Fit for service ... submarine HMAS Farncomb propping up the fleet / Charles Brewer
Posted on 05/21/2009 7:02:49 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Only one submarine left to defend Australia
By Ian McPhedran
The Advertiser
May 21, 2009 07:18am
SUBMARINE woes have hit a new low with just one of six Collins Class craft fit for service.
Experts differ on the security risk this poses for the nation, but they agree that having just one boat available to defend the nation is a terrible return on a $10 billion taxpayer investment.
With HMAS Waller tied up at the Henderson shipyard south of Perth for urgent battery repairs, the only seaworthy sub is HMAS Farncomb.
The other four boats are either out of active service (HMAS Collins) or out of the water for major maintenance known as full cycle docking (HMAS Sheehan, Rankin and Dechaineux).
The latest submarine crisis comes just a month after the navy released a damning report into the management of the submarine force and its overworked crews with a solemn promise to fix the problems.
It also coincides with a $20 billion-plus push to equip the navy with 12 new generation submarines over the next 20 years.
Despite having just one operational vessel, the navy has promised the Government the subs will be available for an extra 160 days of duty next year.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
Fit for service ... submarine HMAS Farncomb propping up the fleet / Charles Brewer
Is there any truth in this or is this just fear mongering?
Yeah, but it’s a REALLY GOOD submarine....
Well, Australia could pull a Sweden and switch to left-hand Driving and then become the extra 7 states needed to get to 57. Then they’d have plenty of subs available.
IF
the oligarchy really has scheduled WWIII festivities to begin before December . . .
next year may be way too late.
And give the leftwing media an opporunity to turn Obama from political savior into a bona fide Oracle?
Maybe some part of Australia could be turned into the Free State.
Back in the 80-90’s I trained & worked with AUS Submarine EW techs. Sad to see their service fall so far from what they had then.
Meanwhile, the Chinese continue building up their fleet.
. . . WILD HAIRED PONDERING . . .
Has the oligarchy decided it’s Australia’s turn to set up the next Pearl Harbor?
I’ve read where the PM wants to rapidly build their navy because they no longer have any confidence that a post-Obama US would come to their defense against the Chicoms.
WOW . . .
An Aussie in government slightly awake!
What a novel idea!
Maybe it was a misprint.
http://www.navy.gov.au/Category:Collins_Class
Does not sound like a good example of construction quality, or perhaps it's too much deferred maintenance.
I am puzzled why the Aussies went for a version of the Gotland class. The Gotlands were designed for very different conditions-more littoral waters than blue. They would have probably been better off taking the time and money to build a more rugged and longer-legged indigenous design. Such a design, if effective, would also have been a potent export item.
The Collins are not derived from the Gotlands-they are far larger in size and were specifically designed by the Swedes for Australia’s ocean going role with heavy armament and range.
Thanks for the clarification!
To challenge the navies of the U.S., Japan, Taiwan and India.
And where are we gonna get the sailors to man those ships?
Conscription.
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