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| Down Under | |
| Not a single Aussie submarine seaworthy | |
| 2011-06-12 | |
The situation is so dire the navy is believed to have deferred major scheduled maintenance work on its most seaworthy submarine, HMAS Waller, in the hope that at least one submarine will be available in the coming weeks. Not having a single task-ready submarine is an embarrassment for the navy, whose attempts to improve the performance of the $10 billion fleet have been stymied by breakdowns, accidents and the growing unreliability of the ageing vessels. The navy claims two of its submarines, HMAS Waller and HMAS Dechaineux, are available, but insiders say the reality is that neither vessel could be put to sea today if required because each is undergoing detailed inspections for mechanical problems. HMAS Dechaineux is in dock at HMAS Stirling in Perth for an intrusive inspection of its main motor after limping home from Singapore, where defects were found in its propulsion system. It is understood Dechaineux will be unable to sail for at least several weeks. HMAS Waller is also in dock at HMAS Stirling after engineers found signs of the same propulsion system problems that last month forced Dechaineux to withdraw from a five-nation defence exercise in the South China Sea. It is understood that HMAS Waller will be unable to leave port until next week. The other four subs are unavailable. HMAS Farncomb is out of the water at the submarine repair facility at Henderson near Perth as workers seek to replace a broken emergency propulsion unit. HMAS Collins is undergoing scheduled maintenance at Henderson and is due out later this month, while HMAS Sheean and HMAS Rankin are both in long-term maintenance at the Australian Submarine Corporation in Adelaide. The navy's plans to improve the reliability of the fleet are being undermined by the discovery of unexpected defects, especially with the propulsion system, as the submarines begin to age. There is also a shortage of spare parts. The Australian understands HMAS Waller was originally scheduled to begin a mid-cycle docking maintenance for 12 months today, but that the navy has now deferred this plan for several months because so many other boats are out of action. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #8 FIJI IS COMING, FIJI IS COMING .... versus * PEOPLE'S DAILY FORUM > [PLA Gen. Luo Yuan]CHINESE NAVY IS [inevitably] BOUND TO BREAK THE FIRST ISLAND CHAIN, as the PLA on-going modernization + rise to de facto GLOBAL PROJECTION CAPABILITY by or shortly after 2020 is unstoppable. and * SAME > CHINA HAS SOVEREIGNTY OVER OKINAWA [Ryukyus], DAOYUS [Senkakus], SPRATLEYS + PARACELS SOUTH CHINA SEA ISLANDS DUE TO POST-WAR TAIWAN CLAIMS. Post-Surrender/WW2 JAPAN turned 'em over to GEN. KAI-SHEK + POST-WAR 1945-1949 KUOMINTANG CHINA [Republic of China], whose claims were then assumed by post-1949-present COMMIE MAOIST CHINA. versus * DEFENCE. PK/FORUMS > US NOT COMING TO PHILIPPINES AID VERSUS CHINA. * SAME > VIETNAM SEEKS INTERNATIONAL HELP IN SOUTH CHINA SEAS DISPUTE. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-06-12 21:44 |
| #7 >Whoda thunk that driving off all the qualified people would have consequences?< A lot of outfits are going to be facing the experience/qualified issue as the experienced guys begin to retire and the ones in line to replace them come from our dysfunctional education system. Not too much on discipline and education but loads of self-esteem. Should make future flying a more riskier business not to mention the effect on nuclear power utilities, etc. Davemac |
| Posted by: Omiting the Younger 2011-06-12 17:17 |
| #6 ...following the path of Hugo's Venezuela. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2011-06-12 10:55 |
| #5 Whoda thunk that driving off all the qualified people would have consequences? |
| Posted by: gromky 2011-06-12 09:14 |
| #4 But I bet their Social Welfare programs are proceeding, er, swimmingly.... |
| Posted by: Uncle Phester 2011-06-12 09:06 |
| #3 Don't they have a submarine sharing treaty with Canada? |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2011-06-12 02:25 |
| #2 I've been reading about this. They basically ran out of trained people to keep them seaworthy first and then the problems began to snowball. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2011-06-12 00:47 |
| #1 The Aussies had better do something quick, as FIJI is getting border ornery wid neighboring New Zealand oer some small islands. * IIRC WAFF > FIJI ATTACKS NEW ZEALAND. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-06-12 00:29 |