On this Royal Australian Navy publically available website
https://www.navy.gov.au/fleet/ships-boats-craft/submarines/ssg (as at March 18, 2020) is some interesting information, including submarine "docking" (non-availability) and Commanding Officers names, Commanding Officers' names, in turn, link to their official career details.
- South Africa born Commander Darren White transferred from the South African Navy.
- UK born Commander Robin Dainty transferred from the UK Royal Navy, and
- UK born Commander Christopher Ellis transferred from the Royal Canadian Navy
Regarding "Status" three of the submarines (HMAS Rankin, HMAS Sheean and HMAS Waller) are undergoing varying types of "docking" which I assume to mean they are being overhauled (maintenance, repairs and upgrades), hence unavailable for operations.
This leaves just 3 Collins submarines, half the submarines physically available for operations. But the "Rule of Thirds" might suggest only 2 crews are available for operations.
Pete
https://www.navy.gov.au/fleet/ships-boats-craft/submarines/ssg (as at March 18, 2020) is some interesting information, including submarine "docking" (non-availability) and Commanding Officers names, Commanding Officers' names, in turn, link to their official career details.
"Following is a list of Collins class submarines commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy."
Name | Pennant [number] | Commissioned | Commanding Officer | Status |
S73 | 27 July 1996 | |||
S76 | 23 February 2001 | |||
S74 | 31 January 1998 | |||
S78 | 29 March 2003 | Mid-cycle docking | ||
S77 | 23 February 2001 | [none?] | Intermediate Docking | |
S75 | 10 July 1999 | Full-cycle docking |
From the table above there appears to be only five Commanding Officers for Australia's six submarines.
On February 20, 2020 I mentioned the difficulty the Australian Navy has experienced in finding submariners and especially submarine Commanders. I assumed Commander transferees came from the UK Royal Navy - but that now appears just part of the story.
The difficulty in finding Australian born commanders is reflected in the table above, wherein:
- South Africa born Commander Darren White transferred from the South African Navy.
- UK born Commander Robin Dainty transferred from the UK Royal Navy, and
- UK born Commander Christopher Ellis transferred from the Royal Canadian Navy
Regarding "Status" three of the submarines (HMAS Rankin, HMAS Sheean and HMAS Waller) are undergoing varying types of "docking" which I assume to mean they are being overhauled (maintenance, repairs and upgrades), hence unavailable for operations.
This leaves just 3 Collins submarines, half the submarines physically available for operations. But the "Rule of Thirds" might suggest only 2 crews are available for operations.
Pete