joining the destroyer screen for the aircraft carrier, USS Kitty Hawk, on 31 May. 

Brisbane left the AO on 12 June for Hong Kong where its stay was interrupted by Typhoon Freda. It returned to the gunline on 24 June once again operating in Military Regions 3 and 4, and visited Subic Bay and Hong Kong before returning to the gunline for its final stint in Vietnamese waters on 15 August. This period was spent near the demilitarised zone where there was an increase in enemy activity.

Over the course of its 2 deployments to Vietnam, Brisbane had steamed nearly 70 000 nm and fired over 15 000 rounds of 5-inch ammunition. The ship earned high praise from the commander of the US Navy’s 7th Fleet who said that that the ship’s crew had attained ‘a most enviable reputation for extreme dedication and true professionalism, which was in keeping with the fine tradition established by a long series of predecessors.’ Its performance during the year was recognised with the awarding of the Duke of Gloucester’s Cup for 1971.

Regional exercises

Brisbane left Sydney on 17 August 1972 with Melbourne and Perth, later joined by HMA Ships Supply and Stuart (II), bound for Pearl Harbor to participate in the second RIMPAC exercise. The 5 ships arrived in Hawaii on 30 August. RIMPAC 72 began on 5 September and included navy and air force units from Australia, the US, Canada and New Zealand. 

On completion of RIMPAC on 20 September, Brisbane, Melbourne, Supply and Perth proceeded to Yokosuka, Japan, before participating in the Southeast Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO) Exercise SEA SCORPION off Corregidor Island in the Philippines. Eleven RAN vessels took part in SEA SCORPION along with naval and air force units from 5 other SEATO nations between 16 and 29 October.

SEA SCORPION was immediately followed by Exercise GROUNDWORK, an ANZUK exercise which simulated the opposed passage of a carrier force from Manila to Singapore. GROUNDWORK came to an end upon arrival in Singapore on 3 November. Brisbane and HMAS Derwent then went on to visit Surabaya, Indonesia, where they took part in Exercise CAKRAWALA BARU with units of the TNI-AL, the first ever exercises between the Australian and Indonesian navies. 

Brisbane left for Hawaii on 24 August 1973 with HMA Ships Melbourne (II) and Stuart (II), and HMNZS Taranaki. It arrived in Pearl Harbor via Fiji on 7 September and left harbour for the commencement of RIMPAC 3 days later. It was one of 24 ships participating in the exercise involving 14 000 sailors and aviators from Australia, the US, Canada and New Zealand.

Brisbane left Sydney on 22 October to participate in Exercise WESTWARD HO en route to Bunbury, Western Australia, along with other naval units from Australia, the UK and the Netherlands. It arrived in Bunbury on 29 October and left 2 days later bound for Singapore conducting Exercises SUNDA BALL and LEADLINE with other Australian and British ships. Brisbane arrived in Singapore on 14 November. It left Singapore 5 days later with Melbourne and Stuart, taking part in Exercise SANDGROPER serials before arriving in Fremantle on 26 November. 

Cyclone Tracy

Late on Christmas Day 1974, Brisbane’s ship’s company was recalled from leave and ordered to steam to Darwin in response to the devastation caused by Cyclone Tracy. Shortfalls caused by crew members that were unable to return to the ship before it sailed were made up by volunteers from other ships and shore establishments. Dockyard staff at Garden Island also answered the call reinstalling vital equipment in the early hours of 26 December that had been removed for maintenance. Stores and equipment were embarked during the morning of the 26 December. Brisbane, with Melbourne and Stuart, left for what became known as Operation NAVY HELP DARWIN later that day. Brisbane arrived in Darwin Harbour on 31 December and its ship’s company immediately began clean-up operations. 

Exercises and operational highlights

Brisbane deployed to Hawaii for RIMPAC 77, and to the UK for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee Fleet Review. 

RIMPAC exercises, involving 38 ships, 225 aircraft and about 20 000 personnel from 4 countries, began on 18 February as the task group crossed the Pacific towards Hawaii. RIMPAC 77 ended on 11 March off the island of Lahaina.

At the end of May, the task group conducted exercises with French naval units in the Northern Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden prior to transiting the Suez Canal on 31 May. The group conducted exercises with RN and USN units in the Mediterranean, during which they were shadowed by a Soviet Riga Class destroyer and a surveillance vessel.

The review was conducted on 28 June in the Spithead anchorage located in the Solent between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. Brisbane and Melbourne were just two of 175 ships from 18 nations with 30 000 sailors embarked for the occasion. The task group took part in Exercise HIGH WOOD in July which took them from Plymouth on the south coast, north along the west coast of Ireland to the Faeroe Islands north of Scotland. 

Brisbane steamed more than 36 000 nm during the deployment visiting Fremantle, Colombo, Gibraltar, Portsmouth, Plymouth, London, Antwerp, Toulon, Port Said, Mumbai, Singapore, Fremantle and Melbourne.

Following its return, Brisbane’s crew began preparing for a major refit, which began on 24 October and kept the ship alongside for most of 1978 excepting a week of sea trials at the end of November.

Brisbane took part in Exercise TASMANEX in New Zealand waters in August 1979, Exercise SEA EAGLE in September before a brief visit to Melbourne, and finally the UNZUS exercise KANGAROO III in Queensland waters in October.

January 1980 saw Brisbane visit Melbourne and Geelong before departing Sydney on 4 February for its 3rd deployment to Hawaii to take part in RIMPAC 80. En route it rendezvoused with HMA Ships Supply and Hobart (II) off the coast of Queensland, and HMA Ships Melbourne (III) and Yarra (III) off Vanuatu. The task group then arrived in Pearl Harbor on 25 February, and the exercises began the following day. It involved 47 ships, 215 aircraft and 20 000 service people from Australia, the US, New Zealand, Canada and Japan.

In October 1981 Brisbane took part in Australia’s largest multinational, tri-service exercise, KANGAROO, off the Queensland coast and included 20 000 personnel, 100 aircraft and 25 ships from 4 nations. 

Early 1982 saw Brisbane participating in Exercises EUREKA and SEA EAGLE in February and March before once again departing for RIMPAC on 19 March with HMA Ships Hobart (II), Yarra (III) and Swan (III), and HMNZS Canterbury. HMAS Stalwart (II) also took part in exercises for the first 3 days of the voyage in the Tasman Sea. The task group arrived in Pearl Harbor, via Suva, on 4 April.

RIMPAC exercises were conducted throughout April and included 60 ships, 120 aircraft and 29 000 personnel from Australia, the US, New Zealand, Canada and Japan. Brisbane left Hawaiian waters on 30 April and visited Hong Kong, Singapore where it took part in the Five Power Defence Agreement Exercise STARFISH, and Manila. 

Upon its return to Sydney, Brisbane began preparations for a major half-life refit and modernisation that kept its alongside for more than 2 years. Brisbane was the first of the 3 DDGs to undergo the modernisation in what was one of the largest projects ever undertaken at Garden Island Dockyard.

Brisbane returned to sea on 11 November 1987. After observing 2 minutes silence for Remembrance Day, the ship slipped from 3A buoy in Sydney and proceeded to sea in heavy rain and high winds for post refit sea trials. 

In 1988 Brisbane resumed a program of exercises, training and maintenance. It left Sydney on 14 October for a 15 week Southeast Asian deployment. Brisbane rendezvoused with HMAS Swan (III) on 28 October with the duo remaining in company for the duration of the deployment. They arrived in Singapore on 30 October and went on to visit Subic Bay, Manila, Bangkok, Penang before returning to Singapore. The ships then joined the USS Carl Vinson battle Group exercising with naval forces from the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore.

On 27 November 1988 Brisbane entertained a group of Filipino children from St Joseph’s Community Centre in Olongapo City, raising nearly $US1000 for the orphanage. Brisbane’s commanding officer, Captain Robert Walls AM RAN, noted that it was ‘the first time in the memory of the Filipino and USN personnel present that a visiting ship had welcomed such a community or disadvantaged group on board.’

Brisbane participated in a Fleet Concentration Period and Exercise TASMAN RULER during January and February 1989. A visit to Newcastle followed in May where its crew took part in the annual Battle of the Coral Sea commemorations before taking part in the international, tri-service exercise VALIANT USHER in Queensland later in the month.

On 20 June Brisbane left Jervis Bay for a Pacific Ocean deployment that saw its conduct port visits to Auckland, Vila, Kira Kira, and Honiara where the crew took part in Solomon Islands National Day celebrations. Throughout the various visits its ship’s company was involved in numerous assistance activities to the local communities including the provision of technical and maintenance expertise.

The beginnings of the 1990s saw Brisbane return to sea on 31 January 1990 to participate in a Fleet Concentration Period in New Zealand waters in February. It returned to Sydney on 22 February and began preparations to deploy to Hawaii for RIMPAC 90. Brisbane left Sydney on 26 March with HMA Ships Adelaide (II), Darwin and Success (II).

RIMPAC exercises began on 16 April and continued throughout the month until 8 May. Brisbane remained in the Hawaiian exercise area after RIMPAC, later setting a course for home on 31 May. It arrived back in Sydney, via Pago Pago and Noumea, on 21 June and took part in Exercise PITCH BLACK off the Northern Territory in July. 

Brisbane arrived back home in Sydney on 6 August where an unscheduled upgrade began to better prepare the destroyer for a potential operational deployment to the Arabian Gulf.

Gulf War

On 10 August 1990 Prime Minister Bob Hawke affirmed Australia’s commitment to send RAN warships to the Persian Gulf as part of a multinational naval force assembling to enforce sanctions on Iraq following its invasion of neighbouring Kuwait, under the Australian codename Operation DAMASK. HMA Ships Adelaide (II), Darwin and Success (II) were the first to sail, with Brisbane and Sydney (IV) tipped to follow later.

Several of Brisbane’s on-board systems were upgraded. Besides satellite communications equipment and electro-optical surveillance systems, these improvements included:

  • new electronic warfare equipment
  • better chaff decoy rounds
  • radar absorbent material panels to reduce the ship’s radar cross-section
  • extra firefighting and damage control equipment.

To improve efficiency of boarding operations the old sea boats were replaced with 2 new rigid hull inflatable boats which were to prove their worth during subsequent boarding operations in the Gulf. The most prominent structural change was the installation by dockyard workers of a pair of Phalanx Close-in-Weapons Systems for greater protection against missile attack.

On 15 October Brisbane, with Sydney, sailed for a 2-week pre-deployment workup before both ships left for the Middle East on 12 November for Operation DAMASK II.

On 30 November, just before entering the Middle East Area of Operations (MEAO), the ships were advised that the United Nations Security Council had adopted Resolution 678 authorising the use of force against Iraq unless it withdrew from Kuwait by 15 January 1991. 

On 3 December, Prime Minister Hawke announced that Australian units were allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz and enter the Arabian Gulf. Brisbane and Sydney were to form part of the largest grouping of warships seen since the end of the Second World War. The multinational coalition included 90 warships, more than 100 logistic, amphibious and smaller craft and 800 aircraft from 15 nations.

Brisbane and Sydney arrived in the MEAO, via Fremantle and Diego Garcia, on 3 December 1990. They rendezvoused with HMA Ships Success (II), Darwin and Adelaide (II) that morning and conducted a thorough handover after which they began maritime interception force duties. They sailed through the Strait of Hormuz and entered the Arabian Gulf for the first time on 16 December. 

The 2 ships conducted patrol operations in the central Gulf. A scheduled port visit to Dubai was delayed in early January 1991 when, over the course of 36 hours, Brisbane came to the assistance of 3 separate merchant vessels, one of which, MV Demetra Beauty, claimed to have struck a mine in the Gulf of Oman but refused any assistance which required anyone to board and inspect its hull. Its crew was rescued by the Omani patrol vessel Mussadan and the merchant ship Sumara before Demetra Beauty sank.

The UN deadline of 16 January 1991 passed without incident. At 2.30 am on 17 January Operation DESERT STORM began. Sydney and Brisbane formed part of the air defence screen around Battle Force Zulu which included up to 3 US Navy aircraft carriers. These duties continued for the duration of the war with Brisbane operating primarily in the north and central Arabian Gulf. 

Additional duties during the war included search and rescue, aircraft control and escort of detached units. President George Bush announced a cease fire on 28 February 1991, though Brisbane’s responsibilities in the Battle Force Zulu screen remained largely unchanged. Brisbane and Sydney proceeded out of the Arabian Gulf for the last time on 22 March and exited the MEAO on 26 March. They arrived back in Sydney, via Singapore, Darwin and Brisbane, on 22 April. Brisbane was subsequently awarded an Australian Meritorious Unit Citation in recognition of its service during Gulf War I.

Regional deployments and exercises

During the early part of 1992 Brisbane underwent an extended maintenance period before participating in another Fleet Concentration Period and Exercise CORAL SEA in April. On 1 May it joined 11 other RAN and USN vessels, led by the 80 000-tonne aircraft carrier USS Independence, in a fleet entry into Sydney Harbour commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea. 

It left later in the day, with USS Reuben James, for a 4-day visit to Melbourne to participate in further Coral Sea commemorations including a march through the streets of Melbourne concluding with a memorial service at the Shrine of Remembrance. 

Later that in May, Brisbane conducted trials for the Nulka missile decoy system off Jervis Bay becoming the first ship in the world to fire Nulka on 18 May.

On 3 August, Brisbane left Sydney for a 4-month deployment to Southeast Asia, via Western Australia. It conducted exercises in Western Australian waters with HMA Ships Perth (II), Torrens (II) and Derwent, and HMNZS Waikato in August before departing for Asian waters on 22 August with Perth and Torrens.

Brisbane visited Jakarta, Singapore, Lumut, Sattahip, Kota Kinabalu, Iloilo and Hong Kong during its deployment. It took part in the international IADS exercise and Exercise STARFISH off the east coast of Malaysia in September. 

Brisbane took part in a Fleet Concentration Period and Exercise TASMANEX in New Zealand waters in February 1993. It visited Port Kembla in the first week of May for the opening of Harbourfest. It then took part in in Exercise TASMAN LINK in the Shoalwater Bay Training Area. 

On 18 June Brisbane began preparations for a refit which kept its alongside in Sydney for 10 months. The refit included extensive work on the ship’s habitability, communications, weapons and propulsion systems and hull preservation work. A rededication ceremony was held on 24 May 1994 at which the National Safety Council presented Brisbane and ADI-NED with a Three-Star Safety Award acknowledging the high level of safety maintained during the refit. 

Brisbane left Sydney on 10 August 1994 for Southeast Asian waters. It took part in a Fleet Concentration Period off the Northern Territory before continuing northwards with HMA Ships Adelaide (II), Melbourne (III), Newcastle and HMNZS Wellington. It later rendezvoused with HMAS Westralia (II) and HMNZS Endeavour. The task group then split into 2 before Brisbane accompanied the 2 New Zealand ships to Singapore, arriving there on 30 August.

The deployment continued with participation in the multinational Exercise STARFISH and IADS off the east coast of Malaysia in September. Poor weather, however, curtailed the IADS exercises and Brisbane returned to Singapore at the end of the month. It went on to visit Hong Kong before taking part in commemorative events for the 50th anniversary of the battle of Leyte Gulf in Tacloban, Philippines, from 19 to 21 October. 

Brisbane later took part in Exercise TASMANEX which began in Townsville in April and which was conducted across the Coral and Tasman Seas over the course of 10 days before concluding in Auckland. It returned to Sydney at the end of the month before proceeding to Queensland waters at the end of May to participate in Exercise TASMAN LINK in the Shoalwater Bay Training Area. The exercise ended in early June and Brisbane returned to Sydney via Gladstone.

It again steamed northwards on 24 July with HMA Ships Perth (II) and Newcastle to participate in Exercise KANGAROO 95 off the coast of Far North Queensland. The exercise ended on 24 August as the task group entered Darwin Harbour that day.

Brisbane left Darwin, with HMA Ships Perth (II) and Westralia (II), bound for Southeast Asia on 28 August. It arrived in Lumut on 4 September before commencing Exercise STARFISH off the east coast of Malaysia 5 days later. It then visited Sattahip, Thailand, upon conclusion of the exercise before proceeding to Singapore at the end of the month. There it took part in Exercises SINGAROO off Singapore and ZEEHOUND 2 in the Malacca Strait in October before proceeding on to conduct port visits to Phuket and Surabaya. The destroyer returned to Sydney, via Cairns, on 21 November.

On 22 November 1996, Brisbane was awarded the Duke of Gloucester’s Cup as the most proficient ship in the fleet in 1996, the 3rd time that it received that honour.

Brisbane again took part in the annual Fleet Concentration Period in February 1997 and Exercise TANDEM THRUST in March, the largest joint exercise between Australia and the US since the Second World War.

Brisbane took part in another Fleet Concentration Period in February 1998 and visited Melbourne and Hobart in March. It remained alongside in Sydney in April and May undergoing maintenance in preparation for its deployment to Hawaii for RIMPAC 98 in June. It was also host to the Chinese replenishment ship Nancang when a PLA-Navy task group visited Sydney from 4 to 7 May.

With its deployment to Hawaii scheduled to begin on 9 June, Brisbane put to sea early in the month for shakedown exercises. However, the failure of its air-conditioning unit forced its withdrawal from RIMPAC. It remained alongside for most of the month, returning to sea on 29 June for trials and exercises. 

An amended program, which included another Southeast Asian deployment, was put in place for the second half of the year. It left Sydney on 17 August for Townsville where it took part in Exercise NORTHERN ENCOUNTER. 

It arrived at Darwin at the end of month where it took part in the second Fleet Concentration Period of the year in early September. It left Darwin with HMA Ships Adelaide (II) and Hobart (II) for Southeast Asian waters, and visited Jakarta and Manado where the trio took part in the International Year of the Ocean Festival which included a ceremonial sailpast reviewed by the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie.

It conducted port visits to Singapore, Phuket, Medan, Lumut, Kuantan, Bangkok, and Ujung Padang and conducted further passage exercises with Australian, Malaysian and Thai naval units. It arrived back at HMAS Stirling on 13 November where it took part in Exercise ASWEX 98.

Brisbane took part in Exercise NORTHERN ENCOUNTER on passage to Darwin in July 1999. Brisbane left Darwin on 15 August with HMA Ships Anzac (III) and Darwin for Southeast Asia, and visited Jakarta, Singapore and Kuantan before proceeding to Pulau Tioman at the end of the month to participate in Exercise STARDEX. 

Brisbane again proceeded northwards in July 2000 to participate in Exercise NORTHERN ENCOUNTER in Far North Queensland. August saw its take part in a Fleet Concentration Period and Exercise SINGAROO, both off the Northern Territory, before departing for north Asian waters on 28 August. Brisbane arrived in Bangkok on 4 September and began Exercise AUSTHAI in the Gulf of Thailand 5 days later. 

It went on to visit Hong Kong before making a 6-hour passage up the Yangtze River to Shanghai, with HMAS Success (II), on 24 September 2000. The 2 ships remained in the Chinese port for 5 days and conducted brief passage exercises with the escorting PLA-N frigate upon their departure on 29 September. 

The 2 ships then took part in Exercise GOODWILL, along with HMA Ships Darwin and Canberra (II), in Japanese waters in October during which they visited Yokosuka, Tokyo and Kure. They visited Guam en route back Australia and, while transiting through the Federated States of Micronesia towards the end of the month, conducted Operation BIG EYE 2, a fisheries surveillance operation, in conjunction with Micronesian vessels and Royal Australian Air Force aircraft. 

Brisbane took part in Exercise TASMANEX in March along with other Australian, French and New Zealand naval units, transiting the Tasman Sea to New Zealand waters. TASMANEX ended on 14 March 2001 and the following day the participating ships conducted a Fleet Entry into Auckland Harbour. It went on to visit Wellington before returning to Sydney on 28 March.

Brisbane returned to Queensland waters in May to participate in Exercise TANDEM THRUST during which it spent some time exercising as part of the USS Kitty Hawk battle group. 

Brisbane left Sydney for its final voyage, a circumnavigation of Australia and New Zealand, on 2 July 2001. It visited Adelaide, Fremantle and Darwin where it took part in Exercise KAKADU at the end of July and beginning of August. 

Brisbane was host ship for 2 visiting PLAN ships Yichang and Taichang in early October 2001, and it conducted a Youth Sea Day with 64 guests embarked on 8 October. Its final sea time was spent exercising with HMAS Melbourne (III) the following day before anchoring in Jervis Bay overnight. It steamed up the New South Wales coast on 10 October before making its final entry into Sydney.

HMAS Brisbane decommissioned on 19 October 2001 in front of approximately 1700 guests. This marked the end of the DDG era in the RAN. More than 7000 officers and sailors served in Brisbane during its service life. Brisbane now lies as a dive wreck 4.2 miles off Point Cartwright on the Queensland coast and forms the centrepiece of the ‘Ex-HMAS Brisbane Conservation Park.’

One of Brisbane’s 5-inch gun mounts may be found on display outside the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, positioned in front of its bridge and forward superstructure which forms part of the post-1945 conflicts gallery.

Specifications

HMAS Brisbane (II)
Class
Charles F Adams (Modified Perth) Class
Type
Guided Missile Destroyer
Pennant
D41
Builder
Defoe Shipbuilding, Bay City Michigan, USA
Laid Down
15 February 1965
Launched
5 May 1966
Launched by
Mrs FC Chaney, Wife of Minister for the Navy
Commissioned
16 December 1967
Decommissioned
19 October 2001
Dimensions & Displacement
Displacement 4850 tonnes
Length 133.2 metres
Beam 14.3 metres
Draught 6.1 metres
Performance
Speed 36 knots
Complement
Crew 311
Propulsion
Machinery Two General Electric geared steam turbines driving two shafts
Horsepower 70,000
Armament
Missiles SM-1 surface-to-air missiles
Guns 2 x 5-inch 54 calibre rapid fire guns
Torpedoes 2 x Mk 32 triple torpedo tubes
Awards
Inherited Battle Honours INDIAN OCEAN 1917
Battle Honours
  • VIETNAM 1969-71
  • KUWAIT 1991