Old ship open to the public at the Australian War Memorial for Navy’s 125th anniversary

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The Australian War Memorial is marking the Royal Australian Navy's 125th anniversary with the bridge of the HMAS Brisbane on display, in the newly-opened ANZAC atrium. For navy veterans, it's an opportunity to show the public what it was like to serve in the Australian Defence Force.

Transcript

00:02Memories came flooding back for Navy veteran Dan Hosek stepping aboard HMAS Brisbane no

00:08longer at sea but now at the Australian War Memorial.

00:11Dan Hosek, It was like a home away from home and yeah, just reflecting on it.

00:18There was a lot of collective energy and teamwork.

00:21The chart draws you pull out to struggle through and find the next chart that we were going

00:27to use in the middle of the night.

00:29It's just interesting to see all of those things and it's right here.

00:33Dan served on the ship as a junior officer and almost 30 years ago he and his wife Kate

00:39got married at Garden Island in Sydney with HMAS Brisbane providing a fitting backdrop for

00:45their wedding photos.

00:46It's just funny to think that something that Dan and other people have served on is now

00:51in Australia's Premier War Museum so it's really surreal actually.

00:56It is.

00:56Yeah and I just laugh because it just smells like it did back nearly 30 years ago.

01:01The War Memorial hopes the display will show visitors what it was like to serve on the ship.

01:07What the remarkable curatorial team did was they went and they spoke to as many people

01:10as they possibly could to get as many stories as they possibly could.

01:15HMAS Brisbane was the third of Australia's guided missile destroyers built in the US and

01:20used during the Vietnam and Gulf Wars.

01:22It's a reminder of naval power at a time when Australia's security environment is increasingly

01:28tenuous.

01:29Governments and not just Australia but throughout the Indo-Pacific are investing in larger and

01:35more capable maritime forces so that they have the sovereign means to be able to assure

01:39their access to the sea especially for an island trading nation like Australia.

01:44Reflecting on the past and preparing for the future.

01:47There is no question.

01:48There is no question.

01:49Let's go to the beach.

01:49The sea, the sea and the sea.

01:50The sea is a great place.

01:51The sea and the sea.

01:51The sea is about to set up the sea.

01:52There is no place in the sea.

01:52Let us know.

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