HMAS Rankin
{{Short description|Diesel-electric submarine of the Australian navy}}
| {{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image | Ship image = File:HMAS Rankin 2006.jpg | Ship caption = HMAS Rankin underway in 2006 }} {{Infobox ship career | Ship country = Australia | Ship flag = {{Shipboxflag|Australia|naval}} | Ship name = Rankin | Ship namesake = Lieutenant Commander Robert Rankin | Ship builder = Australian Submarine Corporation, Osborne | Ship laid down = 12 May 1995 | Ship launched = 7 November 2001 | Ship acquired = 18 March 2003 | Ship commissioned = 29 March 2003 | Ship decommissioned = | Ship homeport = Fleet Base West, Perth | Ship motto = "Defend the Weak" | Ship nickname = The Black Knight | Ship honours = | Ship status = Active as of 2016 | Ship notes = | Ship badge = Ship's badge }} {{Infobox ship characteristics | Ship class = {{sclass|Collins|submarine}} | Ship displacement = *3,051 tonnes (surfaced)
| Ship length = {{convert|77.42|m|ft|abbr=on}} | Ship beam = {{convert|7.8|m|ft|abbr=on}} | Ship draught = {{convert|7|m|ft|abbr=on}} at waterline | Ship power = 3 × Garden Island-Hedemora HV V18b/15Ub (VB210) 18-cylinder diesel motors, 3 × Jeumont-Schneider generators (1,400 kW, 440-volt DC) | Ship propulsion = *Main: 1 × Jeumont-Schneider DC motor (7,200 shp), driving 1 × seven-bladed, {{convert|4.22|m|ft|adj=on|abbr=on}} diameter skewback propeller
| Ship speed = *{{convert|10.5|kn}} (surfaced and snorkel depth)
| Ship range = *{{convert|11000|nmi}} at {{convert|10|kn}} (surfaced)
| Ship endurance = 70 days | Ship test depth = Over {{convert|180|m|ft|abbr=on}} (actual depth classified) | Ship complement = *Originally 42 (plus up to 12 trainees)
| Ship sensors = *Radar:
| Ship EW = | Ship armament = *6 × {{convert|21|in|mm|adj=on}} bow torpedo tubes
| Ship notes = The sonars and combat system have been modernized since its entry into service }} |
HMAS Rankin is the sixth and final submarine of the Collins class, which are operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Named for Lieutenant Commander Robert William Rankin, the boat was laid down in 1995, and commissioned into the RAN in March 2003, following major delays.
Early in her career, Rankin was the subject of a documentary series and a coffee table book. She was the first submarine since 1987 to be awarded the Gloucester Cup.
Construction
Rankin was laid down by Australian Submarine Corporation on 12 May 1995. The boat was launched on 7 November 2001.Yule & Woolner, The Collins Class Submarine Story, p. 317 She was delivered to the RAN on 18 March 2003 and commissioned on 29 March 2003, 41 months behind schedule, after major delays in the completion and fitting out of the boat due to the diversion of resources to the "fast track" submarines {{HMAS|Dechaineux|SSG 76|2}} and {{HMAS|Sheean|SSG 77|2}} and repeated cannibalisation for parts to repair the other five Collins-class boats.Yule & Woolner, The Collins Class Submarine Story, pp. 317–8, 348
Rankin was named for Lieutenant Commander Robert William Rankin, who died when the ship he commanded, {{HMAS|Yarra|U77|6}}, engaged a force of five Japanese warships on 4 March 1942, to allow an Allied convoy to escape.Yule & Woolner, The Collins Class Submarine Story, p. 340 The boat is nicknamed "The Black Knight".
Characteristics
{{See also|Collins-class submarine#Characteristics}}
The Collins class is an enlarged version of the Västergötland-class submarine designed by Kockums.Woolner, Procuring Change, p. 7 At {{convert|77.42|m|ft}} in length, with a beam of {{convert|7.8|m|ft}} and a waterline depth of {{convert|7|m|ft}}, displacing 3,051 tonnes when surfaced, and 3,353 tonnes when submerged, they are the largest conventionally powered submarines in the world.Wertheirm (ed.), Combat Fleets of the World, p. 18Jones, in The Royal Australian Navy, p. 244 The hull is constructed from high-tensile micro-alloy steel, and are covered in a skin of anechoic tiles to minimise detection by sonar.Yule & Woolner, The Collins Class Submarine Story, pp. 165–74‘Built in Australia’ Collins rolls out, Jane's Defence Weekly The depth that they can dive to is classified: most sources claim that it is over {{convert|180|m|ft}},Wertheirm (ed.), Combat Fleets of the World, p. 19Grazebrook, RAN prepares for Collins class
The submarine is armed with six {{convert|21|in|mm|adj=on}} torpedo tubes, and carry a standard payload of 22 torpedoes: originally a mix of Gould Mark 48 Mod 4 torpedoes and UGM-84C Sub-Harpoon, with the Mark 48s later upgraded to the Mod 7 Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System (CBASS) version.SSK Collins Class (Type 471) Attack Submarine, naval-technology.comHeavyweight Torpedo – Mark 48, United States Navy Fact File
Each submarine is equipped with three Garden Island-Hedemora HV V18b/15Ub (VB210) 18-cylinder diesel engines, which are each connected to a 1,400 kW, 440-volt DC Jeumont-Schneider generator. The electricity generated is stored in batteries, then supplied to a single Jeumont-Schneider DC motor, which provides 7,200 shaft horsepower to a single, seven-bladed, {{convert|4.22|m|ft|adj=on}} diameter skewback propeller.Grazebrook, Collins class comes up Down Under The Collins class has a speed of {{convert|10.5|kn}} when surfaced and at snorkel depth, and can reach {{convert|21|kn}} underwater. The submarines have a range of {{convert|11000|nmi}} at {{convert|10|kn}} when surfaced, {{convert|9000|nmi}} at {{convert|10|kn}} at snorkel depth. When submerged completely, a Collins class submarine can travel {{convert|32.6|nmi}} at maximum speed, or {{convert|480|nmi}} at {{convert|4|kn}}. Each boat has a endurance of 70 days.
Operational history
During a multinational exercise in September 2003, which was attended by Rankin and sister boat Waller, Rankin successfully "sank" a Singaporean anti-submarine warfare vessel.Sherman Aussie Collins-Class Sub "Sinks" US Boat
File:HMAS Rankin at periscope depth.jpg
In 2004, a film crew was embarked aboard Rankin for the creation of Submariners, a six-part documentary aired by SBS in 2005 and depicting life aboard a submarine.Spencer, Wheeler, & Eccles, Submariners – making the TV series, p. 27 The film crew was on board from February to April 2004, during which the boat completed pre-deployment trials, participated in the submarine rescue exercise Pacific Reach, and made a diplomatic visit to Kure, Japan.Spencer, Wheeler, & Eccles, Submariners – making the TV series, pp. 27–8 They later rejoined Rankin during the submarine's deployment to Hawaii for RIMPAC 04 in June and July.Spencer, Wheeler, & Eccles, Submariners – making the TV series, p. 28 Later that year, Rankin was also the subject of the book Beneath Southern Seas.Navy assists with launch of pictorial record of Australian Navy submarines [press release] The coffee table book, which encompasses the history of the Royal Australian Navy Submarine Service, was primarily based on photographs and interviews of Rankin and those aboard taken by the authors during a twelve-day voyage from Sydney to Fremantle, concluding the six-month deployment started during the filming of Submariners.Davidson & Allibone, Beneath Southern Seas, pp. 121–4, 133 The {{convert|20000|nmi}} voyage—the longest undertaken by a Collins-class submarine to that date—began with workups in February, and saw the submarine visit Korea, Japan, and Hawaii, and participate in various multinational exercises before returning to Fremantle via Sydney.Davidson & Allibone, Beneath Southern Seas, p. 133 Rankin was at sea for 126 days, 80% of which was spent underwater.
On 10 June 2005, Rankin was presented with the Gloucester Cup.Davidson & Allibone, Beneath Southern Seas, p. 204 Presented to the RAN vessel with the greatest overall efficiency over the previous twelve months, Rankin was the first Collins-class submarine to earn the Cup, and the first submarine to receive it since {{HMAS|Orion||2}} in 1987. The award was again presented to Rankin in 2008.Jeffrey, Presentation of the 2007 Gloucester Cup to HMAS Rankin, [speech]
Rankin was docked for a long maintenance period in 2008, but workforce shortages and malfunctions on other submarines requiring urgent attention have drawn this out: in 2010 RAN and ASC officials predicted that she would not be back in service until 2013.Oakes, Two subs out of action for 9 years At the end of the works on Rankin, personnel were transferred from {{HMAS|Farncomb|SSG 74|6}} (which was commencing a similar period of maintenance and upgrades), and Rankin arrived at Fleet Base West on 1 October 2014.{{cite news|last1=Casson|first1=Neil|title=Rankin returns home|url=http://news.navy.gov.au/en/Oct2014/Fleet/1477#.VDj5h_mSwlI|accessdate=11 October 2014|work=Navy Daily|publisher=Royal Australian Navy|date=11 October 2014}}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
Citations
{{Reflist}}
References
;Books
- {{Cite book|last=Davidson |first=Jon |author2=Allibone, Tom |title=Beneath Southern Seas |publisher=University of Western Australia Press |location=Crawley, WA |date=2005 |isbn=1-920694-62-5 |oclc=69242056}}
- {{Cite book|last=Jones |first=Peter |editor=Stevens, David |title=The Royal Australian Navy |series=The Australian Centenary History of Defence |volume=III |year=2001 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=South Melbourne, VIC |isbn=0-19-555542-2 |oclc=50418095 |chapter=A Period of Change and Uncertainty}}
- {{Cite book|title=The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems |editor=Wertheim, Eric |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, MD |date=2007 |edition=15th |isbn=978-1-59114-955-2 |oclc=140283156 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TJunjRvplU4C |format=Google Books |accessdate=1 May 2009}}
- {{Cite book|last=Yule |first=Peter |author2=Woolner, Derek |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qZ-WlswoHFwC |format=Google Books |title=The Collins Class Submarine Story: Steel, Spies and Spin |year=2008 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Port Melbourne, VIC |isbn=978-0-521-86894-5 |oclc=213111359 |accessdate=1 May 2009}}
;Journal and news articles
- {{Cite journal|last=Grazebrook |first=A.W. |date=1 December 1995 |title=RAN prepares for Collins class |journal=Jane's Navy International |publisher=Jane's Information Group |volume=100 |issue=6}}
- {{Cite journal|last=Grazebrook |first=A.W. |date=1 January 1998 |title=Collins class comes up Down Under |journal=Jane's Navy International |publisher=Jane's Information Group |volume=103 |issue=1}}
- {{Cite journal|date=7 August 1993 |title='Built in Australia' Collins rolls out |journal=Jane's Defence Weekly |publisher=Jane's Information Group |volume=20 |issue=6}}
- {{Cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/national/two-subs-out-of-action-for-9-years-20100210-nsgh.html |title=Two subs out of action for 9 years |last=Oakes |first=Dan |date=11 February 2010 |work=The Age |accessdate=12 February 2010}}
- {{Cite journal|last=Sherman |first=Kenneth B. |date = December 2003|title=Aussie Collins-Class Sub "Sinks" US Boat |journal=Journal of Electronic Defense |volume=26 |issue=12 |page=24 |issn=0192-429X}}
- {{Cite journal|last=Spencer |first=Graham |author2=Wheeler, Stu |author3=Eccles, Nola |title=Submariners – making the TV series |journal=Sea Talk |publisher=Directorate of Defence Newspapers |issue=Autumn 2005 |pages=27–29 |url=http://www.navy.gov.au/Publication:Sea_Talk_Autumn_2005/Submariners_-_making_the_TV_series |accessdate=20 April 2009}}
- {{Cite journal |last=Woolner |first=Derek |date=18 September 2001 |title=Procuring Change: How Kockums was Selected for the Collins Class Submarine |journal=Research Paper |publisher=Department of the Parliamentary Library |location=Canberra |volume=2001–02 |issue=4 |url=http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/rp/2001-02/02RP04.pdf |accessdate=24 April 2009 |issn=1328-7478 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101013123556/http://www.aph.gov.au/Library/pubs/rp/2001-02/02RP04.pdf |archivedate=13 October 2010 }}
;Other media
- {{Cite speech |title=Presentation of the 2007 Gloucester Cup to HMAS Rankin |first=Michael |last=Jeffery |authorlink=Michael Jeffery (Australian Army officer) |date=8 April 2008 |location=HMAS Stirling, WA |url=http://www.gg.gov.au/governorgeneral/speech.php?id=407 |accessdate=26 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090829120936/http://www.gg.gov.au/governorgeneral/speech.php?id=407 |archivedate=29 August 2009 }}
- {{Cite press release |title=Navy assists with launch of pictorial record of Australian Navy submarines |publisher=Department of Defence |date=16 December 2005 |url=http://www.defence.gov.au/media/DepartmentalTpl.cfm?CurrentId=5328 |accessdate=29 May 2009}}
- {{Cite web|url=http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/collins/ |title=SSK Collins Class (Type 471) Attack Submarine |work=Industry Projects, naval-technology.com |publisher=SPG Media |accessdate=20 April 2009}}
External links
{{Commons and category|HMAS Rankin (SSG 78)|HMAS Rankin (SSG 78)}}
- [http://www.navy.gov.au/hmas-rankin Royal Australian Navy webpage for HMAS Rankin (SSG 78)]
- [http://www20.sbs.com.au/insideaustralia/index.php?pg=doc&id=10 Submariners Documentary site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060821015830/http://www20.sbs.com.au/insideaustralia/index.php?pg=doc&id=10 |date=21 August 2006 }}
{{Australian submarines}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rankin, Hmas}}
Category:Collins-class submarines
Category:Ships built in South Australia