For help, advice and discussion about stuff not related to aviation. Play nice: no religion, no politics and no axe grinding please.
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By Propwash
#1870832
Reading about the newly announced AUKUS military arrangements, one of the key factors appears to be the decision by Australia to abandon its ageing fleet of diesel Collins Class subs and replace them with nuclear powered ones, aided by the US and the UK.

Clearly that will involve training specialist Australian Navy personnel to operate the power plant, but how different in other ways is crewing a nuclear boat from a diesel one? And will the changeover require larger crews and therefore a recruiting challenge for Oz? From what I have seen the nuclear boats are all considerably larger than the old Collins Class.

Your insight would be helpful, Bill.

PW
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By kanga
#1870840
I note that another result is that RAN subs (if nuclear-powered) will no longer be allowed in NZ waters, unless there is a change in NZG policy. I can recall (and played a tangential part in) RAN/RNZN joint activity in the past.

When I was in Ottawa the Mulroney government was planning to buy nuclear subs so as to have an underice capability in the Arctic. This was against (publicly stated) USN policy and wishes at the time, to the slight embarrassment of the State Department people in the US Embassy, who had no control over the public pronouncements of their Naval Attache. Both the British Defence Liaison Staff at the High Commission, and their French equivalents, attached an extra Officer (and submariner) to Ottawa blatantly to promote their offerings. It was interesting to see them stiffly but courteously interact, while chatting up RCN and political Seniors, at DND and BHC social occasions :) In the end, presumably on cost grounds, RCN bought RN mothballed (diesel) Upholder Class boats to replace their Oberons.
Last edited by kanga on Fri Sep 17, 2021 9:34 am, edited 1 time in total.
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By Bill McCarthy
#1870909
Steam propulsion on surface ships vanished over thirty years ago, and to retrain personnel acquaint in diesel only will take some considerable time. The nuclear theory and propulsion course takes at least 18 months and there is no longer a land based test and evaluation plant where budding “back afties”get to throw it around a bit.
I watched the HMS Trenchant prog the other night (bliddy hell, they were wearing naval uniform ) and they were going through operator reval as they had just come out of a six month extended maintenance period. Propulsion plant operators have to requalify if they had been out of it for over three months - and it’s a hard slog. The “back aft section” is the biggest department, and compartment of a nuc boat.
The crew of Dreadnought and Splendid was 110 crew. The mechanics of a nuc boat are extremely complex and I suspect the selected crews (from Australia) will be trained here and serve alongside our crews to gain experience. They will be in attendance during build too.
I think I’ll come out of retirement and offer my services !

Did you know - nuc boat officers don’t get served chips with any meal or have beer in the wardroom. That’s why they prefer the senior rates mess !
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By Propwash
#1870924
Thank you for that, Bill. It pretty much confirmed what I had assumed. The only thing I really know for sure about submarines is that I could never willingly serve in one. :lol:

Respect.

PW
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By Rob L
#1870938
I may have mentioned this before, but there is a very good series of videos on Youtube by Destin Sandlin where he is invited by the US Navy to show what US nuclear submarines do, and how they do daily things.

This is a link to the series of videos; for those with a scientific interest, I'd recommend a look.

His other videos are very informative too.

Rob
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By Bill McCarthy
#1870947
The propulsion plant of a nuc boat doesn’t like being shut down and cooled when alongside. It takes the whole department two days to do pre start system alignment checks and a while to warm it up again. However, when it goes to sea and gets through a week without some fault or other, it will run ok for months. If they gave this old fart a shout - I’d be away again like a shot. The only bad thing about boats is that after a time the crew eventually splits up, gets drafted elsewhere and you lose contact with people where lives depended on each other when that hatch shuts.
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By OCB
#1870971
Bill McCarthy wrote:The only bad thing about boats is that after a time the crew eventually splits up, gets drafted elsewhere and you lose contact with people where lives depended on each other when that hatch shuts.


Shirley that’s where that book I’ve been hounding you about for years would come in?? :thumright:
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By PeteSpencer
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1871111
OCB wrote:
Bill McCarthy wrote:The only bad thing about boats is that after a time the crew eventually splits up, gets drafted elsewhere and you lose contact with people where lives depended on each other when that hatch shuts.


Shirley that’s where that book I’ve been hounding you about for years would come in?? :thumright:



Yep: Agreed:

If JAFO can do it, you can @Bill McCarthy

Put me down for a signed copy when it's published :wink: :thumleft: