The Navy Vol_60_Part2 1998 - Navy League of Australia

THE NAVYTHE NAVYMr Bradford said it was important to alsobe aware that it was not just Whangareitaking dividends from the ANZACproject. "To date, the project hasproduced some $600 million worth ofwork for more than 500 New Zealandcompanies." he said."The project has brought new skills,technology and contract experience to thecompanies involved in it which in turn iswinning them a range of defence contractsoverseas, most notably in Australia."Defence-related exports are now earningNew Zealand some $70 million a year,much of it the result of the expertiseNew Zealand companies have picked upfrom the ANZAC Ship project. MrBradford said. Meanwhile. Mr Bradfordsaid he believed the Government wouldhave to look carefully in the comingmonths at the issue of a replacement shipfor HMNZS CANTERBURY, which was dueto retire in 2005."Logic says it should be another ANZACclass frigate, and if that option gets thego-ahead Whangarei can look forward tostill more work after frigate 10 iscomplete.' he said.SEAHAWK HELICOPTERUPGRADE CONTRACTThe Minister for Defence, Mr IanMcLachlan, announced in late Marchthat a contract for over $ 100 millionhad been signed to acquire andto integrate forward lookinginfra-red, electronic support andcountermeasures equipment forthe Navy's sixteen Seahawkhelicopters.Navy S-70B-2 helicopter at the recentlaunch of the Australian Post 50thanniversary postage stamp. (RAN)Mr McLachlan said the upgrade contractwith Hawker de Havilland Victoria Ltdwould provide a sensor suite to enhancethe protection and combat effectivenessof the Seahawk helicopters, whichoperate from the Royal Australian Navy'ssix Adelaide class frigates."The selected equipment will be fullyintegrated into the aircraft's weapon systemto provide a significantly improved ability todetect and identify potential threats, and toavoid or counter them." he said.These new systems will operate at overthe horizon distances, in all weatherconditions, at day or night Under anothercontract the same equipment will also beused for the new Super Seaspritehelicopters, which are being acquiredfrom Kaman Aerospace of the USA forthe Navy's ANZAC frigates.Hawker de Havilland Victoria Ltd will bethe prime contractor and will conductmost of the installation work in Australia.RLM Systems in Melbourne will conductmuch of the software integration for thehelicopter's weapon system and modifythe Seahawk software support centre.CSC Australia will complete themodification of the Seahawk simulator inNowra. Australian industry will also beinvolved in providing the through lifesupport for most of the procuredsystems.The new equipment is planned to beoperational in the Seahawk helicopters by2002.SECRETARY OF THENAVY NAMES THIRDSEAWOLF SUBMARINESecretary of the Navy John H.Dalton has announced his decisionto name the third and finalsubmarine of the Seawolf class forformer President Jimmy Carter.JIMMY CARTER (SSN 23) will honor the39th President of the United States.President Carter is the only U.S.president ever to qualify in submarines.He has distinguished himself by a lifetimeof public service, and has long ties to theNavy and the submarine force. He is a1946 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy,served as an officer aboard submarineswhile in uniform, and served ascommander-in-chief from 1977-1981while in the Oval Office.The three submarines of the Seawolf classare the most capable, multi-missionsubmarines ever built They combinespeed, stealth, a large and varied weaponsload and the latest in hi-tech electronicsto provide unlimited flexibility whileoperating "Forward.. .From the Sea." Theships have an overall length of 353 feet abeam of 40 feet displace 9.150 tons and acrew size of approximately 130.With mission and growth capability farbeyond previous submarines, the robustdesign uniquely supports missions such assurveillance, intelligence collection.special warfare, covert cruise missilestrike, mine warfare, anti-submarine andanti-surface ship warfare. In addition to itsformidable open ocean presence, theSeawolf class is also a highly capableshallow water warfare platform, settingthe standard for submarine technologyinto the next century. Its inherent stealth,coupled with state-of-the-art sensors andadvanced combat systems, make it thebenchmark for underwater excellence.JIMMY CARTER'S flexibility and impressivecapabilities will provide the Navy with anundersea weapons platform to operate inany scenario against any threat — fromunder arctic ice to shallow water.Armed with the battle-proven Tomahawkcruise missiles .JIMMY CARTER will be ableto safely conduct deep strike missionswhile submerged far off an enemy's coastJIMMY CARTER will also carry the Mark48 advanced capability torpedo, the mostreliable torpedo in the world for useagainst surface ships and submarines.With twice as many torpedo tubes and a30 percent increase in weapons magazinesize compared to the previous Los Angelesclass submarines. JIMMY CARTER will beeminently capable of establishing andmaintaining battle space dominance.Secretary Dalton hosted President andMrs. Carter at a naming ceremony for theboat on 27 April. No previous ships havebeen named JIMMY CARTER.UPHOLDERSUBMARINES GO TOCANADAThe Royal Navy's four redundantUpholder class submarines are toget a fresh lease of life with theCanadian Navy.The diesel-electric submarines will go toCanada as part of an eight-year leasingdeal, which includes a support andtraining package to provide work forBritish industry, plus an option for theCanadians to purchase the submarinesoutright.The government of Canada announced itsintention, subject to final negotiations, tolease all four of the Upholder classsubmarines for a period of eight years.Canada has chosen to acquire thesubmarines via a lease with an option topurchase as this is the most satisfactorysolution for them.In an arrangement worth some 610million Canadian dollars to the UK. workwill be generated for various UKcompanies in reactivating the submarinesand for GEC Marine at Barrow who willbe providing the technical and logisticsupport including the provision oftraining to Canada.This arrangement represents the mostpractical and cost effective manner ofsecuring the future of the submarines andis a strong indication of the closerelationship between the UK and Canada.FOURTH COLLINS CLASSSUBMARINE LAUNCHEDDECHAINEUX, the fourthsubmarine in the Collins class, andthe first to be built and outfitted atdifferent Australian shipyards, waslaunched in Port Adelaide on 13March.The Minister for Defence. Mr IanMcLachlan. in his keynote address,described the Collins class as having thepotential to be as fine a conventionalsubmarine as there is in the world today.Speaking during the ceremony at theAustralian Submarine Corporationheadquarters at Outer Harbour, theMinister referred to what he called"exaggerated" and "nationallyirresponsible" comments on the project"It is sometimes overlooked that theearly Fill fighter aircraft was beset withproblems, yet it turned out to be one ofthe great strike aircraft in the history ofaviation." Mr McLachlan said. "We have aclear plan to bring these submarines intoservice with a proven operationalcapability which will be enhanced on acontinuing basis."The Minister said that HMAS COUJNS hadbeen successfully deployed to Malaysiarecently, and he looked forward to WALLER(launched last year) and DECHAINEUXjoining their sister submarines."DECHAINEUX and her predecessorsare helping to keep Australia at theforefront of submarine technology andcapability well into the 21st century." MrMcLachlan emphasised the importance ofgovernment, industry and defenceworking together to further develop thetechnology, knowledge and industrialinfrastructure."It would be infantile to pretend, on aproject as complex as this, that somethings could not have been done better.These lessons - about projectmanagement about design, about how werun our acquisition system, all these areasand more can be used to improve howDefence manages future major projects.Certainly, we put a great deal of effortinto making sure we are able constantlyto improve our project management. Weneed to build a defence industry thatmeets or surpasses world standards onquality, value for money, besides deliveringa product on time." Mr McLachlan said."Australia has a strategic asset ofenormous importance in its submarinebuilding capability. We cannot afford tolet this capability disappear simplybecause the current submarine buildingcontract will come to an end.That is whyI announced in the Strategic Review thatthe Defence Department is developing anenhanced submarine design based on theCollins class. That work will provide thebasis for any future decisions Governmentwill make on acquiring even more capablesubmarines." the Minister said.The submarine was formally named at theceremony by Mrs Mary Purbrick. widowof the late Captain Emile Dechaineux.who died when HMAS AUSTRAUA was hitby a kamikaze bomber in the Leyte Gulfin 1944. The ceremony was attended byother members of the Dechaineux familyand by retired Navy personnel whoserved with the Captain during WorldWar II.ROYAL YACHT GOESTO EDINBURGHThe Royal Yacht BRITANNIA willbe preserved in the Port of Leithin Edinburgh, British DefenceSecretary George Robertsonrecently revealed.Subject to satisfactory negotiations.BRITANNIA will be sold to an independentcharitable trust being promoted by ForthPorts PLC. The trust will takeresponsibility for its preservation, andrunning it as a visitor attraction andvenue for prestige conferences.Mr Robertson said: "This has been anenormously difficult decision for me. BothForth Ports and the Manchester ShipCanal Company offered extremely good,well thought out and detailed ideas. Eitherwould have allowed BRITANNIA to bepreserved successfully and with dignity."I am grateful to both organisations forputting together such excellent proposals- but sadly there is only one Britannia."I was particularly impressed byEdinburgh's proposal to retain the yachtas a 'living' entity by using her for prestigeconferences, as well as the moretraditional public display. I haveconcluded, on balance, that the Port ofLeith, which hosts many visiting ships,including a large number of Naval vessels,is on balance the more appropriate restingplace for this historic national asset"BRITANNIA was expected to leavePortsmouth shortly after and. followingessential work to adapt her to her new role,will be open to the public later in 1988.HMAS NEWCASTLEHELLFIRE PASSThe Royal Australian Navy guidedmissile frigate (FFG), HHASNEWCASTLE sailed from theFleet Base East on 27 March for athree month operation throughsouth east Asia. The deploymentincluded participation at theHellfire Pass Memorial openingon the Burma Thailand Railwayby Prime Minister John Howardon 24 April.NEWCASTLE'S crew provided a fittingnaval tribute to the memorial openingwith a 40 strong contingent and acatafalque party dressed in fullceremonial uniform.Two weeks earlier NEWCASTLEhadarrived back in Sydney after a successfulSouthern Ocean operation resulting inthe apprehension of a foreign fishingvessel alleged to have been operatingillegally in Australia's Exclusive EconomicZone off Heard Island.HMAS NEWCASTLE rendezvoused inDarwin with the Western Australianbased FFG. HMAS CANBERRA, with bothships proceeding 'up top' to beginexercises with neighbouring Singaporeanand Indonesian Navies.HMCS ORIOLEEPIC JOURNEY TOSOUTH PACIFICThe Canadian Navy's sail-trainingship. HMCS ORIOLE has concludedher epic, 31,000-kilometre (17,000nautical-mile) journey to Australiaand New Zealand.For the voyage, the navy's oldestcommissioned vessel carried a mixedship's company of 22 personnel, including10 trainees. ORIOLE set sail 13 Octoberand returned seven months later, on 13May. 1998.The 15.000km route took the ketchriggedyacht south to San FranciscoCalifornia then west for 14 days to PearlHarbor Hawaii; south again to PalmyrahasIsland. Kiribati Western Samoa. FijiNew Caledonia, and Lord Howe Island;arriving in Sydney. Australia, overChristmas.PAGE 13PAGE I I