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HMAS Dechaineux (SSG 76)
Encyclopedia
HMAS Dechaineux (SSG 76) is the fourth of six Collins class
Collins class submarine
The Collins class is a class of six Australian-built diesel-electric submarines operated by the Royal Australian Navy . The Collins class takes its name from Australian Vice Admiral John Augustine Collins; all six submarines are named after significant RAN personnel who distinguished themselves in...
submarines operated by the Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
(RAN).
Named for Captain Emile Dechaineux
Emile Dechaineux
Emile Frank Verlaine Dechaineux, DSC was an Australian mariner who achieved the rank of Captain in the Royal Australian Navy during World War II. He was killed by a Japanese aircraft in what is believed to be the first ever kamikaze attack, in the lead-up to the Battle of Leyte...
, the boat was laid down in 1993 and launched in 1998. Dechaineux and sister boat Sheean were modified during construction as part of the "fast track" program—an attempt to fix the problems affecting the Collins class, and put at least two fully operational submarines in service before the last Oberon class submarine
Oberon class submarine
The Oberon class was a 27-boat class of British-built diesel-electric submarines based on the successful British Porpoise-class submarine....
was decommissioned.
In 2003, a seawater pipe burst while Dechaineux was submerged deep, nearly resulting in the loss of the submarine.
Construction
Dechaineux was laid down by the Australian Submarine CorporationAustralian Submarine Corporation
The ASC, formerly Australian Submarine Corporation, is a wholly government-owned Australian naval defence company headquartered at Osborne in Adelaide, South Australia.-History:...
on 4 March 1993, launched on 12 March 1998, and commissioned into the RAN on 23 February 2001.
The issues with the Collins class highlighted in the McIntosh-Prescott Report and the pressing need to have combat-ready submarines in the RAN fleet with the pending decommissioning of , the final Oberon class submarine
Oberon class submarine
The Oberon class was a 27-boat class of British-built diesel-electric submarines based on the successful British Porpoise-class submarine....
in Australian service, prompted the establishment of an A$1 billion program to bring Dechaineux and sister boat Sheean up to an operational standard as quickly as possible, referred to as the "fast track" or "get well" program. The fast track program required the installation of reliable diesel engines, fixing the hydrodynamic noise issues with the class by modifying the hull design and propeller, and providing a functional combat system. The original Rockwell International
Rockwell International
Rockwell International was a major American manufacturing conglomerate in the latter half of the 20th century, involved in aircraft, the space industry, both defense-oriented and commercial electronics, automotive and truck components, printing presses, valves and meters, and industrial automation....
-designed combat system had been cancelled, but because there wasn't enough time to evaluate the replacement system to include it in the "fast track" program, the two submarines were fitted with components from the old Rockwell system, which were augmented by commercial off-the-shelf
Commercial off-the-shelf
In the United States, Commercially available Off-The-Shelf is a Federal Acquisition Regulation term defining a nondevelopmental item of supply that is both commercial and sold in substantial quantities in the commercial marketplace, and that can be procured or utilized under government contract...
hardware and software. Even with the enhanced Rockwell system, it was believed that the capabilities of the fast track Collins boats was only equivalent to the Oberons.
On 14 December 2000, Dechaineux and Sheean arrived at HMAS Stirling
HMAS Stirling
HMAS Stirling is the Royal Australian Navy's primary base on the west coast of Australia. It is located on Garden Island in the state of Western Australia, near the city of Perth...
, following the completion of sea trials.
Dechaineux was named for Captain Emile Dechaineux
Emile Dechaineux
Emile Frank Verlaine Dechaineux, DSC was an Australian mariner who achieved the rank of Captain in the Royal Australian Navy during World War II. He was killed by a Japanese aircraft in what is believed to be the first ever kamikaze attack, in the lead-up to the Battle of Leyte...
, who was killed by a kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
attack on 21 October 1944 while commanding .
Characteristics
The Collins class is an enlarged version of the KockumsKockums
Kockums AB is a shipyard in Malmö, Sweden owned by the German shipyard Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft in Kiel. HDW itself is a subsidiary of the German ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems....
Västergötland class submarine
Västergötland class submarine
The Västergötland class of diesel-electric submarines was introduced in 1987 by the Swedish Navy. The original four ships of her class, HMS Västergötland, HMS Hälsingland, HMS Södermanland and HMS Östergötland, were built between 1983 and 1988 by Kockums AB...
. At 77.42 metres (254 ft) in length, with a beam of 7.8 metres (25.6 ft) and a waterline depth of 7 metres (23 ft), displacing 3,051 tonnes when surfaced, and 3,353 tonnes when submerged, they are the largest conventionally powered submarines in the world. The hull is constructed from high-tensile micro-alloy steel, and are covered in a skin of anechoic tile
Anechoic tile
Anechoic tiles are rubber or synthetic polymer tiles containing thousands of tiny voids, applied to the outer hulls of military ships and submarines, as well as anechoic chambers...
s to minimise detection by sonar. The depth that they can dive to is classified: most sources claim that it is over 180 metres (590.6 ft),
The submarine is armed with six 21 inches (533.4 mm) torpedo tube
Torpedo tube
A torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units installed aboard surface vessels...
s, and carry a standard payload of 22 torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
es: originally a mix of Gould Mark 48 Mod 4
Mark 48 torpedo
The Mark 48 and its improved ADCAP variant are heavyweight submarine-launched torpedoes. They were designed to sink fast, deep-diving nuclear-powered submarines and high-performance surface ships.-History:...
torpedoes and UGM-84C Sub-Harpoon
Boeing Harpoon
The Harpoon is an all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile system, developed and manufactured by McDonnell Douglas . In 2004, Boeing delivered the 7,000th Harpoon unit since the weapon's introduction in 1977...
, with the Mark 48s later upgraded to the Mod 7 Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System (CBASS) version.
Each submarine is equipped with three Garden Island-Hedemora
Hedemora Diesel
Hedemora Diesel AB is a Swedish company in Hedemora, Dalarnas län and is a spinn off from Hedemora Verkstäder. The company used to produce diesel engines, to ships, locomotives, oil rigs and back up generators to hospitals...
HV V18b/15Ub (VB210) 18-cylinder diesel engines, which are each connected to a 1,400 kW, 440-volt DC Jeumont Schneider generator. These supply a single Jeumont Schneider DC motor, which provides 7,200 shaft horsepower to a single, seven-bladed, 4.22 metres (13.8 ft) diameter skewback propeller. The Collins class has a speed of 10.5 knots (5.7 m/s) when surfaced and at snorkel depth, and can reach 21 knots (11.4 m/s) underwater. The submarines have a range of 11000 nautical miles (20,372 km) at 10 knots (5.4 m/s) when surfaced, and 9000 nautical miles (16,668 km) at 10 knots (5.4 m/s) at snorkel depth. When submerged completely, a Collins class submarine can travel 32.6 nautical miles (60.4 km) at maximum speed, or 480 nautical miles (889 km) at 4 knots (7.8 km/h). Each boat has a endurance of 70 days.
Operational history
On 12 February 2003, Dechaineux was operating near her maximum safe diving depth off the coast of Western Australia when a seawater hose burst. The high-pressure seawater flooded the lower engine room before the hose was sealed off: it was estimated that if the inflow had continued for another twenty seconds, the weight of the water would have prevented Dechaineux from returning to the surface. The RAN recalled the Collins class submarines to base after the incident, and after engineers were unable to determine the flaw in the pipes that caused the incident, instructed that the maximum safe depth of the class be reduced.Dechaineux underwent a maintenance period during 2009 and early 2010; the submarine was returned to service in late May 2010.
On 9 November 2010, Dechaineux was damaged after a tugboat helping the submarine to manoeuver from her berth at HMAS Stirling crossed over the submarine's stern. The submarine was sent to the Australian Marine Complex at Henderson, Western Australia
Henderson, Western Australia
Henderson is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Cockburn.-History:The suburb of Henderson comprises land resumed by the Commonwealth Government in 1915 for defence purposes. A large naval base was planned by Admiral Sir Reginald Henderson, and the was area sometimes...
for repairs: these were completed within a week, and Dechaineux was operational by late November.