Collins class
 The Collins
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The Collins class is the most advanced and currently only in use submarine - class of the Royal Australian Navy . The six submarines in the class bear the names of Australian sailors who distinguished themselves in World War II .
Operational tasks
The hunting submarines are intended for use at sea against surface and underwater targets. With the option of mining, the submarines are also able to close off sea areas indirectly.
Their home port is Fleetbase West on Garden Island on Cockburn Sound near Perth in Western Australia and they can operate both in the Australian coastal waters and in the upstream deeper sea areas. The long range and sea endurance allow autonomous deployments in large parts of the Indian and southern Pacific Oceans .
The Collins has the ability to transport amphibious special forces and land them undercover or pick them up again.
Construction and design features
Building history
Since the beginning of the 1980s, the Australian Navy had been looking for a successor to the aging Oberon class on the world market . The required submarine class should both be large enough to operate in the vast Australian sea areas and also be built in your own country. After several years of selection, the Australian Navy decided on the Type 471 from the renowned Swedish shipbuilding company Kockums . The design is an enlarged further development of the Västergötland class and belongs to the 5th generation of the Swedish history of submarine construction, which will soon be 70 years old. In June 1987, a contract for six license builds and an option for four more boats was signed.
Construction of the first components began in June 1989. The bow and central nave of the first units were manufactured in Sweden and completed with parts built there in Australia. Six submarines were built between 1989 and 2003 at the Australian Submarine Corporation in Osborne near Adelaide . The four optional boats were not built.
Since there were problems with the US weapons control system from the start, modernization measures were necessary, so that all boats of the Collins class were fully operational in 2007 .
The total cost of the project amounted to about 6 billion AUD .
Shell
The warships are among the largest modern non-nuclear submarines in the world. The pressure hull allows deployment depths of 300 m. The outer skin of the submarines is covered with sound-absorbing tiles. The first Collins built has only had the tiles since a modernization. The other five boats were fitted with the tiles from the start.
drive
The submarines are powered by a diesel-electric hybrid drive consisting of three diesel generators with an electric motor as the main engine. The propeller is mechanically completely decoupled from the diesel engines.
Lead-acid batteries serve as energy storage for diving trips . The batteries were supplied by Pacific Marine Batteries Pty. Ltd. produced in Adelaide.
The three 18-cylinder four-stroke - Turbo Diesel from the Swedish type Hedemora V 18B / 14 passed along a maximum power of 4.5 MW from. As is common with modern submarines, the diesel drive can also be used for submerged cruises at shallow depths by using a snorkel .
Three generators from Jeumont Electric are used to generate electricity, each with an electrical output of 1.4 MW . The main electrical machine also comes from Jeumont Electric and has an output of 5.3 MW. The submarines have a seven-bladed propeller with a diameter of 4.22 m.
With the propulsion system surfaced, you can drive faster than 10 kn (19 km / h) and submerged faster than 20 kn (37 km / h). The range with diesel propulsion is 11,500 nautical miles (21,300 km) when surfaced at a speed of 10 kn and 9,000 nautical miles (16,670 km) submerged when the snorkel is used. The submarines can dive up to 400 nautical miles (741 km) with an electric drive at a speed of 4 kn (7 km / h).
The latest plans include the use of a Stirling engine . On the Swedish -U boats of Södermanland - and Gotland class used air-independent propulsion system would increase the underwater range enormously. The use of modern Swedish technology, however, requires extensive conversion work, including an extension of the fuselage.
Armament
The submarines have six forward-facing 53.3 cm torpedo tubes in the bow . A turbine pump is used to eject the weapons from the tubes.
The US Mark 48 torpedoes are used as torpedo armament . The guided missiles have a 267 kg warhead and can be used against other submarines as well as against surface vehicles. They run at speeds of 55 knots up to 38 km and at 40 knots up to 50 km. In addition to the torpedoes, anti-ship missiles can also be launched from the tubes . The UGM-84 Harpoon produced by the US armaments company Boeing have a 227 kg warhead, can fly up to 124 km at a speed of 460 kn and are suitable for use against surface units. The submarines can carry up to 22 torpedoes or missiles but also up to 44 sea mines .
equipment
The periscopes were made in Great Britain. The Optronic CK43 search periscope and the Optronic CH93 attack periscope were supplied by Pilkington (now Thales Group ).
The sonar system is largely a French / Australian joint development. The submarines each have a tow sonar .
The fire control system originally came from the US aerospace company Rockwell International . The system had many technical problems and later had to be replaced. The CCS-MK-2 system produced by the US electronics company Raytheon was chosen as a replacement . The Raytheon technology is also on the latest Virginia class submarines of the US Navy used. The conversion program provides for all boats to be equipped with the new electronics in 2007.
commitment
As part of a naval exercise in 2003, three Australian Collins- class submarines escaped the US anti-submarine defense and “sunk” two Los Angeles- class boats and even an aircraft carrier in simulated attacks .
Boats of the class
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Collins
- Namesake: Vice Admiral Sir John Augustine Collins (1899–1989)
- Keel laid : February 14, 1990
- Launched : August 28, 1993
- Commissioning: July 27, 1996
- Home port : Fleet Base West (Garden Island near Perth / Western Australia )
- Remaining: on active duty.
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Ferncomb
- Namesake: Rear Admiral Harold Farncomb (1899–1971)
- Keel laid: March 3, 1991
- Launched: December 15, 1995
- Commissioning: January 31, 1998
- Home port: Fleet Base West
- Remaining: on active duty.
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Catfish
- Namesake: Captain Hector Waller (1900–1942)
- Keel laid: February 7, 1992
- Launched: March 14, 1997
- Commissioning: July 10, 1999
- Home port: Fleet Base West
- Remaining: on active duty.
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Dechaineux
- Namesake: Captain Emile Dechaineux (1902–1944)
- Keel laid: March 4, 1993
- Launched: March 12, 1998
- Commissioning: February 23, 2001
- Home port: Fleet Base West
- Remaining: on active duty.
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Sheean
- Namesake: Sailor Edward (Teddy) Sheean (1923–1942)
- Keel laid: February 17, 1994
- Launched: May 1st, 1999
- Commissioning: February 23, 2001
- Home port: Fleet Base West
- Remaining: on active duty.
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Rankin
- Namesake: Lieutenant Captain Robert William Rankin (1907–1942)
- Keel laying: May 12, 1995
- Launched: November 7, 2001
- Commissioning: March 29, 2003
- Home port: Fleet Base West
- Remaining: on active duty.
future
In February 2019, Prime Minister Scott Morrison signed a contract with the French Naval Group for the delivery of 12 submarines. They are to be developed on the basis of the Barracuda class , but in contrast to these, they will not be nuclear powered , but will be equipped with diesel engines and be referred to as the “attack class”. The submarines are expected to be manufactured in Australia by the early 2030s and then replace the Collins-class vehicles.
literature
- Chris Chant: Modern submarines technology-tactics-armament , Motorbuchverlag, Stuttgart, 1st edition 2005, ISBN 3-7276-7150-5
- Werner Globke (ed.): Weyers Flottentaschenbuch / Warships of the World - Fleet Handbook , Bernard & Graefe Verlag, Bonn, 66th year 2005-2007, ISBN 3-7637-4517-3
Web links
- Technical information on the Collins-class submarine ( Engl. )
- Virtual tour of Australian warships on the website of the Royal Australia Navy (Engl.)
- Collins-class on the website of the Royal Australia Navy (Engl.)
- The namesake on the site of the Royal Australia Navy Overview (Engl.)
Individual evidence
- ^ Peter Mühlbauer: 30 billion euro submarine business between France and Australia. Telepolis , February 12, 2019, accessed the same day.