HMAS Brisbane 1967-2001

Bloodstained Angel

Premiership Player
Mar 21, 2000
3,765
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Sydney, Nsw, Australia
HMAS Brisbane was formally and finally de-commissioned last week in a simple but moving ceremony on Sydney Harbour, so it seems appropriate to devote this weeks BigFooty Miltaria article to looking at the glorious career of this, The Grand Old Dame of the Royal Australian Navy.

The first year of the new century seems an excellent historical point in time for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) to de-commission the Guided Missle Destroyer HMAS Brisbane.

Brisbane is the last steam powered warship to serve in the RAN, Brisbane is also the last Guided Missle Destroyer and also the last remaing warship of the RAN to have fired its guns at a real enemy in a real war, with the intent to kill and destroy.

Brisbane is also the only warship in the RAN to see active service in two wars, 2 tours of duty in Vietnam in 1969 and 1971 and also the Gulf War of 1991.

Brisbane was ordered in 1964, launched in 1966 and commissioned in 1967. She was an American design, a "Charles F Adams' class destroyer, a type of small fast warship that was considered state of the art in the 60's. Her design marked a new generation of warship, providing a platform for new weapons such as guided missliles and homing torpedos, she still mounted guns (2 x 5" rapid fire naval cannon in 2 turrets) but compared to the old warships of a generation earlier, Brisbane and her sister ships Perth and Hobart were sleek and modern craft, brsitling with a formidable array of high-tech weaponry and even higher-tech electronic equipment. Brisbane was built at the Defoe Shipyards in Bay City Michigan.

Boiling water in boiler to make steam, then aiming a jet of that steam onto a giant turbine rotor which is connected to a propeller shaft has been the standard in high speed marine propulsion for most of the 20th century. Brisbane was no different, although the technology of steam power had well and truly matured by the 1960's. Brisbanes twin General Electric Steam Turbines generated 70,000 horsepower and was enough to push the 5000 ton ship to a speed of 33 knots (thats nearly 70km/h in landlubber speak !)

A big performer, thats for sure, but steam power has its downside and this explains why the Brisbane and its sisterships are no longer in the RAN - they are incredibly espensive to run and maintain. Burning your fuel in a boiler to make steam is very inefficient and HMAS Brisbane costs well over $100,000 a DAY to keep moving.

Brisbane is the last Australian warship to see active combat duty and to fire shots in anger. This happened during both of the ships' tours to Vietnam. On 31 March 1969 she joined the US 7th fleet in the 'gunline' an area from the Mekong Delta to Haiphong off the coast of South Vietnam where warships were stationed to give fire-support to ground operations. During this period Brisbane fired over 8000 shells at Viet Cong positions in and the Demilitarised Zone in central Vietnam. In one operation alone, on the night of 6 June 1969 she fired 650 rounds in 3 hours and the rate of fire was enough to make the gun barrels glow a deep orange in the warm tropical night. On 22 July 1969, whilst again giving fire support to ground troop movements, a shell prematurely exploded in the breech of one of the guns, 1 seaman was injured and the gun turret was out of action for 15 days. When she wasn't giving fire support, Brisbane was on Carrier escort duty to the USS Constellation in the Gulf of Tonkin.

Brisbanes second tour of Vietnam from March to October 1971 was much quieter and reflected the changing nature of the war where Australia was scaling back its commitment and so too the united States. Howver one notable episode happened on 5 April when Brisbane gave fire support to 1st Australian Task Force operations in the Long Hai Hills. This was the last major operation by Australian troops in Vietnam and Brisbane provided great fire support, destroying many bunkers and supply trails.

Brisbane was completely refitted with the latest electronic weaponry and radar equipment in 1986 and then in 1990 was fitted with a new Close-In Weapons System (CIWS) and then off to the Gulf War as part of Operation Damask _ the deployment of Australian warships to provide escort and screening duties for the American Aircraft carriers operating in teh Persian Gulf. This deployment lasted 4 and a half months, with Brisbane returning to Sydney on 22 April 1991.

Affectionately known by all those who sailed in her as "The Steel Cat" Pennant 41 HMAS Brisbane is the most famous warship of the Royal Australian Navy in the post WW2 period, she also has easily the most distinguished service record.

Two weeks ago she went on her last voyage, just a little run out of Sydney heads and back again, flying the traditional passing out pennant ( a very long ribbon flying from her main mast and trailing the length of the ship ).

I must say she bought a lump to the thorat of everyone who saw her that day on the sparkling water, many tears would have been shed by the many 1000's of Australian sailors who sailed in her and fought in her.

Brisbane has now been donated to the Government of Queensland who plan to scuttle her off North Stradbroke Island and put the shipwreck to use as a scuba diving attraction.

Even in death, HMAS Brisbane continues to serve her country.

cheers

HMAS Brisbane facts and figures :

Pennant No. - 41
Builder - De-Foe Sipbuilding Company, Michigan USA
Class - Charles F Adams Guided Missile Destroyer
Displacement - 4,900 tonnes
Length - 133.2 metres
Beam - 14.3 metres
Machinery - 2 x General Electric Geared Steam Turbines @ 70,000 shaft horsepower, 2 propellers.
Complement - 313 officers and men
Armanent (as at 1991) - 2 x 5" rapid fire naval cannon in seoerate turrets, Harpoon Anti-Ship missiles, Standard Anti- Aircraft missiles, 2 X Vulcan Phalanx Close-In Weapons Systems (mounting 2 x 20mm cannon in each unit), 6 x Homing torpedo tubes, 4 X .50 calibre machine guns.
 
B

Briedis

Guest
Thanks for the info on the HMAS Brisbane BSA. One thing I don't understand is why they scuttle ships when they are decommisioned. Can't they recycle all of that steel to build something else?
 

Bloodstained Angel

Premiership Player
Mar 21, 2000
3,765
20
Sydney, Nsw, Australia
Thats certainly hat used to be done with de-commissioned warships Briedis.

But deliberately sinking them to become scuba diving attarctions is a much better way of doing it.

The Tourism dollars a dive wreck can make is much more than the value of 5000 tonnes of scrap metal.

Also the ship as a whole is preserved, albeit as a wreck underwater, which is a nicer, more 'romantic' idea than just breaking the thing up for scrap.

cheers
 
B

Briedis

Guest
What about selling them to a poorer third-world nation (New Zealand for example :eek: :D :cool: )?

I guess that the tourism $$ is still a longer term money-earner.

Didn't we sell some of our decommisioned naval ships to China a few years back?
 

London Dave

All Australian
Jun 14, 2001
663
5
Cricklewood
AFL Club
Collingwood
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Collingwood/Millwall
I think the Chinese bought HMAS Melbourne, took it back and pulled it apart bit by bit to see how to build an aircraft carrier.

Here's a bit of trivia you may/may not have heard of, and its not too far off subject. Ater the A bomb was set off, all the iron/steel made ever since, or that which came into contact with 'polluted' air has some small degree of nuclear contamination (be it ever so tiny). Anyone ko where the only supply of non contaminated iron/steel is?
 

Visro

Premiership Player
Aug 1, 2000
3,094
10
I have a request for a topic BSA if it aint to much trouble. On the news they have been going on about how our SAS troops are going over to fight "the war on terror" and how our special forces are among the best in the world. I would like if you could check the validity of such a claim and maybe talk about some of the other special forces around the world. I know America has about 3 different groups so if you could shed a bit of light it would be nice.

Vis
 
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