The RAN has commissioned HMAS Brisbane into service at a formal ceremony at Garden Island.
HMAS Brisbane is the second of three Hobart class guided missile destroyers, the most complex and capable warships Australia has operated. The ship will primarily provide air defence for accompanying ships, in addition to land forces and infrastructure in coastal areas.
The formal ceremony included the breaking of the commissioning pennant and hoisting of the Australian White Ensign for the first time, at which point the ship and her company became the responsibility of the Commanding Officer, Commander Josh Wilson.
HMAS Brisbane was delivered to the RAN in July by the Air Warfare Destroyer Alliance, which comprises the Department of Defence, Raytheon Australia, and ASC Shipbuilding supported by Navantia.
The first AWD, HMAS Hobart, was accepted and commissioned into service last year.
In April, HMAS Hobart and then-NUSHIP Brisbane successfully tested the Cooperative Engagement Capability off the coast of SA, which combines radar and fire control data into a common picture to allow one ship to engage an adversary based on the other ship’s data. It was the first time that the technology has been used by a nation outside the US.
The third ship, Sydney, was launched at Osborne in May this year and will be delivered to the Navy next year.