Royal Australian Navy Discussions and Updates

[StingrayOZ]

If the launchers face in, it means the blast goes out. Better than the back blast going inboard and scorching everything.

But if you want to fire a mass volley off wouldn't you be somewhat limited. I guess its only seconds. But possible?

Still some ships mount them outwards some inwards. I guess it depends if you fire them or not.

Type 26 and FREMM had them facing outwards, F-5000 inwards.

 

[Raven22]

But if you want to fire a mass volley off wouldn't you be somewhat limited. I guess its only seconds. But possible?

Still some ships mount them outwards some inwards. I guess it depends if you fire them or not.

Type 26 and FREMM had them facing outwards, F-5000 inwards.

I don't see the issue. In the extremely unlikely event that you had to fire off all the harpoon at once, simply fire off all four rounds from one launcher, then fire the four from the other. There would be seconds between individual rounds firing anyway, so it wouldn't be an issue.

 

[Milne Bay]

I don't see the issue. In the extremely unlikely event that you had to fire off all the harpoon at once, simply fire off all four rounds from one launcher, then fire the four from the other. There would be seconds between individual rounds firing anyway, so it wouldn't be an issue.

Precisely!
And there would be more paint left on the hull and superstructure.
And - of course this extremely unlikely event is .... wellllll.... extremely unlikely!
MB

 

[pussertas]

600 Construction Jobs to be Created as Lendlease Selected to Build Osborne South Ship

(Source: Australian Department of Defence; issued Oct 12, 2017)
The Turnbull Government has announced that Lendlease has been selected as the managing contractor for the construction of the Osborne South Shipyard and has today revealed the project is anticipated to create 600 jobs at its peak.

Following a competitive tender process, Lendlease, in partnership with Australian Naval Infrastructure Pty Ltd, will be responsible for undertaking this nationally significant work. Lendlease has a proven track-record with large, high-profile construction projects and has recently delivered major projects in South Australia, including the Adelaide Oval and Convention Centre redevelopments.

Mobilisation works will commence in October 2017, with the completion of the new shipbuilding infrastructure ready to support the commencement of Future Frigate construction at the site in 2020. The construction of the shipyard is a key enabler of the Government’s continuous naval shipbuilding program.

Minister for Defence Industry the Hon Christopher Pyne MP said that South Australians were now seeing the tangible benefits of the Turnbull Government’s historic $90 billion naval shipbuilding program.

“For the first time in over a decade we are seeing jobs created at Osborne, with up to 600 construction related jobs to be created on the Osborne South Shipyard project,” Minister Pyne said.

“The valley of death is over and we are now seeing a upturn of employment in naval shipbuilding in our state that will only continue to increase as these new projects gain momentum.”

Minister for Finance Senator the Hon Mathias Cormann said that the Government’s decisions to establish Australian Naval Infrastructure Pty Ltd and purchase land and facilities from the South Australian Government have enabled work to progress rapidly.

“Today’s announcement is the latest step in the Government’s plan to ensure that we develop world-leading shipbuilding facilities in South Australia that will enable our historic investments in naval shipbuilding to commence on schedule.

“Through Australian Naval Infrastructure Pty Ltd the Government is investing more than $500 million in naval infrastructure at Osborne that will support a sustainable, long-term naval shipbuilding industry in Australia.”

 

[ASSAIL]

Linked is a topical blast from the past re shipbuilding. I'm sure wish that all our decision makers were as committed to the enterprise as they were in those days.

https://youtu.be/3n7aSUpy6-0

 

[hauritz]

Linked is a topical blast from the past re shipbuilding. I'm sure wish that all our decision makers were as committed to the enterprise as they were in those days.

https://youtu.be/3n7aSUpy6-0

Total war has a way of focusing the attention of politicians.

Australia went from practically no ship-building industry to building well over 100 naval vessels by wars end.

Tribal Class destroyers 3
Bathurst Class corvettes (as well as 4 for India) 56
Frigates 6
Fairmile Motor Launches 35
80ft Harbour Defence Motor Launches 9
Boom Defence Vessels 4

This doesn't take into account building merchant's vessels and maintaining, repairing and refitting ships for the RAN and its allies.

 

[alexsa]

Total war has a way of focusing the attention of politicians.

Australia went from practically no ship-building industry to building well over 100 naval vessels by wars end.

Tribal Class destroyers 3
Bathurst Class corvettes (as well as 4 for India) 56
Frigates 6
Fairmile Motor Launches 35
80ft Harbour Defence Motor Launches 9
Boom Defence Vessels 4

This doesn't take into account building merchant's vessels and maintaining, repairing and refitting ships for the RAN and its allies.

And we built aircraft and armour ....... interest waned pretty soon after the fighting stopped. Large commercial shipbuilding kept going for a while but was killed by the cost of production.

 

[ASSAIL]

Linked is a topical blast from the past re shipbuilding. I'm sure wish that all our decision makers were as committed to the enterprise as they were in those days.

https://youtu.be/3n7aSUpy6-0

I didn't post this to advocate a return to wartime emergency construction but to juxtaposition it against the national shipbuilding enterprise about to commence here in Australia.
The political,reference was to illustrate my concern that the programme may be easily derailed by politicians who see more mileage in "bread and circus" policies rather than defence, something our Old Commonwealth friends know only too well.

 

[Milne Bay]

And we built aircraft and armour ....... interest waned pretty soon after the fighting stopped. Large commercial shipbuilding kept going for a while but was killed by the cost of production.

Yes, Australia did remarkable things during the industrialisation that occurred - towards the war effort. Don't forget what went with it - higher tax rates, shortages, rationing, government debt to fund the defence effort etc.
Once the war was over, all of that work had to somehow transition to other industries.
Also the size of the armed forces at the end of WW2 was enormous compared to the population.
And all those ships and tanks and planes had nothing to do and no-one to use them.
One of the reasons for soldier settlement blocks was to provide a boost to employment through primary industry and to find jobs for all those returning servicemen.
Major peacetime infrastructure projects like the Snowy Mountains scheme were also a part of this post war re-construction effort.
Remember also that people were totally sick and tired of war and all that went with it.
MB

 

[Milne Bay]

I see that HMAS Warramunga has set out for the middle east to relieve HMAS Newcastle.
The farewell picture shows that she is leaving with no harpoons on their launch cradles.
This is the first time that I have noticed this absence for a ship heading for the middle east.
MB

 

[ASSAIL]

I see that HMAS Warramunga has set out for the middle east to relieve HMAS Newcastle.
The farewell picture shows that she is leaving with no harpoons on their launch cradles.
This is the first time that I have noticed this absence for a ship heading for the middle east.
MB

Or maybe? she heads down to Eden first to load all munitions.

 

[alexsa]

Or maybe? she heads down to Eden first to load all munitions.

Sorry, we cannot have logic here ........ bloody good point though.

My interest is what they will do with Newcastle when she gets back. NUSHIP Brisbane will start sea trial soon.

 

[hauritz]

Sorry, we cannot have logic here ........ bloody good point though.

My interest is what they will do with Newcastle when she gets back. NUSHIP Brisbane will start sea trial soon.

According to Wikipedia, she will stay in commission until 2019.

HMAS Darwin will decommission this December.

 

[alexsa]

According to Wikipedia, she will stay in commission until 2019.

HMAS Darwin will decommission this December.

Here’s hoping. Sydney was going to hang about as a training aid for a bit but that seemed quite short lived.

With Brisbane about to start sea trials and Sydney not far from the water you have to wonder if they will not be tempted to start transitioning out of the FFGs sooner, particularly if they have a home to go to.

 

[John Newman]

Here’s hoping. Sydney was going to hang about as a training aid for a bit but that seemed quite short lived.

With Brisbane about to start sea trials and Sydney not far from the water you have to wonder if they will not be tempted to start transitioning out of the FFGs sooner, particularly if they have a home to go to.

As I understand it Darwin decommissions late this year, as for Melbourne and Newcastle, I'd assume they would both be decommissioned by, or around the time the last AWD commissions.

Earlier this year there was a media report (think it was DefenseNews?), that Poland was interested in the FFG's (at least the last two).

To back that up, there is an interview in the latest APDR with Christopher Pyne:

https://venturaapdr.partica.online/apdr/apdr-october-2017/flipbook/38/

If you have a read of page 38, Pyne says that he is off to Poland soon to discuss the possible sale.

If that happens, then Melbourne and Newcastle might well live on for a bit longer in Polish service, and who know Darwin might go as an active or spares ship too.

It's all happening!! FFG's to Poland, Classic Hornets to Canada!!

What's next??

 

[hauritz]

It's all happening!! FFG's to Poland, Classic Hornets to Canada!!

What's next??

How about some Tigers ... they even have pretty low flying hours.

 

[Stampede]

Remember also that people were totally sick and tired of war and all that went with it.
MB

It's a healthy thing for a nation to hunger for peace. Costa Rica hungered for peace after a bloody civil war and has faired fairly well on a security level since disbanding its armed forces in 1949. How Australia would have faired in 1940 without a defence force with the Imperial Japan's move south is a hypothetical we will never know. Could we have been neutral?
What we do recall was the national effort both civil and military that helped contribute to the defeat of the Japanese threat. Our ship building capability was a part of this grand national effort in devoting such resources to achieve this goal. After the war many of these manufacturing skills acquired in war were utilised as we transitioned to a peace time economy.
In our current naval manufacturing setting I hope as we build up our ship building skills base and size of fleet, it can help deter any future aggressor thus securing a peace not afforded to the WW11 generation.

Regards S

 

[SteveR]

How about some Tigers ... they even have pretty low flying hours.

Well actually ARA has the Tiger with more hours than any other of its type. Just as we use our LHDs more that the JC2.

Of course when an Apache crashes no one complains - why not???

Remember how Apaches were ambushed in Iraq in Gulf War 2 and a number shot down.Maybe they should be sold cheap too.

 

[Stampede]

As I understand it Darwin decommissions late this year, as for Melbourne and Newcastle, I'd assume they would both be decommissioned by, or around the time the last AWD commissions.

Earlier this year there was a media report (think it was DefenseNews?), that Poland was interested in the FFG's (at least the last two).

To back that up, there is an interview in the latest APDR with Christopher Pyne:

https://venturaapdr.partica.online/apdr/apdr-october-2017/flipbook/38/

If you have a read of page 38, Pyne says that he is off to Poland soon to discuss the possible sale.

If that happens, then Melbourne and Newcastle might well live on for a bit longer in Polish service, and who know Darwin might go as an active or spares ship too.

It's all happening!! FFG's to Poland, Classic Hornets to Canada!!

What's next??

Again my two bobs worth is to get the fleet's Destroyer/Frigate numbers up to a total of Twelve ASAP.
If that means the younger FFG's sail on in RAN colours a few more years then that's a good thing in my book.
The capital gain of a sale to Poland does not warrant the lowering of fleet numbers as far as I'm concerned.
The AWD's will take time to come on line and fit comfortably in the RANs order of battle.
We need hull numbers sooner not later.
Sounding a bit alarmist I know but that's my view.



Regards S

 

[Redlands18]

Just a bit of Trivia, Poland currently operates 2 Ex USN Perry class Frigates, the General Kazimierz Pulaski (ex USS Clark) and the General Taduesz Kosciuszko* (Ex USS Wadsworth). Im sure all the Aussies on here will recognize the 2nd name* as it shares its name with Australias highest peak, both named after the same person.
It's easy to see why Poland is so interested in the 2 FFGs, they are familar with Perry class Frigates and the Aussie ships are a good decade younger and with the FFGUP are better equiped than the 2 nearly 40yo ships currently in service.