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The Collins Class of submarines, developed from Swedish Navy blueprints, have been designed to be as quiet as advanced technology can achieve. Their operational characteristics and range have been tailored specifically for a defence and two-ocean surveillance role in the Royal Australian Navy.
One of the first class of submarines to be totally designed by computers, HMAS Collins boasts a vast array of features including a high-performance hull form, highly automated controls, low indiscretion rates, high shock resistance, optimal noise suppression, efficient weapons handling and discharge.
A Collins Class submarine can dive to depths in excess of 180 metres and can travel at speeds greater than 20 knots when submerged. It can travel these distances quickly and quietly. The single propeller submarine moves silently on electric power supplied to the propulsion motor by banks of batteries. The batteries are recharged by three diesel generator sets.
Some of the missions these submarines can undertake include… Sea control (denying the ocean to hostile naval forces), Anti-Submarine Warfare (detecting and destroying hostile submarines), Anti-Surface Warfare (detecting and destroying hostile surface ships and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (listening for hostile electronic communications and information). They also provide the most effective method of Landing Special Forces (performing covert infiltration of hostile regions by commando forces), by remaining fully submerged in the highest threat environment, or by briefly surfacing when the threat is lower.
Conventional diesel powered submarines like the Collins Class need to run their motors from time to time to recharge their powerful batteries. This is the only reason they cannot stay submerged for the entire time they are in the water. To eliminate the need to surface completely when recharging, the submarines are fitted with a special mast that has a one way valve, called a schnorchel. The valve lets diesel exhaust out, without letting sea water in.
The Collins Class submarines are extremely sophisticated, deep diving, and high-speed submarines, capable of fulfilling a range of maritime military tasks, which strategists of the past could only dream of. With their stealth, powerful sensors and the ability to loiter in an opponent's operating areas for weeks on end, they are the most capable anti-submarine platform in the Australian Defence Force, with the ability to neutralise submarine threats thousands of miles from any Australian base.
The requirement to expose masts above the surface of the water in order to recharge is probably the most significant tactical constraint of this submarine. Careful management of battery charging is required to reduce the risk of counter detection by passive acoustics, radar, infra-red or optical means. Collins Class submarines, with their good indiscretion rate enjoy a comparative advantage over most existing classes of diesel-electric submarines.
The modern submarine generally has limited utility in undertaking constabulary and benign diplomatic tasks, due to its limited cargo and passenger capacity, poor surfaced seakeeping ability, and armament which is optimised for high-end warfighting. However, as the degree of coercion increases, so does the utility of the submarine.
The sophisticated combat system gathers intelligence from its sensors, computes the input and then launches and directs weapons. It is an advance on any system currently available.
The Australian Submarine Rescue Vehicle (ASRV) REMORA is a 16.5 tonne machine built about a diving bell. It can rescue six people at once, as well as holding the operator or attendant. It is capable of operations in excess of 500m in a current of 3 knots and of mating to a sunken submarine lying at angles of up to 60° from the vertical.
The vehicle is powered and controlled by use of a 914m armoured electro-fibre optic umbilical, which provides power to two 75hp hydraulic power units. It passes sonar, communications and video data to a containerised Control Van aboard the rescue ship. A team of three comprising a Pilot, Navigator and Dive Supervisor, mans the van. In a separate compartment at the rear of the van, the Naval Coordinator Rescue Forces communicates with the sunken submarine via underwater telephone, with the shore-based authorities via INMARSAT, and with local rescue assets via VHF radio. Accompanying the suite is a containerised workshop van.
The suite also includes a large backup generator, LP and HP air compressors and bottled gases. Twelve ELSS pods with associated stores are held which would normally be deployed ahead of the main rescue package. By posting these pods using a ROV or Newtsuit, survivors in the submarine can be sustained almost indefinitely.
The entire suite is either housed in ISO containers or is packed to permit carriage by C-130 Hercules aircraft, road, rail or sea. It is maintained ready to deploy within 12 hours of the alert being raised and can be anywhere in Australia within 36 hours. The suite can be deployed onboard a ship within a further 24 hours and the ship should be ready to sail 72 hours after callout.
REMORA and its associated suite not only represent the leading edge of submarine rescue technology, it also forms the only air-portable system capable of rescue and transfer under pressure from a sunken submarine at extreme angles and significant depths, and capable of transferring survivors safely under pressure to decompression facilities.
