HMAS STIRLING, Western Australia, Australia (Aug. 22, 2024) – In a historic first, Australian personnel will work alongside with their U.S. counterparts to conduct maintenance on USS Hawaii (SSN 776) in Australia as part of a Submarine Tendered Maintenance Period (STMP) at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia. The STMP marks a significant step forward in the Australia, United Kingdom, United States (AUKUS) Pillar 1 program, which is paving the way for Australia to acquire a sovereign, conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability.
Over the coming weeks, submarine tender USS Emory S. Land (AS 39) will execute several maintenance activities aboard Hawaii. This is the first time Australians have participated in a U.S. submarine maintenance period in Australia. More than 30 Australian personnel who participated in a knowledge exchange period that began in January 2024 aboard Emory S. Land will execute the majority of planned maintenance work with U.S. support and oversight.
The Emory S. Land crew will execute planned and emergent maintenance activities including the removal and reinstallation of an antenna located in Hawaii’s sail, divers visually inspecting the underwater towed array and torpedo tube muzzles, and simulating the removal and installation of a trim pump, to include full rigging and preparations.
“This is an important moment for the Royal Australian Navy,” said Rear Adm. Matthew Buckley, the Australian Submarine Agency’s Head of Submarine Capability. “For the first time, we have Australians who were trained and certified aboard Emory S. Land using their skills on a U.S. SSN in Australian waters.”
AUKUS Pillar 1 is an enhanced trilateral security agreement designed to assist Australia in acquiring sovereign, conventionally armed, nuclear-powered attack submarines. The current port visit is part of a years-long effort to grow the Royal Australian Navy’s ability to maintain SSNs before establishing Submarine Rotational Force – West (SRF-W) as early as 2027. Known as Phase 1, SRF-W will see up to four U.S. SSNs and one U.K. SSN have a rotational presence in Western Australia to grow Australia’s ability to sustain, operate and maintain a sovereign fleet of SSNs.
The second phase of the AUKUS Optimal Pathway begins in the early 2030s, with the United States selling Australia three Virginia-class submarines, with the potential to sell up to two more if needed. Phase Three sees the combination of the next-generation UK submarine design and advanced United States and Australian technology to deliver SSN-AUKUS, the future attack submarine for both Australia and the United Kingdom. Australia plans to deliver the first Australian-built SSN-AUKUS in the early 2040s.
“The groundwork being laid with the STMP will help the Royal Navy when we conduct our future port visits,” said Rear Adm. Chris Shepherd, the UK’s Defence Nuclear Organisation AUKUS Director. “We, like our Australian counterparts, are observing how the U.S. operates so we can help bridge the gap between their system and our Astute-class SSN and, in the near future, SSN-AUKUS.”
“Having Royal Australian Navy Sailors working on our submarine at HMAS Stirling has been something they, and we, have been working toward for months,” said Rear Adm. Lincoln Reifsteck, the U.S. AUKUS Integration and Acquisition Program Manager. “They represent the future of Australia’s sovereign SSN fleet – Australians should be proud of what these professionals have accomplished, and will accomplish, to protect their homeland and help deter aggression in the region.”
“Partnering so closely with the Royal Australian Navy has been a fantastic experience,” said Capt. Brent Spillner, Emory S. Land’s commanding officer. “Their Fleet Support Unit sailors integrated rapidly into our crew and have excelled at every task. It’s truly been a two-way knowledge exchange; we’ve learned as much from them as they have from us, and it’s exciting to see how that’s opened new opportunities to support each other’s forward-deployed ships in the future.”
“It is both personally and professionally rewarding to know that the work we do over the coming weeks will set our Australian partners on the path toward a sovereign SSN capability,” shared Cmdr. Dan Jones, USS Hawaii commanding officer.
The STMP is similar to a planned maintenance period generally conducted in U.S. submarine ports with support from shore-based or tender-based maintenance personnel. Generally lasting up to three weeks, this type of maintenance availability does not require dry-docking the submarine and serves to ensure submarines receive planned and emergent maintenance to remain ready for tasking.
The STMP will support Australia’s nuclear stewardship growth through the planning and execution of simulated radiological training evolutions that will not involve the use of radiological material. These training evolutions will allow Australian radiological controls policy makers to observe how the U.S. Navy safely handles simulated low-level radiological material as a means to increase their knowledge and develop Australian policy and radiation safety practices that are protective of the workforce, the public, and the environment.