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HMAS Brisbane (D-41)
Encyclopedia
HMAS Brisbane (D 41) was one of three Perth class
Perth class destroyer
The Perth class destroyers were three modified Charles F. Adams class guided missile destroyers operated by the Royal Australian Navy . Ordered from Defoe Shipbuilding Company during 1962 and 1963, HMA Ships , , and were the first guided missiled-armed warships, and the first naval ships of United...
guided missile destroyers to serve in the Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
(RAN). The United States-designed ship was laid down at Bay City, Michigan
Bay City, Michigan
Bay City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and is the principal city of the Bay City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Saginaw-Bay City-Saginaw Township North...
in 1965, launched in 1966 and commissioned into the RAN in 1967. She is named after the city of Brisbane, Queensland.
During her career, Brisbane made two deployments to the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, was involved in the post-Cyclone Tracy
Cyclone Tracy
Cyclone Tracy was a tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day, 1974...
disaster relief operation Navy Help Darwin
Operation Navy Help Darwin
Operation Navy Help Darwin was a disaster relief operation initiated by the Royal Australian Navy following the destruction of Darwin, Northern Territory by Cyclone Tracy during the night of 24-25 December 1974. 13 ships, 11 aircraft, and 3,000 personnel were sent to Darwin in the largest disaster...
, and deployed to the Persian Gulf during the first Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
. Brisbane was decommissioned in 2001, and was sunk as a dive wreck off the Queensland coast in 2005.
Design and construction
Brisbane was one of three Perth classPerth class destroyer
The Perth class destroyers were three modified Charles F. Adams class guided missile destroyers operated by the Royal Australian Navy . Ordered from Defoe Shipbuilding Company during 1962 and 1963, HMA Ships , , and were the first guided missiled-armed warships, and the first naval ships of United...
guided missile destroyers built for the RAN. Based on the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
's Charles F. Adams class
Charles F. Adams class destroyer
The Charles F. Adams class is a ship class of 29 guided missile destroyers built between 1958 and 1967. Twenty three ships were built for the United States Navy, 3 for the Royal Australian Navy, and 3 for the West German Bundesmarine. The ships were based on the existing Forrest Sherman class, but...
, Brisbane had a displacement of 3,370 tons at standard load, and 4,551 tons at full load, a length of 437 feet (133.2 m) overall and 420 feet (128 m) between perpendiculars, a beam of 47 in 1 in (14.35 m), and a maximum draught of 15 in 3 in (4.65 m). Propulsion was provided by two General Electric turbines, which provided 70000 shp to the destroyer's two propeller shafts. Brisbane could achieve speeds of 35 knots (19.1 m/s). The ship's company consisted of 24 officers and 312 sailors.
As a guided missile destroyer, Brisbanes main armament consisted of a Mark 13 missile launcher firing Tartar
RIM-24 Tartar
The General Dynamics RIM-24 Tartar was a medium-range naval surface-to-air missile , and was among the earliest surface-to-air missiles to equip United States Navy ships...
missiles and two Ikara
Ikara (missile)
The Ikara missile was an Australian ship-launched anti-submarine missile, named after an Australian Aboriginal word for "throwing stick". It launched an acoustic torpedo to a range of , allowing fast-reaction attacks against submarines at ranges that would otherwise require the launching ship to...
anti-submarine missile launchers. This was supplemented by two 5"/54 caliber Mark 42 guns and two Mark 32 triple torpedo tube sets
Mark 32 Surface Vessel Torpedo Tubes
The Mark 32 Surface Vessel Torpedo Tubes system is a torpedo launching system designed for the United States Navy. The Mark 32 has been the standard anti-submarine torpedo launching system aboard United States Navy surface vessels since its introduction in 1960, and in use aboard the warships of...
. Over the course of the ship's career, the Mark 13 launcher was modified to fire Standard
RIM-66 Standard
The RIM-66 Standard MR is a medium range surface-to-air missile originally developed for the United States Navy . The SM-1 was developed as a replacement for the RIM-2 Terrier and RIM-24 Tartar that were deployed in the 1950s on a variety of USN ships...
missiles, two Phalanx CIWS
Phalanx CIWS
The Phalanx CIWS is an anti-ship missile defense system. It is a close-in weapon system and was designed and manufactured by the General Dynamics Corporation, Pomona Division...
units were installed in 1990, and the Ikara launchers were removed in 1991.
Brisbane was laid down by the Defoe Shipbuilding Company
Defoe Shipbuilding Company
The Defoe Shipbuilding Company was a small ship builder established in 1905 in Bay City, Michigan, USA. It ceased to operate in 1976 after failing to renew its contracts with the United States Navy. The site of the former company is now a scrapyard on the bank of the Saginaw River.-Founding:Harry J...
at Bay City, Michigan
Bay City, Michigan
Bay City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and is the principal city of the Bay City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Saginaw-Bay City-Saginaw Township North...
on 15 February 1965. The ship was launched on 5 May 1966 by the wife of Fred Chaney, Sr., the Minister for the Navy
Minister for Defence (Australia)
The Minister for Defence of Australia administers his portfolio through the Australian Defence Organisation, which comprises the Department of Defence and the Australian Defence Force. Stephen Smith is the current Minister.-Ministers for Defence:...
. Brisbane was handed over to the RAN at Boston Navy Yard
Boston Navy Yard
The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. Established in 1801, it was officially closed as an active naval installation on July 1, 1974, and the property was...
on 7 December 1967, and was commissioned into the RAN nine days later. The cost of the destroyer was approximately A$50 million. The ship was given the nicknames Steel Cat and Fighting Forty-One (references to her ship's badge and pennant number respectively).
Brisbane spent the first nine months of her career undergoing exercises in US waters, before sailing for Australia on 28 September 1968. After visits to Pearl Harbor and Suva, Brisbane arrived in her namesake city on 17 October.
Vietnam deployments
During the mid-1960s, the Unitedt States government pressured Australia to increase the resources it was committing to the Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
; one of the requests was for a combat vessel to help the USN meet the demand for naval gunfire support
Naval gunfire support
Naval gunfire support is the use of naval artillery to provide fire support for amphibious assault and other troops operating within their range. NGFS is one of a number of disciplines encompassed by the term Naval Fires...
operations. The idea of deploying a RAN combat ship to the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
was initially hampered by the number of ships available, particularly with commitments to the Far East Strategic Reserve
Far East Strategic Reserve
The British Commonwealth Far East Strategic Reserve was a joint military force of the British, Australian, and New Zealand armed forces...
and involvement in the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation
Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation
Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation during 1962–1966 was Indonesia’s political and armed opposition to the creation of Malaysia. It is also known by its Indonesian/Malay name Konfrontasi...
, along with the difficulty of operating and maintaining British-designed ships with USN resources. On 14 December 1966, the Australian Cabinet approved the deployment of Hobart as part of increases to Australian military commitment to the conflict
Military history of Australia during the Vietnam War
Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War began as a small commitment of 30 men in 1962, and increased over the following decade to a peak of 7,672 Australians deployed in South Vietnam or in support of Australian forces there. The Vietnam War was the longest and most controversial war Australia...
. Brisbane operated in one of three roles:
- Naval gunfire support operations to assist ground forces, particularly the United States Marine Corps units operating closest to the North Vietnam border. Seven ships were usually stationed on the 'gunline', and attacks fell into two categories: 'unspotted' shelling of areas where North Vietnamese or Viet Cong forces and facilities were known or believed to be, and 'spotted' fire missions in direct support of ground troops. In this role, Brisbane operated under the callsign "Flamboyant".* Anti-infiltration operations under Operation Market TimeOperation Market TimeOperation Market Time was the United States Navy’s effort to stop troops and supplies from flowing by sea from North Vietnam to South Vietnam during the Vietnam War...
, which aimed to stop the logistic supply and reinforcement of Viet Cong units operating in South Vietnam by tracking, intercepting, and searching coastal shipping. RAN destroyers were never formally assigned to Market Time, but the overlap of the gunline and Market Time operational areas meant the ships were often called on to assist by tracking suspicious ships or participating in raids. - Escort of USN aircraft carriers involved in Operation Rolling ThunderOperation Rolling ThunderOperation Rolling Thunder was the title of a gradual and sustained US 2nd Air Division , US Navy, and Republic of Vietnam Air Force aerial bombardment campaign conducted against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam from 2 March 1965 until 1 November 1968, during the Vietnam War.The four objectives...
airstrikes.
Sister ships Hobart and had also been involved in shipping interdiction patrols along the coast of North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
as part of Operation Sea Dragon, but this opertation had ended by the time of Brisbanes first deployment. Although RAN ships on deployment were expected to fulfill all duties of an equivalent American destroyer, they were forbidden by the Australian government from operating outside the Vietnam theatre on unrelated Seventh Fleet duties (such as the Taiwan Patrol Force, guard ship duties at Hong Kong, or the Space Recovery Program). After the invasion of Cambodia in 1970, RAN ships were also prohibited from entering Cambodian waters.
While deployed to Vietnam, the destroyers were placed under the administrative control of Commander Australian Forces Vietnam in addition to that of the Flag Officer Commanding Australian Fleet. Operationally, the RAN vessels were under the command of the United States Seventh Fleet
United States Seventh Fleet
The Seventh Fleet is the United States Navy's permanent forward projection force based in Yokosuka, Japan, with units positioned near Japan and South Korea. It is a component fleet force under the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of the forward-deployed U.S. fleets, with...
. Arrangements were made to provide logistic support through the United States Pacific Fleet
United States Pacific Fleet
The United States Pacific Fleet is a Pacific Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources under the operational control of the United States Pacific Command. Its home port is at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii. It is commanded by Admiral Patrick M...
. A USN lieutenant was assigned to each ship during deployments to act as a liaison with the Seventh Fleet. The deployment of in March 1967 began a pattern of six-month deployments for RAN destroyers, with a constant RAN presence with the Seventh Fleet. Australia was the only allied nation to provide naval support to the United States Navy during the Vietnam War.
First deployment
After time in Australian waters to prepare for wartime service, Brisbane arrived in SubicSubic
Subic can mean any of the following:*House of Šubić, a noble clan from Dalmatia.*Subic Bay, in the Philippines.*Subic, Zambales, a municipality in the Philippines.*Subic Bay Freeport Zone , an economic free trade area in the Philippines....
on 28 March 1969 to be deployed to the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Responsibility was handed over from Perth on 31 March, and the ship spent the first two weeks of April undergoing familiarisation exercises and having both gun turrets repaired following equipment failures early on. The destroyer was first deployed to naval gunfire support duties, and arrived off the IV Corps operating area on 15 April. During this period, there was a surge in Market Time activity, and although Brisbane was not assigned to that operation, she was asked to provide gunfire assistance on several occasions. On 5 May, Brisbane was ordered to the Gulf of Thailand to provide support for South Vietnamese forces operating near the Cambodian border. The destroyer was relieved on 18 May by , and sailed to Subic for maintenance. On 10 June, the Australian ship relieved and commenced gunline duties in the II Corps Area. After four days, during which Brisbane and completed a combined 189 fire missions, the Australian ship was ordered north to I Corps to relieve the American cruiser . Here, the Australian ship provided support for 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines
3rd Battalion 3rd Marines
3rd Battalion 3rd Marines or ' is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps, based out of Kāne'ohe, Hawai'i, and consisting of approximately 800 Marines and sailors.The United States Marine Corps is a part of the Department of the Navy. Traditionally, the Navy has supplied it with...
during Operation Virginia Ridge. Brisbane returned to the II Corps area on 24 June, but only remained in the area for four days; on 29 June, the ship was relieved by , and sailed to Singapore for maintenance and refit. En route to Singapore, the destroyer encountered the merchant vessel , which was on fire. After unsuccessfully attempting to extinguish the fire, Brisbane evacuated Sinceres crew, and remained in the area until the salvage vessel Salvana arrived to take the stricken vessel in tow.
Brisbane returned to operations in II Corps on 15 July. On 22 July, near the end of a shore bombardment operation, a premature explosion occurred in the barrel of the forward gun turret; casualties were limited to one sailor with a fractured wrist, but the turret was unusable. On the ship's return to Subic on 3 August, the damaged turret was removed, but as the replacement turret would not arrive until September, Brisbane would complete the deployment with only a single gun turret. After the completion of maintenance, Brisbane returned to duty on 23 August, but instead of gunline duties, was assigned as the head of the escort screen for the aircraft carrier . The ships were deployed to Yankee Station
Yankee Station
Yankee Station was a point in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of Vietnam used by the U.S. Navy aircraft carriers of Task Force 77 to launch strikes in the Vietnam War. While its official designation was "Point Yankee," it was universally referred to as Yankee Station...
, with Brisbane and (plus other destroyers on occasion) performing escort and plane guard
Plane guard
A plane guard is a warship or helicopter tasked to recover the aircrew of planes or helicopters which ditch or crash in the water during aircraft carrier flight operations.-Ships:...
duties. On 12 September, Oriskany and Perkins departed, and were replaced by and respectively. On 14 September, Brisbane sailed to Subic for maintenance and fitting of the replacement turret, then departed on 1 October for Sydney, having been relieved by the Daring class destroyer two days earlier. Arriving on 13 October, Brisbane was almost immediately docked for a major refit, which lasted until 15 July 1970.
Brisbanes tour was considered quieter than those experienced previously by Australian ships. This, combined with the damage to the forward gun turret and other defects, meant that the destroyer only fired 7,891 shells during the six-month deployment. Two officers from the ship were Mentioned in Despatches, while other personnel awards included a British Empire Medal
British Empire Medal
The Medal of the Order of the British Empire for Meritorious Service, usually known as the British Empire Medal , is a British medal awarded for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown...
and 25 Naval Board commendations.
Second deployment
On 29 March 1971, Brisbane relieved Perth of Vietnam duties. The ship was assigned to Military Region 3 for gunfire support duties, and arrived on 5 April. Shortly after, the destroyer was moved south to Military Region 4. She returned to Military Region 3 on 15 April. The first period on the gunline during that time concluded on 20 April, during which gunfire support operations had occurred on only 11 of the 16 days. The destroyer returned to the gunline on 15 May, with Brisbanes commanding officer tasked as the overall commander of gunfire operations; the only time the position was held by a RAN officer. Brisbane was assigned to operate near the Demilitarized Zone. The ship was relieved on 31 May and sailed to Danang. The destroyer was then assigned to escort the carrier . During 3 and 4 May, Brisbane was detached to provide cover for the repatriation of prisoners-of-war to North Vietnam. The operation did not go ahead, as only 13 of the 570 prisoners wanted to return to North Vietnam, and the North Vietnamese government refused to accept them. Brisbane returned to carrier escort duties, where she remained until sailing to Hing Kong for maintenance on 12 June.On 24 June, Brisbane was assigned back to gunline dities in Military Region 3. Activity was miminal, and the ship was redeployed to Military Region 4 on 26 June. Foul weather prevented gunfire support operations until 30 June, but the rate of activity increased, with 60 fire missions completed by the end of the three-week period. In mid-July, after a short stint back in Region 3, Brisbane sailed to Subic for maintenance and leave. On 15 August, the destroyer commenced gunfire support operations off the Demilitarized Zone. A spike in activity had resulted in the deployment of two gunfire support ships, with Brisbane and rotating between being the active vessel and being on 15 minutes standby to provide assistance. On 21 August, Berkeley was relieved by . Of the 7,231 shells fired during the second deployment, 2,127 were fired from 15 August onwards, which caused a problem as the rate of fire would cause the gun barrels to come up for replacing a week before the destroyer was due to rotate off the gunline. The amount of wear had yet to compromise accuracy, and the destroyer was instructed to continue gunfire missions, while the cruiser and the destroyer were deployed to the gunline in support of Brisbane with the Australian destroyer only firing if targets were out of the other ships' range or they were otherwise unavailable. Brisbanes second Vietnam deployment concluded on 5 September.
During 1971, the Australian government decided to withdraw all forces from Vietnam by the end of the year; Brisbane was the last ship to make a combat deployment to Vietnam, and was not replaced when the deployment ended. Brisbane received the first of two battle honour
Battle honour
A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags , uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible....
s, "Vietnam 1969–71", for her Vietnam service. Personnel wards for the deployment included 24 Nval Board commendations, two personnel Mentioned in Despaches, and the appointment of the ship's commanding officer as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
1970s and 1980s
On 11 March 1974, Brisbane was docked for a major refit. This concluded on 3 October, but the destroyer remained in Sydney for the rest of the year. During the night of 24–25 December 1974, Cyclone TracyCyclone Tracy
Cyclone Tracy was a tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day, 1974...
destroyed the city of Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
; the destroyer's personnel were recalled from leave, and she left early on 26 December in the company of , which was loaded with relief supplies. Brisbane sped ahead and arrived on 31 December, setting up communications between the relief force and Canberra. The destroyer's participation on Operation Navy Help Darwin
Operation Navy Help Darwin
Operation Navy Help Darwin was a disaster relief operation initiated by the Royal Australian Navy following the destruction of Darwin, Northern Territory by Cyclone Tracy during the night of 24-25 December 1974. 13 ships, 11 aircraft, and 3,000 personnel were sent to Darwin in the largest disaster...
, the RAN's largest disaster-relief operation, was the longest of any RAN vessel; the first to arrive, and the last to depart on 31 January 1975. In addition to facilitating communications, Brisbanes personnel were responsible for clearing sites for helicopters and headquarters, salvaging boats and equipment, repairs of infrastructue, and installation of power generators: on aveage, 160 of the ship's company went ashore each day.
On 16 July 1975, Brisbane sailed for a deployment to the Far East Strategic Reserve
Far East Strategic Reserve
The British Commonwealth Far East Strategic Reserve was a joint military force of the British, Australian, and New Zealand armed forces...
. This concluded on 5 November, with the destroyer returning to Sydney and docking for maintenance. In early 1977, Brisbane participated in the RIMPAC
RIMPAC
RIMPAC, the Rim of the Pacific Exercise, is the world's largest international maritime exercise. Conducted biennially , it is hosted and administered by the United States Navy, with the United States Marine Corps, United States Coast Guard, and Hawaii National Guard forces under the leadership of...
multinational exercise. In April 1977, Brisbane and were assigned to escort Melbourne during a five-month return trip to the United Kingdom for the Silver Jubilee
Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II
The Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II marked the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the throne of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other Commonwealth realms...
Naval Review. On 9 May, one of the carrier's Sea King helicopters was forced to ditch
Water landing
A water landing is, in the broadest sense, any landing on a body of water. All waterfowl, those seabirds capable of flight, and some human-built vehicles are capable of landing in water as a matter of course....
in the Indian Ocean: Brisbane successfully recovered the aircrew. The ships participaed in the naval review at Spithead on 28 June, and Brisbane returned to Sydney on 4 October, entering dock for refit eight days later. This maintenace period lasted until May 1979, and saw the ship's propulsion system converted from fuel oil to diesel, updates to the combat system, and installation of an AN/SPS-40
AN/SPS-40
The AN/SPS-40 is a United States Navy two-dimensional, long range air search radar that is capable of providing contact bearing and range. It was used on s, s, s, s, s, s, s and many other ship classes...
C radar. Apart from a visit to New Zealand, Brisbane spent the rest of 1979 in Australian waters.
During the early 1980s, the destroyer participated in RIMPAC exercises, and made patrols of the Indian Ocean. From 16 August 1982 to 5 August 1983, Brisbane underwent refit, after which, the destroyer remained docked alongside at Garden Island until March 1984. Another refit period occurred between September 1985 to October 1987. In early 1988, Brisbane visited Melbourne for the Moomba
Moomba
Moomba is Australia's largest free community festival and one of the longest running festivals in Australia. Held annually in the city of Melbourne, Australia, Moomba is celebrated during the Labour Day long weekend , and has been celebrated since 1955...
festval, then sailed to her namesake city in August to participate in a 'Shopwindow' exercise with ships of the Royal New Zealand Navy
Royal New Zealand Navy
The Royal New Zealand Navy is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force...
. In October, the destroyer was deployed to South-east Asia for three months, returning to Darwin on 8 January 1989. During June and July, the ship made visits to ports in New Zealand, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands. Brisbane attended RIMPAC during April and May 1991, then returned to Australia to prepare for deployment to the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Damask.
Operation Damask
Brisbane arrived in the Gulf on 6 December 1990 to serve as part of the naval blockade. She was attached to the United States Navy battle group from 17 January to 28 February 1991. In late March, the destroyer sailed home via Singapore. Brisbane was awarded the Meritorious Unit CitationMeritorious Unit Citation
The Meritorious Unit Citation is a collective group decoration awarded to members of Australian military units. It recognises sustained outstanding service in warlike operations...
by the Australian government for her actions during Operation Damask. Brisbane also earned a second battle honour, "Kuwait 1990–91".
1990s and 2000s
_and_hmas_brisbane_(d41).jpg)
During August 1999, Brisbane participated in Exercise Kakadu. During this, a fire broke out in the ship's forward gun turret, which was quickly extinguished. In March 2000, Brisbane was one of three RAN ships to participate in a Royal New Zealand Navy fleet concentration period.
Decommissioning and fate
Australian National Maritime Museum
The Australian National Maritime Museum is a federally-operated maritime museum located in Darling Harbour, Sydney. After consideration of the idea to establish a maritime museum, the Federal government announced that a national maritime museum would be constructed at Darling Harbour, tied into...
as a replacement for the Daring class gun-destroyer . Brisbane was eventually marked for scuttling
Scuttling
Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives...
as a dive wreck off the coast of Queensland. Her bridge and one of her 5 inches (127 mm) guns were removed and preserved at the Australian War Memorial
Australian War Memorial
The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of all its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in the wars of the Commonwealth of Australia...
in Canberra, which were incorporated into the post-1945 galleries, which opened in 2007. The ship's air search radar was donated to the Royal Thai Navy
Royal Thai Navy
The Royal Thai Navy is the navy of Thailand and part of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, it was established in the late 19th century. Admiral Prince Abhakara Kiartiwongse is "The Father of Royal Thai Navy". Similar to the organizational structure of the United States, the Royal Thai Navy includes the...
in 2002 to help the Thais maintain their naval capabilities.
Brisbane was sunk approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) off the coast of Mudjimba, Sunshine Coast, Queensland
Sunshine Coast, Queensland
The Sunshine Coast is an urban area in South East Queensland, north of the state capital of Brisbane on the Pacific Ocean coastline. Although it does not have a central business district, by population it ranks as the 10th largest metropolis in Australia and the third largest in...
, 31 July 2005 in 30 metres (98.4 ft) of water. Brisbane was filled with approximately 200 tonnes of concrete, and 38 small charges were detonated to breach the hull, the activation of which was performed by Queensland State Premier Peter Beattie
Peter Beattie
Peter Douglas Beattie , Australian politician, was the 36th Premier of the Australian state of Queensland for nine years and leader of the Australian Labor Party in that state for eleven and a half years...
. Brisbane sank in two and a half minutes. The top of her funnels can be seen lying just three metres below the water at low tide. A 2009 study of the value of protected area
Protected area
Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...
s estimated that the wreck had contributed A$18 million to the Sunshine Coast economy. In July 2010, the Queensland State Government was forced to step up patrols of the wreck site because people were illegally using the dive exclusion zone as a fishing site.