THE TRADE

Perisher Qualified – Meet our
newest Submarine Captains
By LCDR Barry Carmichael
Torpedo Maintenance
Facility-HMAS Stirling
By WOETSM A.G Hyde
FEATURES
The RAN gained two new submarine
command qualified officers in LCDR Barry
Carmichael and LCDR Dan Sutherland on
the 23 April when the Dutch submarine
HNLMS WALRUS surfaced in the vicinity
of Glasgow, Scotland on completion of the
2016 Netherlands Submarine Command
Course (NLSMCC).
The course proved to be a challenging few
months for all the potential candidates who
were put through their paces in all aspects
of submarine operations. Activities included
Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW), Anti Surface
Warfare (ASUW), Special Forces Operations
and shallow water operations including
bottom contour navigation.
Run from the combined Netherlands and
Belgium Operations School (NLBEOPS) in
Den Helder; the NLSMCC, or Perisher as it
is more commonly known, is a sixteen week
program split into two shore-sea phases
focussed on safety and tactical objectives.
The course is designed to test the student’s
mental fortitude, resilience and tactical
proficiency as well as their ability to train
and lead their team in a variety of war-like
situations when under pressure and fatigued.
The ‘safety’ phase is four weeks of simulator
assessment followed by one week at sea
in the Norwegian fjords. The students
demonstrate that they are able to maintain
safety on multiple contacts at periscope
depth. This phase is as much about Teacher
gaining trust in his students as it is the
students gaining trust in their own abilities.
Commander Submarine Force, CAPT Matt Buckley is flanked by the RAN’s newest Submarine Command Qualified
Officers, LCDR Barry Carmichael (left of photo) and LCDR Dan Sutherland (right of photo).
The Torpedo Maintenance Facility (TMF),
located at HMAS Stirling, was built in 1996
and commissioned in 1997, following the
RAN Submarine Force relocation from HMAS
Platypus to Stirling. This new facility was
built to provide for torpedo support in the
vicinity of the predominant torpedo user, the
Submarine Force; with torpedoes for aircraft
and ships, not based in WA, being shipped
to the East. It was initially responsible for the
preparation and maintenance of a multitude
of weapons; including the Mk48 Mod 4
Heavyweight torpedo (HWT), Mk46 Mod 1
& 5 Lightweight torpedoes (LWT) and the
Encapsulated Harpoon Certification and
Training Vehicle (EHCTV). It also undertook
maintenance of the RNZN Mk46 Mod 2 LWT.
The workforce numbered approximately 70
staff, comprising retired ex-service personnel
and APS, with three original staff transferring
from the RAN Torpedo Maintenance
establishment at Orchard Hills, NSW.
Over the years TMF has been modified and
extended to accommodate both APS and
uniform engineering and logistic staff, moving
away from being solely a maintenance facility.
TMF currently operates under the direction
of Navy Guided Weapons System Program
Office – West (NGWSPO-W). The current
Sustainment Director for NGWSPO-W is
Captain Ljiljana Bradley RAN.
TMF is the only facility, resident in Australia,
with the ability to maintain and prepare the
Collins Class Submarine’s Mk 48 ADCAP
Mod 7 Common Broadband Advanced Sonar
System Heavy Weight Torpedo (HWT). The
TMF is in transition to support and maintain
the Mk 54 LWT (the replacement for the Mk
46 torpedo), which can be delivered from
the MH60 Romeo helicopter and the new P8
Poseidon Maritime patrol aircraft. THALES
Australia work alongside the TMF staff to
maintain the new EUROTORP torpedo the
MU90, for the RAN surface fleet.
The facility currently has 56 civilian
APS employees, three uniformed RAAF
personnel (working in LWT maintenance
and engineering positions), and 17 Navy
personnel; employed on permanent or
temporary duty. The Navy personnel are
employed in torpedo maintenance and
logistics, utilising their Navy training; and
gaining valuable experience in fields outside
of their standard category of employment.
This broadened work scope is expected to
enhance uniform staff skills, competence
and confidence, that will translate to
improved outcomes when they return to
ship, submarine, or squadron employment.
The Navy personnel are employed under the
direction of Mr Richard Lowe who believes
that the sailors are performing in roles that
support torpedo and EHCTV availability for
the fleet. Mr Lowe states “for each sailor
trained as a Weapon Maintainer, within the
Authorised Maintenance Organisation, they
provide approx 1130 maintenance hours
each per year. This equates to approx 2.5
Mk 48 practice weapons per person per
year, as the average end to end process
for turning an Mk 48 torpedo is approx 450
man-hours”. He further adds that “sailors
are offered J standard soldering courses, EO
courses and weapon theory courses on an
opportunity basis.”
This additional training not only enables the
RAN maintainers to be more effective in
the TMF but also offers the opportunity to
develop technical mastery in these weapons.
The Navy technical supervisor was POET
Brown who had been posted to TMF for
almost three years. Prior to his recent posting
to HMAS Perth he was responsible for the
technical supervision of four ABETSM’s,
four ATV’s and three ABET's. POATV Cace,
who joined in early 2016, has assumed the
responsibility for technical supervision.
PO Brown deems this posting to be a
fantastic challenge both technically
and administratively. He states “We are
On return to the NLBEOPS four more weeks
are spent on the “tactical’ sea phase. The
students complete a number of inshore
operations, ASW runs, Zero-Gyro angle
attacks, underwater looks and bottom
contour navigation operations. On successful
completion of the shore phase students are
taken to sea once again for the real thing,
operating as “Duty CO” of a Dutch submarine
in waters off the UK.
The course culminated on 23 April back
in the Firth of Clyde where Commander
Submarine Force, CAPT Matt Buckley met
his successful candidates.
“I am very proud of the efforts of the two
RAN Graduates who demonstrated great
resilience, leadership and tactical acumen
over an extensive period of intense training
and assessment. Perisher is an important
career milestone for these Officers who
are now qualified to Command an RAN
submarine, CAPT Buckley said.
….. and still time for a brew.
The finalisation of the course occurred on the
following day with the now traditional Perisher
Breakfast where LCDRs Carmichael and
Sutherland were welcomed “to the club”.•
Navy Guided Weapons Systems Program Office-West staff group photograph at HMAS Stirling.
THE TRADE
20 THE TRADE
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EDITION 2, 2016 EDITION 2, 2016