Plymouth to lose more than 600 Royal Navy jobs

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MORE than 600 Navy jobs will be lost from Devonport when the base’s nuclear submarines move to Scotland.

The grim revelation is set to fuel calls for the next generation of warships to be based in Plymouth to “backfill” the personnel gap left by the subs’ departure.

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    The Ministry of Defence says about 630 military personnel are due to transfer to Faslane when the five Trafalgar-class hunter-killers relocate.

It was unable to say what impact the change would have on civilian staff, but it was not expected to “lead to any significant changes” in the number at Devonport.

The decision to make Faslane the dedicated home for the UK’s entire submarine fleet was taken under the last Labour Government and so has been known for some years.

But it is the first time the impact on manpower has been revealed.

Plymouth has already suffered from redundancies and the scrapping of warships as part of the biggest round of defence cuts since the end of the Cold War.

The latest news will lend added urgency to a campaign to bring the hi-tech Type 26 Global Combat Ship to Devonport.

Due to enter service after 2020, they will replace the Type 23 frigates, seven of which continue to be based in Plymouth after ministers lifted the threat of a move to Portsmouth last year.

Three of Devonport’s five Trafalgar class subs – Trenchant, Talent and Triumph, are to move to Scotland by 2017, where they will join the nuclear-armed Vanguard fleet and new Astute boats as they enter service. The other two, Tireless and Torbay, will be decommissioned.

That not only has implications for the dockyard’s workload and the knock-on effect for jobs, but also the economic benefit generated by naval personnel and their families.

Base-porting on the Clyde has become central to the high-profile debate on Scottish independence.

The Scottish National Party (SNP) is demanding the submarine-based nuclear deterrent is removed in the event of a vote to go it alone in 2014. Continue reading →

Stephen Smith to rule on submarine building – Australia

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DEFENCE Minister Stephen Smith will make a significant announcement today about Australia’s naval capability.

The minister will release the long-awaited second volume of the Coles report on the sustainment of the Collins-class submarines, which is believed to be highly critical of past measures to keep the boats operational.

Mr Smith will say the issues the report raises have largely been fixed over the eight months he has had the report.

It is considered likely he will confirm that the navy’s promised 12 new Future Submarines will be built in Adelaide, at or near the Australian Submarine Corporation facilities.

A giant testing unit will enable close examination of the entire propulsion system for the new submarines before the systems are built into the Future Submarines. It is hoped this will ensure there is no repeat of the problems that emerged as the Collins submarines were developed.

Source – The Australian

Submarine propulsion test site augurs well for Adelaide

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Hillary Clinton's visit to Adelaide

Hillary Clinton, Jay Weatherill and Air Warfare Destroyer Alliance CEO Rod Equid tour the Techport Australia shipbuilding facility in Adelaide last month. Source: adelaidenow

A HI-TECH propulsion testing site will be built in Adelaide, making it an “irresistible” case for the future submarines to be built in South Australia.

Federal Defence Minister Stephen Smith will today visit Outer Harbor’s Techport facility to announce the Land Based Test Site, which industry sources say will cost about $30 million to build, will be based in SA.

The testing facility allows the submarine propulsion systems to be tested and proved before installation, a capability aimed at overcoming criticism levelled at the ageing Collins Class fleet.

Today’s announcement comes as the Federal Government weighs up options for the future sub program, ranging from a complete Australian design and build to an off-the-shelf foreign option.

South Australia is angling for as much local design and build input as possible to get more jobs and investment and Mr Weatherill says that the state is now positioned for “immense” investment.

The ageing Collins Class submarines have been beset by criticism that their propulsion systems are too loud and prone to breakdown. One expert has likened it to an “underwater rock concert”.

Mr Smith said the future sub project, which would create thousands of jobs in SA, was to be the “largest and most complex Defence project ever undertaken by Australia” but came with significant risks.

The new Outer Harbor testing site would help reduce these risks.

“Regardless of the submarine design option that is ultimately chosen, the establishment of the Land Based Test Site will significantly reduce the risk of delay and cost blow-outs,” Mr Smith said.

“This facility will address some of the potential risk areas for the future submarine. (It) will also help ensure that challenges encountered from the maintenance of the Collins Class fleet are addressed.”

Independent reports estimate the cost of the 12 future subs at $36 billion. Further work is to be done on the “form and function” of the program, which will also include investment in research and development with further details to be revealed next year.

WA and Victoria are also to take part in the program, but the main testing site will be at Techport.

Premier Jay Weatherill said building the propulsion test site in Adelaide was a significant step.

“It is building an irresistible case for SA to be the base of the future submarine project,” he said.

“The significance of this project cannot be underestimated – when it goes ahead it will be the largest government procurement project Australia has seen and potentially worth tens of billions of dollars.

“Building a submarine has been described as being as complex as building a spaceship, so the jobs, investment and skills a project of this magnitude would bring to South Australia is immense.

“I look forward to continuing to work closely with the Federal Government to make the Future Submarine project a reality to SA.”

SA Defence Industries Minister Jack Snelling met federal officials in January to make the case for a propulsion testing site and said he was prepared to back the bid with funding.

Other states, including WA and NSW, were expected to start a bidding war for the facility.

The federal and state governments have not revealed how much is being contributed to the build. Defence Teaming Centre chief executive Chris Burns has previously pushed for construction of a propulsion testing facility at Techport, arguing it could be used to test and repair propulsion systems for other boats. Many small manufacturers in SA build propulsion system components.

The test site may attract new projects to bridge the so-called “valley of death” looming in 2017. That is the gap between the end of the Air Warfare Destroyer program and the beginning of future submarine construction, expected in 2020 or later.

Industry figures fear the lack of work in that time will lead high-skilled workers to leave the state and create extreme costs in recruiting when work later ramps up on the future submarines.

Source – Herald Sun

K-152 Nerpa: Russia submarine disaster retrial opens

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Video grab of Russian submarine following accident in Pacific. File photo

The accident happened during tests in the Sea of Japan

A retrial has begun in the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok of two men accused of causing an accident on a nuclear submarine in which 20 people died in 2008.

Another 21 people were injured when the K-152 Nerpa’s fire extinguishing system was activated, releasing a deadly gas.

Captain Dmitry Lavrentyev and engineer Dmitry Grobov are accused of causing “death by negligence”.

They were acquitted last year, but the verdict was later overturned on appeal.

The two men deny responsibility and blame faulty equipment for the accident in November 2008 in the Sea of Japan.

Lethal gas

The first session of the retrial focused mainly on procedural questions, and the trial was later adjourned until 20 December.

In 2008, the submarine’s fire extinguishing system was apparently activated without warning while the vessel was undergoing tests in the Sea of Japan.

The fire extinguishing system – typical on Russian submarines – uses the gas freon, which suppresses fires quickly by displacing oxygen.

But it can also be lethal for any crew members who are still in the area when the gas is released.

All those who died on Nerpa are thought to have suffocated.

It was the worst accident involving a Russian submarine since the sinking of the Kursk in 2000 when 118 people died.

Source – BBC News

India expanding submarine force to meet China threat

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India expanding submarine force to meet China threat

Indian Navy Submarine of the modified German Type 209 Class
Indian Navy Submarine of the modified German Type 209 Class

The government of India has approved $10 billion in funding to vastly expand and improve the Indian Navy’s undersea warfare capabilities. Shipbuilders in France, Germany, Russia and Spain are this week lining up bids on the new Indian Navy project which comes less than a year after $18 billion was funded to equip the Indian Air Force with new Rafale fighter aircraft.

The new project includes next generation diesel-electric attack submarines to augment the current fleet which consists of 10 Kilo Class of Russian design; four modified German Type 209 Class and two nuclear powered Akula Class attack submarines leased from Russia. An additional six Scorpene Class diesel-electric submarines of French & Spanish joint design are being built at India’s Mazagon Dock Ltd. shipyards.

Though the total number of new submarines has not been decided, the newer subs will be larger than the six Scorpenes currently building and would include both land attack missile capability and air-independent propulsion (AIP) systems; developed by Swedish naval engineers allowing a diesel-electric submarine to run their ‘air breathing’ engines at low power in conjunction with batteries while submerged for three or more weeks almost as stealthily as a nuclear submarine.

Defense analyst and international security experts alike often ponder confusedly as to why India feels the need for a powerful ‘blue water’ navy in a region with no serious naval power present aside from the United States with whom India has had more or less friendly relations since the end of British rule in 1947; the answer of course being China.

India and China have had tensions off and on since Communist China’s victory over the Nationalist Chinese in 1949. The two nations finally came to blows in a brief border war in 1962. China is a long time supporter of India’s arch nemesis Pakistan. Until recently however, there was no serious naval threat posed to India by China’s minor coastal naval force; separated by the whole of Southeast Asia from the Indian Ocean.

However in tandem with Chinese naval expansion was an expansion of inroads in the Indian Ocean region with purchases of local sea port facilities and airports or investment in joint ventures to expand such facilities or build new ones in partnerships with Burma, Thailand, Seychelles and Pakistan. Projects particularly troublesome to India since all Chinese companies are owned in some fashion by the Chinese government despite the widely held belief in Chinese ‘privatization’.

The sea ports and air ports would provide China bases from which to operate naval aircraft and vessels against Indian seaborne commerce and naval forces on a much shorter logistical leash than if they tethered to bases in China. Of particular concern is China’s fleet of 50 diesel electric submarines which could easily operate out of friendly ports in the Indian Ocean.

India clearly recognizing the problem is now embarking on the best solution $10 Billion can buy. India is also expanding its surface battle fleet with purchases of the former Soviet aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov (renamed Vikramaditya) and the Russian designed Talwar Class stealth frigates for air defense and anti-submarine warfare. India has also begun domestic construction of two 65,000 ton aircraft carriers. There have however been delays and disputes with the Russians over quality and workmanship on the frigates and the rebuilt Gorshkov.

Source – Examiner

HMS Audacious: MoD announces £1.2bn submarine contract

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HMS Audacious: MoD announces £1.2bn submarine contract

A new attack submarine, HMS Audacious, has been commissioned by the Ministry of Defence in a contract worth £1.2bn.

Diagram of HMS Astute

The BAE Systems deal, which will secure 3,000 jobs at Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, will progressively replace the Trafalgar Class currently in service.

A further £1.5bn has been committed to the remaining three Astute Class submarines being built, the MoD said.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said the contracts would offer the UK’s armed forces “greater certainty”.

Audacious will be the fourth of the seven Astute Class submarines being built for the Royal Navy.

Forget what you may have seen on Das Boot or the Hunt for Red October. Instead, Astute has cameras fitted on a mast that feed live pictures into the control room.

Unlike the old periscope that would pop out of the water for minutes at a time, Astute’s mast breaks cover for just a few seconds. It can record what it sees, giving the crew time to analyse the images. It’s another feature that makes the submarine harder to detect.

There are some things, though, that the 100-plus crew, and the visiting admirals, appear less keen to discuss. Its speed for one, which I’m told is not an issue, but is classified.

The first two boats, Astute and Ambush, are currently undergoing sea trials. The third boat, Artful, is reaching the final stages of her construction at Barrow shipyard. All three are to be based at Faslane on the Clyde.

Early work has been started on the fifth vessel, Anson, while preparation has begun on submarines six and seven which are as yet unnamed.

It emerged last month that Astute had encountered several problems during its sea trials, including leaks and electrical switchboards which were were found to be fitted incorrectly.

Concerns also emerged last year about the accuracy of nuclear reactor monitoring instruments during testing.

Mr Hammond said: “This contract marks an important step forward in the progress of our attack submarine programme and moves the Royal Navy closer to adding more of these highly-advanced and powerful attack submarines to its fleet.

“Our ability to commit an additional £1.5bn for boats five, six and seven underlines the benefits of a balanced budget and fully-funded equipment programme that gives our armed forces greater certainty.

“This funding demonstrates our commitment not only to a key Royal Navy capability, but also to the submarine industry in Barrow, which will play a vital role in Britain’s defence for decades to come.”

Source: BBC

First women qualify as submarine officers

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First women qualify as submarine officers»Play Video

In this Navy photo, Master Chief Rusty Staub congratulates Lt. j.g. Amber Cowan, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012 in Bangor, Wash. Lt. j.g. Jennifer Noonan is seen at center.
For the last century all fully-qualified submarine officers have been men. But that all changed when two women were honored with their Navy dolphin pins.
The ceremony on Wednesday at Naval Base Kitsap was a graduation day of sorts with crowds, caps, and uniforms.
From a cluster of colleagues, two female crew members of the USS Maine ballistic missile submarine were called front and center for a designation that made them qualified submariners. The two junior lieutenants were among the first three women in the submarine force’s 112-year history to get their dolphins.
“This is the mark where your command puts their confidence in you,” said Lieutenant junior grade Jennifer Noonan.
Fellow submariner Lieutenant junior grade Amber Cowan also got her pin and said she was thrilled.
“I’m a little bit in shock I think,” she said.
Cowan, a University of Washington graduate, and Noonan, a Boston native, each reported to the USS Maine nearly one year ago after completing 15 months of nuclear power school and rigorous training.
Now, they’re officially part of the team.
“They really become like a family more than just the people you work with every day,” said Noonan.
The next group of female submariners will begin arriving at boats in January. That’s when they’ll begin their training toward earning their own dolphin pins.
Source – Komo

Submarine with new design nears completion

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Submarine with new design nears completion

The military contractor, which got a boost this week when Congress agreed to not delay the purchase of a Virginia-class sub, is hoping that its record of delivering submarines under budget and ahead of schedule will help protect it from cuts in Washington.”There’s no question we’re in a very constrained fiscal environment,” said Robert Hamilton, a company spokesman. “Any program that is over-running on costs and schedule is going to get a second look.”

The last major piece of the new submarine, the 113-foot-long bow section, arrived at the Groton shipyard a week ago from the company’s partner contractor in the Virginia-class submarine project, Newport News Shipbuilding. The Navy contract calls for the completed sub to be delivered in August 2014.

The new design introduces larger, more versatile weapons tubes in the bow. Despite the changes, the submarine is expected to be ready for delivery ahead of schedule, partly because the design reduced the number of parts in the bow and made construction more manageable, said Chris Cameron, a construction program manager at Electric Boat.

The U.S. is building two Virginia-class submarines a year, at a cost of about $2.6 billion each. The cost-savings for the Navy that come with the redesign of the bow will add up to about $800 million over 20 submarines, Hamilton said.

A budget proposal from President Barack Obama had called for the Navy to purchase only one submarine in 2014, but the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives agreed this week to include money for a second sub that year in the National Defense Authorization Act.

Bob Ross, the director of the state’s Office of Military Affairs, noted the Virginia-class program has been praised for efficiency by the defense secretary.

“It’s really great from our position to be able to articulate that this is the premier, major acquisition program in the country right now,” Ross said. “It puts us on very solid ground when we argue don’t disrupt that production schedule.”

Like other defense contractors around the state and the nation, Electric Boat is still keeping a wary eye on developments in Washington, where talks are under way to reach a deal that would avoid the double hit of tax hikes and automatic spending reductions dubbed the “fiscal cliff.”

Even if those automatic cuts do not take effect, Ross said Connecticut is expected to see a 10 percent reduction in its defense spending over the next six years. He said the automatic cuts could raise that figure as high as 18 percent, but officials have no way to know which programs would be hit.

“The sooner we deal with this issue and remove the uncertainty, the better it is for all of defense contractors in the state,” Ross said.

Source – Hampton Roads

HMS Triumph – Medals for crew who helped to topple Gaddafi

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SUBMARINERS who played a pivotal role in the NATO mission to topple the Gaddafi regime in Libya last year are to be rewarded for their service.

The crew of nuclear submarine HMS Triumph will be presented with medals at a ceremony in HMNB Devonport next week.

During the conflict they conducted many operations which in turn were key in preventing planned attacks including the mining of Misrata Harbour.

Much of the information was kept under wraps until July this year when The Herald spent a week onboard the submarine and the crew revealed the extent of their role.

Triumph’s crew foiled another assault when an unmanned inflatable boat was found with two mannequins at the controls and a box containing a ton of explosives on board.

Code named Operation Ellamy, the mission saw the first strike from the hunter-killer submarine, and the first from any British unit, on March 18, 2011 – just seven days after they were re-tasked to Libya.

Although the exact number of Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles fired by HMS Triumph could not be revealed, the submarine conducted six precision strikes each firing more than one of the deadly missiles on key targets including one of Colonel Gaddafi’s compounds.

After the operation some of the crew members said they felt “disheartened” by the lack of recognition for their service. Another described the feeling as a sense they had been “written out of history”.

But now the boat and 87 members of her crew, who have also been nominated for a Millie award, will receive the Unified Protector medal.

Commander Rob Dunn, 48, the former commanding officer of HMS Triumph, said: “We were operating in a hostile environment with gunfire echoing through the hull for nearly seven weeks.

“Our role in Libya was not widely publicised but there was a lot of individual recognition for certain members of the crew.”

As a result of the war, three members of HMS Triumph’s crew were presented Chief of Joint Operations Commendations in the operational awards list.

Cdr Dunn said the crew worked under continuous “risk and rigour” during their mammoth 10-month deployment.

Source – This is Plymouth

Iran unveils unusually colored blue submarine

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Iran unveils unusually colored blue submarine

The Iranian Navy’s unusually colorful new Sina 7 submarine (AP)It looks like the Iranian Navy really wanted people to see its new submarine. In a live broadcast on state TV on Wednesday, the Islamic Republic showed off a new Sina 7 submarine that is painted in an unusually bright turquoise blue hue.

So, why exactly would any military want to design its ship in a color that can be easily spotted ? TheDaily Mail speculates that the ship’s designers mistakenly chose the color, believing it would help the craft blend in with the ocean’s waters.

Launched from Bandar Abbas, near the Strait of Hormuz, the Sina 7 and two Ghadir-class submarines represent the first wave of the country’s “indigenously built” warships, Iran said.

“Since the beginning of the Islamic Revolution, we have learned not to ask for help from other countries and stand on our own feet in meeting our demands,” Iranian Navy commander Habibollah Sayyari said during the broadcast.

“Thanks to the Islamic Revolution, Iran has acquired the know-how to build submarines. No one believed that we would reach a point where we would build destroyers capable of carrying helicopters and missiles in the Sea of Oman and oceans … because it’s a very difficult task to build destroyers and submarines.”

The Sina 7 is reportedly capable of firing anti-ship missiles, which the Iranian government says is a centerpiece of its new defense strategy.

Two repaired hovercraft vehicles were also showcased during the broadcast.

The Iranian Navy’s new blue submarine