Royal Australian Navy Submarine Service#1945 to present

The Royal Australian Navy's submarine service has been established four times since 1914.{{cite web |url=http://www.navy.gov.au/history/subhistory.html |title=A Brief History of the Royal Australian Navy's Submarine Service |publisher=Royal Australian Navy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080722051416/http://www.navy.gov.au/history/subhistory.html |archive-date=22 July 2008 |access-date=22 March 2013}}

After the formation of the navy upon Federation, a period of uncertainty had followed as the size of the force to be established was determined. Eventually, this was set at 13 vessels, including three submarines.Whitley 2000, p. 17. Initially, it had been intended to purchase three small submarines, but this order was later changed,Gillett & Graham 1977, p. 193. and instead Australia's first submarines were the larger British E-class submarines {{HMAS|AE1||2}} and {{HMAS|AE2||2}}. These submarines were built in Britain and arrived in Australia in 1914. Following the outbreak of World War I, both boats took part in the occupation of Rabaul in German New Guinea in September 1914. During this operation, AE1 disappeared on 14 September off Cape Gazelle, New Britain with the cause unknown. Its whereabouts was a mystery until it was located by searchers southeast of the Duke of York Islands on 20 December 2017.{{cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-21/hmas-ae1-submarine-found-after-century-long-search/9278782 |title=HMAS AE1 World War I submarine found after century-long search |publisher=ABC News |access-date=21 December 2017}}

File:AE2 (AWM H17538).jpg

AE2 remained in the South Pacific until December 1914, when she was ordered to the Mediterranean to support the British-led operations off the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey. AE2 was the first Empire submarine to penetrate the Dardanelles, achieving this task on 25 April 1915 (the day of the first landings at Gallipoli). AE2 operated in the Sea of Marmora for five days and made four unsuccessful attacks on Turkish ships before being damaged by a Turkish gunboat and scuttled by her crew on 30 April. These attacks are the only occasions an Australian submarine has fired in anger.Jose 1941, pp. 240–248.

File:Platypus (AWM P00444 060).jpg

The Australian submarine service was reformed in 1919, when the British government transferred six J-class submarines to Australia; HMA Submarines {{HMAS|J1||2}}, {{HMAS|J2||2}}, {{HMAS|J3||2}}, {{HMAS|J4||2}}, {{HMAS|J5||2}}, and {{HMAS|J7||2}}. These submarines arrived in Australia with their tender {{HMAS|Platypus|1917|6}} in April 1919 and were based at Osborne House, Geelong from early 1920. The boats were in poor mechanical condition, however, and spent most of their service in refit. Due to Australia's worsening economic situation, all of the boats were decommissioned in 1922, and were scuttled later in the decade.

The Australian submarine service was established a third time in 1927, when the British O-class submarines {{HMAS|Oxley|1927|6}} and {{HMAS|Otway|1927|6}} were commissioned. These submarines sailed from Portsmouth for Sydney on 8 February 1928, but did not arrive in Australia until 14 February 1929; numerous mechanical problems delayed their delivery voyage.John Davison and Tom Allibone (2005). Beneath Southern Seas: The Silent Service. University of Western Australia Press. p. 126.Sears, in The Navy and the Nation, p. 86 Due to Australia's poor economic situation, the O-class boats proved to be unaffordable and were placed in reserve in 1930, before transferring back to the Royal Navy in 1931. As a result, the Royal Australian Navy did not operate any submarines during World War II, though the obsolete Dutch submarine K.IX was commissioned as {{HMAS|K9}} on 22 June 1943 and was used for anti-submarine warfare training purposes.{{cite web |publisher=Submarines Association of Australia |url=http://submarinesaustralia.com/history/SM_the_pioneers.htm |title=The Pioneers |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061209223753/http://www.submarinesaustralia.com/history/SM_the_pioneers.htm |archive-date=9 December 2006 |df=dmy-all }} Due to the boat's poor mechanical condition K9 saw little service with the RAN and spent most of her time in commission under repair, before being decommissioned on 31 March 1944 due to a lack of spare parts.Carruthers 2006, p. 151.

File:O Class (AWM 301134).jpg

The Australian ports of Fremantle and Brisbane were important bases for Allied submarines during World War II. A total of 122 United States Navy, 31 Royal Navy, and 11 Royal Netherlands Navy submarines conducted patrols from Australian bases between 1942 and 1945. Fremantle was the second largest Allied submarine base in the Pacific Theatre after Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.Davison and Allibone (2005). p. 219.

Following World War II the Royal Navy's 4th Submarine Flotilla was based in Sydney from 1949 until 1969. The flotilla, which varied in size between two and three boats, was used to support the Royal Australian Navy and Royal New Zealand Navy in anti-submarine warfare training, with the operating cost split between the two nations. In the early 1960s, the British Government advised the Australian Government that reductions in the Royal Navy conventional submarine force meant that the 4th Flotilla was to return to the United Kingdom. The impending withdrawal of the British submarine flotilla sparked the fourth attempt to establish an Australian submarine service. While the Department of Defence advised the government that three to six submarines should be purchased for training purposes, following the intervention of then-Senator John Gorton the Government instead approved the purchase of eight submarines to form a submarine strike force. Eight British {{sclass|Oberon|submarine|1}}s were ordered in 1964, to be built in Scotland in two batches of four boats. Only six boats were delivered; the seventh and eighth were cancelled in 1971 to fund the acquisition of ten A-4 Skyhawk aircraft for the Fleet Air Arm.Cooper, in The Royal Australian Navy, p. 194 The final Royal Navy submarine to be based in Australia, {{HMS|Trump}}, was withdrawn in 1969.

File:HMAS ONSLOW.JPEG

The first Australian Oberon-class submarine, {{HMAS|Oxley|S 57|6}}, was commissioned on 21 March 1967. She was followed by her sister ships; {{HMAS|Otway|S 59|2}} (1968), {{HMAS|Ovens||2}} (1969), {{HMAS|Onslow||2}} (1969), {{HMAS|Orion||2}} (1977), and {{HMAS|Otama||2}} (1978). Orion and Otama were more capable than the previous four boats, as they were fitted with advanced communications monitoring equipment.White, Australian submarines, pp. 191–200. All of the Oberon-class submarines were based at {{HMAS|Platypus|naval base|6}}, on Sydney Harbor. The Oberons proved very successful and saw extensive service during the last decades of the Cold War. This service included conducting risky surveillance missions against India and Communist nations in South East Asia.[http://www.rslnsw.com.au/uploads/CatMouse.pdf 'Cat and Mouse'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060918111644/http://www.rslnsw.com.au/uploads/CatMouse.pdf |date=18 September 2006 }} in Reveille, September/October 2006. These missions were cancelled in 1992 when an Australian submarine, believed to be Otama, became tangled in fishing nets and was forced to surface in the South China Sea.[http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,20369790-5001021,00.html Undersea missions to surface]. The Daily Telegraph, 7 September 2006.{{refn|According to one source Australian submarines are reported to have conducted approximately 20 such patrols between 1977 and 1992.{{cite news|last=Barker|first=Geoffrey|url= http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/inquirer/cold-war-exploits-of-australias-secret-submarines/story-e6frg6z6-1226742599268|title= Cold War exploits of Australia's secret submarines|work=The Australian|date=19 October 2013|issn= 1038-8761 |access-date=26 December 2015}}|group=Note}} The Oberon class regularly conducted exercises with the Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) and to a lesser extent the 1st Commando Regiment and the Clearance Diving Branch.Patrick 2014, p. 37. In 1980, the SAS was tasked to develop a maritime counter terrorist capability together with the clearance divers and conducted the first ever swimmer release from a submerged Australian submarine.{{sfn|Linton|Donohue|2015|pp=285–286}}{{sfn|Expert Panel to Review SAS Veterans' Health Concerns|2003|pp=73–74}} Onslow was fitted with a four-man diving chamber for exit and reentry of SAS swimmers.Shaw, HMAS Onslow, p. 10 As part of the Government's Two Ocean Navy policy submarines were homeported at {{HMAS|Stirling}} in Western Australia from 1987 and the headquarters of the Australian Submarine Squadron moved to HMAS Stirling in 1994. The Oberon class boats were gradually decommissioned and replaced with new {{sclass|Collins|submarine|1}}s during the 1990s. The final Oberon-class boat, HMAS Otama, was decommissioned on 15 December 2000.Australian Submarines Association, [http://submarinesaustralia.com/plank_images_oberon/planksob.htm The Oberon Era] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061118084929/http://www.submarinesaustralia.com/plank_images_oberon/planksob.htm |date=18 November 2006 }}

The six Collins-class submarines were the first Australian-built submarines, and the most expensive ships to have been built in Australia. The Collins-class submarines were built by the Australian Submarine Corporation at Adelaide, South Australia and entered service between 1996 and 2003 following extensive trials and modifications to the early boats in the class. The dedicated trials and submarine rescue ship {{HMAS|Protector|ASR 241|6}} supported these trials between 1992 and 1998. Tests conducted on {{HMAS|Collins|SSG 73|6}} after she was provisionally commissioned in 1996 revealed serious shortcomings in the submarine's performance, including excessive hull noise and an ineffective combat system. These problems were subsequently rectified. The second boat commissioned was {{HMAS|Farncomb|SSG 74|2}} (1998) followed by {{HMAS|Waller|SSG 75|2}} (1999), {{HMAS|Dechaineux|SSG 76|2}} (2001), {{HMAS|Sheean|SSG 77|2}} (2001) and {{HMAS|Rankin|SSG 78|2}} (2003). The Collins-class submarines currently rank among the most effective conventional submarines in the world.Frame, No Pleasure Cruise, pp. 284–285.

Like the Oberon class, the Collins-class submarines have conducted surveillance patrols. In 1999, it was reported that Waller and a second boat operated in support of the International Force for East Timor (INTERFET) providing escorts for transport ships, monitoring Indonesian communications, inserting special forces and had been collecting intelligence on East Timor for months.Hyland, Arms race' leaving our subs all at seaPaul Daley [http://www.etan.org/et2000c/august/27-31/29terms.htm Terms of Engagement]. The Age 29 August 2000. Two boats, Collins and Dechaineux, received the special forces upgrade providing the capability while submerged to release several swimmers and for their reentry, filling a capability gap the former Oberon-class boat Onslow had provided.Australian National Audit Office, "2014–15 major projects report : Department of Defence" While the Collins-class submarines' performance has improved over time, their maximum diving depth was permanently reduced following the near-loss of Dechaineux when a pipe burst during a practice dive in February 2003.[http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Navy-forced-to-reduce-subs-diving-depth/2005/07/23/1121539174654.html Navy forced to reduce subs' diving depth]. The Age 23 July 2005.

In 1998 the Royal Australian Navy became the fourth Navy in the world to permit women to serve on board submarines. The first female submariners began their training at the Submarine Training and Systems Centre in June 1998.Australian Parliamentary Library E-Brief [http://www.aph.gov.au/library/intguide/fad/women_armed.htm Women in the armed forces: the role of women in the Australian Defence Force] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207062427/http://www.aph.gov.au/library/intguide/fad/women_armed.htm |date=7 February 2012 }}

File:HMAS Sheean 01 gnangarra.jpg

The Royal Australian Navy Submarine Force Element Group Headquarters, and all six of the Collins-class submarines, are at HMAS Stirling located on Garden Island, near Perth. The majority of the Navy's submarine support facilities are also located at HMAS Stirling, including the Submarine Escape Training Facility. The LR5 submersible, which is contracted to provide the RAN's submarine rescue capability, has been based at nearby Henderson, Western Australia since June 2009.{{cite news|url=http://www.janes.com/news/defence/jni/jni090617_1_n.shtml|title=LR5 sub rescue system moves Down Under|last=Fish|first=Tim|author2=Scott, Richard |date=17 June 2009|work=Jane's Navy International|publisher= IHS (Global) Limited|access-date=2 August 2009}}

Under current Royal Australian Navy doctrine, the Submarine Service has the following responsibilities:Seapower Centre – Australia. [http://www.navy.gov.au/Publication:Navy_Contribution_to_Australian_Maritime_Operations Navy Contribution to Australian Maritime Operations] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080926142319/http://www.navy.gov.au/Publication%3ANavy_Contribution_to_Australian_Maritime_Operations |date=26 September 2008 }}

• intelligence collection and surveillance;
• maritime strike and interdiction;
• barrier operations;
• advanced force operations;
• layered defense;
• interdiction of shipping;
• containment by distraction; and
• support to operations on land

In early 2007 it was reported that Submarine Service was experiencing severe shortfalls in personnel and had only 70% of its authorised strength of 500 sailors. These shortfalls were reported to have reduced the service's operational readiness and forced HMAS Collins to be temporarily withdrawn from service.{{cite news |first=Patrick |last=Walters |title=Higher pay for sailors in subs |newspaper=The Australian}}

{{Update|section|date=September 2021}}

{{main|Attack-class submarine}}

The Collins-class submarines will begin to reach the end of their useful life from 2026.Submarine Institute of Australia. [http://www.submarineinstitute.com/?doc=42 Australia’s Future Underwater Warfare Capability – Project SM 2020] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060820070203/http://www.submarineinstitute.com/?doc=42 |date=20 August 2006 }} To meet the in-service date of 2026, advanced design work on the next generation of Australian submarines began in 2014. At this very early stage, it appeared that the submarines would be Australian-built conventional submarines equipped with air independent propulsion and advanced combat and communications systems.Patrick Walters (2006). Cutting Edge: The Collins experance. Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Canberra. pp. 10–11.

In September 2013 Rear Admiral Greg Sammut was appointed as Head Future Submarine Program.[https://www.navy.gov.au/biography/rear-admiral-gregory-sammut Rear Admiral Gregory Sammut], Official Biography (RAN), accessed 2021-09-19

In 2016 France won a contract to build a conventionally powered variant of its {{sclass2|Barracuda|submarine|1||France}} for Australia.{{cite web | title=France wins A$50bn Australia submarine contract | website=BBC News | date=2016-04-26 | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-36136628 | access-date=2022-01-20}}

In September 2021 the Australian government announced that the deal with France had been scrapped, and that Australia would be working with the United States and United Kingdom to acquire at least eight conventionally-armed nuclear powered submarines as part of the new AUKUS security partnership.{{cite web | title=Aukus: UK, US and Australia launch pact to counter China | website=BBC News | date=2021-09-16 | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-58564837 | access-date=2022-01-20}}{{cite press release |author1=Prime Minister |author2=Minister for Defence |author3=Minister for Foreign Affairs |author4=Minister for Women |title=Australia to pursue Nuclear-powered Submarines through new Trilateral Enhanced Security Partnership |url=https://www.pm.gov.au/media/australia-pursue-nuclear-powered-submarines-through-new-trilateral-enhanced-security |website=Prime Minister of Australia |access-date=25 September 2021 |date=16 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927191633/https://www.pm.gov.au/media/australia-pursue-nuclear-powered-submarines-through-new-trilateral-enhanced-security |archive-date=27 September 2021 |url-status=dead}}50x50px This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.

Three prototype autonomous underwater vehicles were ordered for the RAN in May 2022, designated the Ghost Shark. The first prototype was publicly revealed in April 2024.{{cite web |last1=Tucker |first1=Patrick |title=Australia got a new sub drone far faster than the US Navy could have, company says |url=https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2024/04/australia-got-new-sub-drone-far-faster-us-navy-could-have-company-says/395949/ |website=Defense One |access-date=28 April 2024 |language=en |date=22 April 2024}}{{cite news |title=Defence and Anduril unveil first Ghost Shark prototype |url=https://www.australiandefence.com.au/news/news/defence-and-anduril-unveil-first-ghost-shark-prototype |access-date=28 April 2024 |work=Australian Defence Magazine |date=18 April 2024}}

Australian sailors who qualify as submariners are awarded a badge depicting two dolphins and a crown. This badge (known as a sailor's 'dolphins') was designed by Commander Alan McIntosh RAN, and was introduced in 1966; a similar badge was adopted by the Royal Navy Submarine Service in 1972.Seal 2013, pp. 4–5.

• Submarines in the United States Navy
• List of submarine operators

{{Reflist|group=Note}}

{{reflist|30em}}

{{col div}}

• {{cite web |url=http://www.navy.gov.au/history/subhistory.html |title=A Brief History of the Royal Australian Navy's Submarine Service |publisher=Royal Australian Navy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080722051416/http://www.navy.gov.au/history/subhistory.html |archive-date=22 July 2008 |access-date=22 March 2013}}
• {{cite web |publisher=Royal Australian Navy |url=http://www.navy.gov.au/Publication:The_Trade |title=The Trade}}
• {{cite web |publisher=Seapower Centre – Australia |url=http://www.navy.gov.au/Publication:Navy_Contribution_to_Australian_Maritime_Operations |title=Navy Contribution to Australian Maritime Operations |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080926142319/http://www.navy.gov.au/Publication%3ANavy_Contribution_to_Australian_Maritime_Operations |archive-date=26 September 2008 |df=dmy-all }}
• {{cite web |url=http://submarinesaustralia.com/index.htm |title=Submarines Association of Australia website}}
• {{cite web |url=http://www.submarineinstitute.com/?doc=11&pwid=19522c84fc83697436b4247fb3af4a57 |title=Submarine Institute of Australia website}}
• {{cite news |author=Daley, Paul. |url=http://www.etan.org/et2000c/august/27-31/29terms.htm |title=Terms of Engagement |newspaper=The Age |date= 29 August 2000}}
• {{cite book|author1=Expert Panel to Review SAS Veterans' Health Concerns|title=Final report of the Expert Panel to Review SAS Veterans' Health Concerns|year=2003|url=http://www.dva.gov.au/sites/default/files/files/health%20and%20wellbeing/research_dev/healthstudies/reviewsas/Final_SAS_report.pdf|access-date=21 December 2016}}
• {{cite web |url=http://www.rslnsw.com.au/uploads/CatMouse.pdf |title=Cat and Mouse |work=Reveille |date=September–October 2006 |access-date=17 September 2006 |archive-date=18 September 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060918111644/http://www.rslnsw.com.au/uploads/CatMouse.pdf |url-status=dead }}
• {{cite news |url=http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,20369790-5001021,00.html |title=Undersea missions to surface |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=7 September 2006}}
• {{cite web |work=Australian Parliamentary Library E-Brief |url=http://www.aph.gov.au/library/intguide/fad/women_armed.htm |title=Women in the armed forces: the role of women in the Australian Defence Force |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207062427/http://www.aph.gov.au/library/intguide/fad/women_armed.htm |archive-date=7 February 2012 |df=dmy-all }}
• {{cite journal|author1=Australian National Audit Office|title=2014–15 major projects report : Department of Defence|journal=Report on Ministerial Portfolios. Budget Sittings|date=2016|url=https://www.anao.gov.au/sites/g/files/net2251/f/MPR_ANAO_Full_Report_2015-2016_16.pdf|access-date=11 December 2016|publisher=Commonwealth of Australia|location=Canberra, ACT|issn=1036-7632}}
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• {{cite book |last=Cooper |first=Alastair |editor=Stevens, David |title=The Royal Australian Navy |series=The Australian Centenary History of Defence (vol III) |year=2001 |publisher=Oxford University Press |chapter=The Era of Forward Defence |location=South Melbourne, Victoria |isbn=0-19-555542-2 |oclc=50418095}}
• {{cite book |first1=John |last1=Davison |first2=Tom |last2=Allibone |year=2005 |title=Beneath Southern Seas: The Silent Service |publisher=University of Western Australia Press |isbn=1-920694-62-5}}
• {{cite book |last1=Gillett |first1=Ross |last2=Graham |first2=Colin |title=Warships of Australia|year=1977 |publisher=Rigby |location=Adelaide, South Australia |isbn=0-7270-0472-7}}
• {{cite book |last=Frame |first=Tom |author-link=Tom Frame (bishop) |title=No Pleasure Cruise: The Story of the Royal Australian Navy |year=2004 |publisher=Allen & Unwin |location=Crows Nest, New South Wales |isbn=1-74114-233-4 |oclc=55980812}}
• {{cite web |author=Hendricks, David M. |url=http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/cno/n87/usw/issue_4/submarine_royalaustralian.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990827172851/http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/cno/n87/usw/issue_4/submarine_royalaustralian.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 August 1999 |title=The Submarine Force of the Royal Australian Navy}}
• {{cite news|last1=Hyland|first1=Tom|title='Arms race' leaving our subs all at sea|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/arms-race-leaving-our-subs-all-at-sea/2007/05/05/1177788470704.html|access-date=13 December 2016|work=The Age|date=6 May 2007}}
• {{cite book | last=Jose| first=Arthur | year=1941| title=The Royal Australian Navy, 1914–1918| edition=9th| series=Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918|volume=IX| publisher=Australian War Memorial| location=Canberra |url=https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RCDIG1069926/|oclc=271462423}}
• {{cite book|last1=Linton|last2=Donohue|first1=Commander E.W. (Jake)|first2=Commodore H.J (Hec)|title=United and Undaunted: The First 100 Years: A History of Diving in the Royal Australian Navy 1911–2011|date=2015|publisher=Grinkle Press|location=Queanbeyan, New South Wales|isbn=9780980282153}}
• {{cite journal |last=Patrick |first=Rex |author-link=Rex Patrick |date=September 2014 |title=Submarines and Special Forces |url=http://apdr.realviewtechnologies.com/default.aspx?iid=101338&startpage=page0000020#folio=36 |journal=Asia Pacific Defence Reporter |publisher=Venura Media Asia-Pacific |volume=40 |issue=7 |pages=36–40 |issn=1446-6880}}
• {{cite book|last=Seal|first=Graham|title=Century of Silent Service|year=2013|publisher=Boolarong Press|location=Salisbury, Queensland|isbn=9781922109897}}
• {{cite book |last=Sears |first=Jason |editor=Stevens, David |title=The Royal Australian Navy |series=The Australian Centenary History of Defence (vol III) |year=2001 |publisher=Oxford University Press |chapter=Depression and Rearmament |location=South Melbourne, Victoria |isbn=0-19-555542-2 |oclc=50418095}}
• {{cite book |last=Shaw |first=Lindsey |year=2005 |title=HMAS Onslow: Cold War Warrior |publisher=Australian National Maritime Museum |location=Sydney, NSW |isbn=0-9751428-4-4 |oclc=225390609}}
• {{cite book |first=Patrick |last=Walters |year=2006 |url=http://www.aspi.org.au/publications/publication_details.aspx?ContentID=86&pubtype=6 |title=Cutting Edge: The Collins experience |publisher=Australian Strategic Policy Institute|location=Canberra}}
• {{cite book |last=White |first=Michael |title=Australian Submarines: A History |year=1992 |publisher=Australian Government Publishing Service |location=Canberra |isbn=0-644-24397-X }}
• {{cite book |last=Whitley |first=M.J. |title=Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia |year=2000 |orig-year=1988 |publisher=Cassell |location=London |isbn=1-85409-521-8 }}

{{col div end}}

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