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Smith seeking US help to build 12 subs Brendan Nicholson From:The Australian July 25, 201112:00AM DEFENCE Minister Stephen Smith will seek US help with Australia's plan to build 12 big conventional submarines to replace the navy's six troubled Collins-class boats. Mr Smith arrives in Washington today with Defence Department secretary Ian Watt, and the new chief of the Australian Defence Force, General David Hurley, for their first face-to-face talks with new US Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta and other senior officials. While the US Navy operates only nuclear-powered submarines and some defence analysts have suggested that Australia should buy or...

New hose lets subs go back to bottom Cameron Stewart February 26, 2007 AUSTRALIA'S submarines could be prowling at deep ocean depths as early as next year, restoring a crucial combat capability lost after a near-catastrophe in 2003. The plan would sharply boost the potency of the navy's six submarines, which have been banned from diving too deep because of safety concerns. The depth restrictions were slapped on the fleet after a massive on-board flood almost sank the HMAS Dechaineux and its 55 crew off the coast of Perth in February 2003. The Dechaineux was only 20 seconds from sinking...

Secret spy missions forced to the surface Brendan Nicholson September 8, 2006 AUSTRALIAN submarines carried out top secret Cold War spying missions on Russia and China that came to an abrupt end when a submarine was forced to surface in view of the foreign fleet after becoming entangled in fishing nets. News of the inglorious end to 14 years of high-risk secret missions in 1992, and the fact that they even occurred, has emerged because the sailors involved want their missions officially designated "warlike operations" Warlike or not, the missions carried out between 1978 and 1992 were certainly dangerous, with...

Submarine fleet 'should go nuclear' Katharine Murphy September 5, 2006 AUSTRALIA must consider commissioning a new fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, a submission to the nuclear taskforce says. The move will be necessary to deal with complex security pressures emerging within the region over the next two decades. The former head of the navy's submarine team, Rear Admiral Peter Briggs, and one of Australia's top national security analysts, Allan Behm, claim the national debate on nuclear energy allows Australia to consider seriously the advantages of acquiring nuclear-powered submarines to replace the Collins class. In a submission to John Howard's nuclear taskforce,...