HMAS Brisbane (DDG 41)

For other ships with the same name, see HMAS Brisbane.

HMAS Brisbane in April 2019
History
Australia
Namesake	City of Brisbane, Queensland
Ordered	4 October 2007
Builder	Navantia (designer) AWD Alliance (project coordinator) ASC (primary shipbuilder) Forgacs Group (now Forgacs Marine and Defence) and BAE Systems Australia (module builders), Osborne Naval Shipyard
Laid down	3 February 2014
Launched	15 December 2016
Acquired	27 July 2018[1]
Commissioned	27 October 2018[2][3]
Homeport	Fleet Base East, Sydney
Identification	MMSI number: 503000122
Motto	"Aim At Higher Things"
Nickname(s)	The Steel Cat
Honours and awards	Three inherited battle honours
Status	Active
Badge
General characteristics (as designed)
Class and type	Hobart-class destroyer
Displacement	7,000 tonnes (6,900 long tons; 7,700 short tons) full load
Length	147.2 m (482 ft 11 in)
Beam	18.6 m (61 ft 0 in) maximum
Draught	5.17 m (17 ft 0 in)
Propulsion	Combined diesel or gas (CODOG) arrangement 2 × General Electric Marine model 7LM2500-SA-MLG38 gas turbines, 17,500 kW (23,500 hp) each 2 × Caterpillar 3616 diesel engines, 5,650 kW (7,580 hp) each 2 × controllable pitch propellers
Speed	Over 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph)
Range	Over 5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement	186 + 16 aircrew Accommodation for 234
Sensors and processing systems	Aegis combat system Lockheed Martin AN/SPY-1D(V) S-band radar Northrop Grumman AN/SPQ-9B X-band pulse Doppler horizon search radar Raytheon Mark 99 fire-control system with two continuous wave illuminating radars 2 × L-3 Communications SAM Electronics X-band navigation radars Ultra Electronics Sonar Systems' Integrated Sonar System Ultra Electronics Series 2500 electro-optical director Sagem VAMPIR IR search and track system Rafael Toplite stabilised target acquisition sights
Electronic warfare & decoys	ITT EDO Reconnaissance and Surveillance Systems ES-3701 ESM radar SwRI MBS-567A communications ESM system Ultra Electronics Avalon Systems multi-purpose digital receiver Jenkins Engineering Defence Systems low-band receiver 4 × Nulka decoy launchers 4 × 6-tube multi-purpose decoy launchers
Armament	Missiles: 48-cell Mark 41 Vertical Launch System firing: RIM-66 Standard 2 missile RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow missile 2 × 4-canister Harpoon missile launchers Torpedoes: 2 × 2-tube Mark 32 Mod 9 torpedo launchers firing MU90 Impact torpedoes Guns: 1 × 5"/64 calibre Mark 45 mod 4 main gun 2 × 25mm M242 Bushmaster Mk 38 mod 2 Typhoon RWS 1 × 20mm Phalanx CIWS
Aircraft carried	1 x MH-60R Seahawk

HMAS Brisbane (DDG 41), named after the city of Brisbane, Queensland, is the second ship of the Hobart-class air warfare destroyers used by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).

Construction

The ship was built at ASC's shipyard in Osborne, South Australia from modules fabricated by ASC, BAE Systems Australia in Victoria, and Forgacs Group in New South Wales. She was laid down on 3 February 2014 and launched on 15 December 2016.[4]

Brisbane began sea trials in November 2017.[5] She was handed over to the RAN on 27 July 2018.[1]

Operational service

Members of Brisbane's crew parading through Brisbane's CBD in April 2019

Brisbane was commissioned on 27 October 2018.[2][3] The destroyer completed its weapons trials in March 2019.[6] On 6 April 2019 Brisbane's crew conducted a Freedom of Entry parade through the Brisbane central business district.[7] In September 2019 the ship was deployed to the United States to use US Navy ranges off southern California for combat systems testing.[8]

In October 2021, a MH-60R Seahawk that was operating from Brisbane made an emergency landing into the Philippine Sea shortly after taking off during an exercise. The crew survived and were rescued.[9] A RAAF transport aircraft flew a replacement Seahawk to Japan, and Brisbane docked at Yokosuka to embark it.[10]

On December 3, 2024, Brisbane became the first Royal Australian Navy ship to successfully fire a Tomahawk missile, making Australia the third nation, after the United States and Great Britain, to have the capability to fire that weapon.[11][12]

References

1. Gady, Franz-Stefan (31 July 2018). "Australia's Second Air-Warfare Destroyer Handed Over to Department of Defense". The Diplomat. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
2. Rabe, Tom (27 October 2018). "Navy missile destroyer unveiled in Sydney". Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
3. Kuper, Stephen (27 October 2018). "The Royal Australian Navy has commissioned its second Hobart Class Air Warfare Destroyer, HMAS Brisbane, at a ceremony in Sydney today". Retrieved 30 October 2018.
4. "HMAS Brisbane (III)". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
5. "Second destroyer enters sea trials". Navy Daily. Royal Australian Navy. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
6. Gady, Franz-Stefan (28 March 2019). "Australia's Second Air Warfare Destroyer Completes Weapons Trials". The Diplomat. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
7. Lynch, Lydia (6 April 2019). "HMAS Brisbane sailors march through their namesake town". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
8. Csucsy, Justin (3 October 2019). "Sydney one step closer to service after trials". Navy News. Department of Defence. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
9. Wood, Richard (14 October 2021). "Crew rescued after Australian navy helicopter ditches into sea". Nine News. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
10. Wilson, Alex (1 November 2021). "Australian warship stops at Navy base in Japan to replace helicopter lost at sea". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
11. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/australia-warship-test-fires-tomahawk-missile-us-coast/
12. https://www.minister.defence.gov.au/media-releases/2024-12-10/navy-conducts-successful-firing-tomahawk-cruise-missile