Australia - Obsolete Collins fleet 'a lost cause'

Commander Harrap, a 20-year navy veteran, said Australia's submarines had 'the least reliable diesel engines ever built'. 

A SUBMARINE commander has quit the navy, describing the Collins-class fleet as obsolete and unsustainable and saying the boats are kept running only by the "sheer determination of the crews at sea".

In comments that will rattle the Defence hierarchy, Commander James Harrap, a 20-year navy veteran, said Australia's submarines had "the least reliable diesel engines ever built", and attempts to upgrade the boats would be a waste of money because their performance would only get worse.

"I don't believe the Collins-class are sustainable in the long term and many of the expensive upgrade plans which have been proposed would be throwing good money after bad," he said in a written account of his time as commander, obtained by Submariners World.

Commander Harrap, who has commanded both HMAS Waller and, until last month, HMAS Collins, said: "Lack of available stores inventory, increased equipment failure rates and submarines living with reduced capability is something I expect will persist for the remaining life of the class.

"I do not believe we have the capability to independently design and build our own submarines."

Commander Harrap's comments contradict a message sent to all sailors at sea yesterday by navy chief Vice Admiral Ray Griggs, who staunchly defended the performance of the fleet.

In a signal sent to all ships, Vice Admiral Griggs said "ongoing and concerted efforts to improve overall reliability" of the boats were succeeding.

"I remain confident in the capacity of the submarine force to meet the operational requirements of government," he said.

Vice Admiral Griggs was responding to a report released this week by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, which raised questions about the war-fighting ability of the submarines given their history of chronic problems.

Commander Harrap says that despite the unreliability of the submarines, he believes the Collins-class boats had "serviced the navy well and achieved much", including many unheralded successes.

However, the bulk of his five-page account of his experience is sharply critical of the submarines.

"Over the last two years, I believe these problems have become worse," he wrote. "Throughout my command of both Collins and Waller, full capability was never available and frequently over 50 per cent of the identified defects were awaiting stores.

"Collins has consistently been let down by some fundamental design flaws, leading to poor reliability and inconsistent performance. The constant stream of defects and operation control limitations makes getting to sea difficult, staying at sea harder and fighting the enemy a luxury only available once the first two have been overcome."