26 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2020 www.vanguardcanada.com
submarines
The Canadian
Submarine dilemma
By RAdm PeteR d
BRiggs (Ret'd), RAN
an australian PersPective
A lAck of operAtionAl
submArines, stressed crews
with no prospect of shore relief,
A stAlled trAining pipeline,
And with morAle And retention
sinking, the royAl AustrAliAn
nAvy submArine force in 2007/8
fAced A bleAk situAtion.
The Australian Submarine
Situation
The situation resulted after a tough two
decades of struggle and the transition from
the Oberon to Collins Class submarines,
which led to a loss of submarine sea days
and shortfalls in personnel numbers and ex-
perience. This difficult and challenging sit-
uation that the RAN faced a few years ago
was due to a combination of five factors:
1. A government decision against the Royal
Australian Navy's recommendation to
change the dockyard undertaking the last
two Oberon refits. This led to a blow out
in cost, quality, and duration.
2. When it became apparent that the Col-
lins Class would be delayed in entering
into service, there was no appetite to
fund an additional refit to prolong the
Oberon capability.
3. The shift to a west coast submarine
base compounded the manpower issues
arising from the transition.
4. Collins experienced significant first of
class issues, delaying acceptance into ser-
vice and reducing sea days for training
and experience levels.
5. The situation became the subject of criti-
cal cartoons and headlines, impacting
morale, and public/political support.
