Historic first as nuclear submarine docks in Australia for repair

A major milestone has just been hit in Australia’s ambition to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.

Australian defence planners have hit another milestone in their AUKUS ambition to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, with an American nuclear attack submarine docking in Australia for maintenance work for the first time.

USS Hawaii, a Virginia-class fast-attack submarine, docked at Australian naval base HMAS Stirling in Perth on Thursday.

Australian personnel will conduct maintenance work on the nuclear-powered sub as part of a larger knowledge transfer and upskill program to develop Australia’s naval capacity.

“AUKUS partners are also committed to setting the highest nuclear non-proliferation standard for the acquisition of a conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability for Australia,” defence ministers Richard Marles, Lloyd Austin and John Healey said in a statement.

“Our navies are committed to reinforcing the same guiding principles within Australia that have allowed the United States and United Kingdom to safely operate nuclear-powered ships for nearly 70 years.

“We are stronger, safer, and more effective when we learn, train, work, and operate together.”

The Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Hawaii prepares to moor at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia. Picture: US Navy Photo, Petty Officer 1st Class Victoria Mejicanos

American crew from USS Emory S Land, a boat that provides maintenance and logistical support to nuclear subs, will oversee Australian personnel as they work on the Hawaii in the next few weeks.

“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,” the US Embassy in Canberra said in a statement.

Australian Submarine Agency head of submarine capability Rear Admiral Matthew Buckley said the collaboration between US and Australian personnel was an “important moment” for the Australian navy.

“For the first time, we have Australians who were trained and certified aboard Emory S Land using their skills on a US SSN in Australian waters,” he said.

The training marks another step in Australia’s long journey to acquire nuclear-powered submarines as part of the AUKUS agreement between Australia, the US and the UK.

“Having Royal Australian Navy sailors working on our submarine at HMAS Stirling has been something they, and we, have been working toward for months,” US AUKUS integration and acquisition program manager Rear Admiral Lincoln Reifsteck said.

“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.”

Defence Minister Richard Marles speaks at the press conference at the submarine build facility in Adelaide. Picture: NewsWire / Kelly Barnes

The agreement, which was first orchestrated by former prime minister Scott Morrison and is now backed and supported by his Labor successor Anthony Albanese, is split into two pillars.

The first pillar involves Australia’s acquisition of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines, with the government set to shell out up to $368bn in the next three decades to get them.

In the second pillar, the three democracies share a range of advanced and emerging military tech, including advanced artificial intelligence to track and surveil submarines in the Asia-Pacific.

AUKUS marks a decisive shift in Australia’s defence policy and is designed to contain threats to democracy in the region, including from a rising China.

It boasts bipartisan support, but some Australian public figures have expressed reservations about the plan, including former Labor foreign minister Gareth Evans, who has argued AUKUS stitches Australia too closely to US interests and could degrade independent decision-making in foreign policy.