1.
Holbrook, New South Wales
–
Holbrook is a small town in Southern New South Wales, Australia. It is on the Hume Highway,384 kilometres by road North-East of Melbourne and 492 kilometres by road south-west of Sydney between Tarcutta and Albury. The town is in the Greater Hume Shire Council area which was established in May 2004 from the merger of Culcairn Shire with the majority of Holbrook Shire, at the 2011 census, Holbrook had a population of 1,263 people. The district around Holbrook is renowned for local produce including merino wool, wheat and other grains, lucerne, fat cattle, the area was originally inhabited by the Wiradjuri people. The explorers Hume and Hovell were the first-known Europeans in the area and they travelled through in 1824 looking for new grazing country in the south of the colony of New South Wales. The town was originally called Ten Mile Creek and the first buildings were erected in 1836, a German immigrant, John Christopher Pabst, became the publican of the Woolpack Hotel on 29 July 1840 and the area became known as the Germans. By 1858 the name had evolved into the name of Germanton. In 1876 the name Germanton was gazetted and the old name Ten Mile Creek consigned to history, Ten Mile Creek Post Office opened on 1 January 1857, and was renamed Germanton in 1875. Lt. Holbrook commanded the submarine HMS B11, the town was a stop on Old Sydney Road – the road between Sydney and Melbourne. The railway arrived in Germanton in 1902, the town was serviced by the Holbrook branch railway line until the line was closed in 1975. In 2013, a re-alignment of the Hume Highway around Holbrook was completed so it is now possible to by-pass the town, the Navy gifted the fin from the submarine to the town. This resulted in a fund-raiser by the town and district to purchase the whole submarine and this drive was successful in raising $100,000, almost all a gift from Lt Holbrooks widow, Gundula Holbrook. However, this amount was insufficient to purchase all of the Otway, through negotiations with the scrap yard in Sydney, the town succeeded in purchasing all of the outside casing of Otway above the waterline. This part of the Otway is now displayed in Germanton Park in the heart of Holbrook, the National Museum of Australian Pottery is housed in the old A. H. Mackie and Company building. It features over 1500 pieces made from the earliest colonial potteries up to the end of World War 1, the population of the town was 1,267 people at the 2001 census. The population of the former Holbrook Shire was 2343 people, the population had declined by 7. 4% from 1996 and by 10. 3% since 1991. In 2001 the population of Australia increased by 6% from the 1996 census and 12. 6% since the 1991 census, less than 1% of the population identified themselves as being of indigenous origin. The median age of people in Holbrook in the 2001 Census was 40 years, in the 1996 Census the median age of people was 37 years, while in the 1991 Census the median age of people was 34 years
2.
Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company
–
Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Limited, often referred to simply as Scotts, was a Scottish shipbuilding company based in Greenock on the River Clyde. In its time in Greenock, Scotts built over 1,250 ships, John Scott founded the company, beginning shipbuilding at Greenock in 1711. The Scott family took over the Greenock Foundry in 1790 and C G Scott started building at Cartsdyke Dockyard in 1850 as Scott & Company. John Scott and Robert Scott bought the adjacent yard of R Steele & Company in 1883 to create the Cartsburn Dockyard, by 1900 John Swire & Company were major shareholders and Henry Scott was a director of Swire Scotts. In 1900–1901 he specified and oversaw construction of Swires Taikoo Dockyard in Hong Kong, Swires was 25% owned by the Scott Family. In 1925 Scotts took over Ross & Marshalls Cartsdyke Mid Yard, in 1934 they exchanged their Cartsdyke East yard for Cartsdyke Mid yard with Greenock Dockyard Ltd. In June 1965 the Company took over Scotts & Sons Ltd and in December 1965 Scotts merged with the Greenock Dockyard Company and the Cartsburn and Cartsdyke Dockyards were fully integrated in 1966. In 1967 the Company merged with Lithgows to form Scott Lithgow Ltd, Cartsdyke Shipyard was closed in 1979 and Cartsburn in 1984. In 1983 the Scott Lithgow company and yards were sold to Trafalgar House, No further shipbuilding was undertaken and the 270-year-old Scott shipbuilding company finally ceased trading in 1993. Between 1988 and 1997 the Cartsburn and Cartsdyke shipyards were gradually demolished and redeveloped as offices, computer warehouses. Principal customers of Scotts were Alfred Holt & Co, The China Navigation Company / John Swire Ltd, Scotts Assistant Manager James Richardson devised an early Snorkel for submarines, for which they were granted British Patent No.106330 of 1917. It was not taken up by the Admiralty for use by the Royal Navy, there is extant the builders certificate of SS Thetis. Captain William Kennedy of Greenock took Thetis for her trials on the Clyde, pictures of some Scotts-built vessels were painted by the Greenock marine artist William Clark. A painting of the launch in 1818 from Scotts yard of the wood ship Christian was painted by the Anglo-US marine artist Robert Salmon. Before the Cartsdyke yard closed in the late 1970s it was used to part of a BBC Television Play for Today called Just a Boys Game. In 2011, Greenocks McLean Museum and Art Gallery celebrated the tercentenary of Scotts foundation, RMS Ajax RMS Andania Johnston, Ian, Buxton, Ian. The Battleship Builders - Constructing and Arming British Capital Ships, Clyde built ships data base - lists all ships built on the Clyde WikiSwire website
3.
Oberon-class submarine
–
The Oberon class was a ship class of 27 British-designed submarines operated by five different nations. They were designed as a direct follow-on from the Porpoise-class, physical dimensions were the same, but stronger materials were used in hull construction, the submarines were built between 1957 and 1978 by four shipyards, Cammel Laird, Chatham Dockyard, Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company and Vickers-Armstrongs. Submarines of the class were in service until 2000, as of 2015, eight of the submarines are preserved intact as museum vessels, another three are partially preserved, and one is in private ownership and awaiting conversion for display. The rest have been sold for scrap, including one former museum vessel, the 295. 2-foot -long Oberon class was based heavily on the preceding Porpoise class of submarines, which were in service from 1956 to 1988. Changes from the Porpoise design were primarily to improve the strength and stealth of the submarine, instead of UXW steel, the hull was built from QT28 steel, which was easier to fabricate and stronger, allowing the submarine to dive deeper. Glass-reinforced plastic was used in construction of the casing, electronics, sonar, and radar systems were also upgraded to the latest standard. The submarines were equipped with a type 1002 surface search and navigation radar, a type 187 active-passive attack sonar, construction of the British submarines was shared amongst four dockyards, the three mentioned above and Cammell Laird. The Oberons were originally armed with eight 21-inch torpedo tubes, six tubes in the bow, Naval mines could be carried instead of torpedoes, the torpedo payload would be replaced with up to 50 Mark 5 Stonefish or Mark 6 Sea Urchin mines. The forward torpedo tubes are constructed in two sections bolted together across the bulkhead at the end of the torpedo compartment. The 116-in long inner section is constructed of 0. 5-in rolled steel fitted with welded flanges, the outer section is constructed of a similar tube 175 in long but with a reinforced 1.125 inch thick section behind the main bulkhead. The outer end of the tube is sealed with a domed bow cap, bow shutters close across the bow caps so as to preserve the streamlined shape of the bow when the cap is closed. The bow caps and shutters are mechanically linked to a hydraulically operated drive rod from within the torpedo compartment, the bow cap opens first behind the shutter, which then folds back against it forming a smooth exit tube. The tube internal diameter is 22.5 in, wider than the torpedo, torpedoes could be fired either electrically or with compressed air. The aft torpedo tubes passed through the ballast tank at the rear of the submarine, a 31-in section projected into the boat through the bulkhead, forming overall a relatively short tube of 12 ft, but of 25 in diameter. The class used diesel-electric propulsion, with batteries to provide power when the engines cannot be used. Each vessel has two Admiralty-pattern V-16 diesel engines, each driving one 1280-kW 880-V generator and these can provide power directly to the two 3000-BHP electric motors, one directly connected to each propellor, or for charging batteries. One snorkel brings in new air to the boat, while the other takes exhaust fumes from the engines, the ventilation system is designed so the fresh air spreads through the boat. The generators are cooled by a fan on the shaft which circulates air through a filter
4.
Submarine
–
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability, the term most commonly refers to a large, crewed vessel. It is also used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely operated vehicles and robots, as well as medium-sized or smaller vessels, such as the midget submarine. The noun submarine evolved as a form of submarine boat, by naval tradition, submarines are usually referred to as boats rather than as ships. Although experimental submarines had been built before, submarine design took off during the 19th century, Submarines were first widely used during World War I, and now figure in many navies large and small. Civilian uses for submarines include marine science, salvage, exploration and facility inspection, Submarines can also be modified to perform more specialized functions such as search-and-rescue missions or undersea cable repair. Submarines are also used in tourism, and for undersea archaeology, most large submarines consist of a cylindrical body with hemispherical ends and a vertical structure, usually located amidships, which houses communications and sensing devices as well as periscopes. In modern submarines, this structure is the sail in American usage, a conning tower was a feature of earlier designs, a separate pressure hull above the main body of the boat that allowed the use of shorter periscopes. There is a propeller at the rear, and various hydrodynamic control fins, smaller, deep-diving and specialty submarines may deviate significantly from this traditional layout. Submarines use diving planes and also change the amount of water, Submarines have one of the widest ranges of types and capabilities of any vessel. Submarines can work at greater depths than are survivable or practical for human divers, modern deep-diving submarines derive from the bathyscaphe, which in turn evolved from the diving bell. In 1578, the English mathematician William Bourne recorded in his book Inventions or Devises one of the first plans for an underwater navigation vehicle and its unclear whether he ever carried out his idea. The first submersible of whose construction there exists reliable information was designed and built in 1620 by Cornelis Drebbel and it was propelled by means of oars. By the mid-18th century, over a dozen patents for submarines/submersible boats had been granted in England, in 1747, Nathaniel Symons patented and built the first known working example of the use of a ballast tank for submersion. His design used leather bags that could fill with water to submerge the craft, a mechanism was used to twist the water out of the bags and cause the boat to resurface. In 1749, the Gentlemens Magazine reported that a design had initially been proposed by Giovanni Borelli in 1680. By this point of development, further improvement in design stagnated for over a century, until new industrial technologies for propulsion. The first military submarine was the Turtle, a hand-powered acorn-shaped device designed by the American David Bushnell to accommodate a single person and it was the first verified submarine capable of independent underwater operation and movement, and the first to use screws for propulsion
5.
Passive Underwater Fire Control Feasibility System
–
Passive Underwater Fire Control Feasibility System was a passive sonar system for submarines. It was designated AN/BQG-4 and was equipped on United States Navy conventional submarines converted to GUPPY III or otherwise modernized in the 1960s. It was also equipped on the nuclear-powered USS Tullibee, a version known as Micropuffs was fitted on Oberon-class submarines for the Royal Australian Navy, and as Type 2041 on the Upholder-class for the British Royal Navy. This class still serves in the Royal Canadian Navy, where Micropuffs is known as BQG-501, the system was notable for three tall, fin-like domes topside, except on Micropuffs installations. The system was retained on several submarines transferred to foreign navies and it was associated with long-range passive detection of targets for the Mark 45 nuclear torpedo and other torpedoes as well. Most submarines backfitted with it were also lengthened 12-16 feet to accommodate additional electronics and it was also planned for Thresher and Sturgeon-class nuclear submarines, but was not fitted on them except Micropuffs experimentally on Barb and Haddock. With the exception of the four Canadian Victoria-class submarines, all PUFFS-equipped submarines have been disposed of or preserved as museum ships, greater Underwater Propulsion Power Program Alden, John D. Commander. The Fleet Submarine in the U. S. Navy, A Design, Sub vs Sub, Cdr R Compton Hall, Orion Books,1989
6.
Mark 48 torpedo
–
The Mark 48 and its improved Advanced Capability variant are American heavyweight submarine-launched torpedoes. They were designed to sink deep-diving nuclear-powered submarines and high-performance surface ships, the Mk-48 torpedo was designed at the end of the 1960s to keep up with the advances in Soviet submarine technology. Operational since 1972, it replaced the Mk-37 and Mk-14 torpedoes as the weapon of U. S. Navy submarines. With the entry service of the new Soviet Alfa class submarine in 1972, the decision was made to accelerate the ADCAP program. Tests were run to ensure that the weapon could keep up with the developments, the new version of the weapon, also known as Mk-48 Mod 4, was extensively tested and production started in 1985, with entry into service in 1988. From then on, various upgrades have been added to the torpedo, as of 2012 Mk-48 Mod 6 was in service, a Mod 7 version was test fired in 2008 in the Rim of Pacific Naval exercises. The inventory of the U. S. Navy is 1,046 Mk-48 torpedoes, the Mk-48 torpedo is designed to be launched from submarine torpedo tubes. The weapon is carried by all U. S. Navy submarines, including Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines and Seawolf-, Los Angeles- and it is also used on Canadian, Australian, and Dutch submarines. The Royal Navy elected not to buy the Mark 48, preferring to use the Spearfish instead, Mk-48 and Mk-48 ADCAP torpedoes can be guided from a submarine by wires attached to the torpedo. They can also use their own active or passive sensors to execute programmed target search, acquisition, the torpedo is designed to detonate under the keel of a surface ship, breaking the keel and destroying its structural integrity. In the event of a miss, it can back for another attempt. The swashplate piston engine is fueled by Otto fuel II, a monopropellant that decomposes into hot gas when ignited, the thrust is generated by a propulsor assembly. The torpedos seeker has an electronically steered pinger that helps avoid having to maneuver as it closes with the target. Unconfirmed reports indicate that the sensors can monitor surrounding electrical. This may refer to the coils on the warhead, used to sense the metallic mass of the ships hull. The torpedo has been the subject of continued improvement over its service lifetime, in the 1990s, a Mod 6 variant of the ADCAP provided much improved noise isolation for the engine, which makes this torpedo more difficult to detect for a potential target. The Mk48 Mod 7 Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System torpedo is optimized for both the deep and littoral waters and has advanced counter-countermeasure capabilities, the MK48 ADCAP Mod 7 torpedo is the result of a Joint Development Program with the Royal Australian Navy and reached Initial Operational Capability in 2006. On July 25,2008 a MK48 Mod 7 CBASS torpedo fired by an Australian Collins-class submarine, HMAS Waller, successfully sank a test target during the Rim of the Pacific 2008 exercises
7.
Harpoon (missile)
–
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 introduction in 1977. The missile system has also further developed into a land-strike weapon. The regular Harpoon uses active homing, and a low-level. The missiles launch platforms include, Fixed-wing aircraft Surface ships Submarines, Coastal defense batteries, in 1965 the United States Navy began studies for a missile in the 45 kilometres range class for use against surfaced submarines. The name Harpoon was assigned to the project, Harpoon was primarily developed for use on US Navy warships such as the Ticonderoga-class cruiser as their principal anti-ship weapon system. The Harpoon was purchased by many American allies, including Pakistan, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates and most NATO countries. The Royal Australian Air Force is capable of firing AGM-84 series missiles from its F/A-18F Super Hornets, F/A-18A/B Hornets, and AP-3C Orion aircraft, the Royal Australian Navy deploys the Harpoon on major surface combatants and in the Collins-class submarines. The Spanish Air Force and the Chilean Navy are also AGM-84D customers, and they deploy the missiles on ships, and F/A-18s, F-16s. The British Royal Navy deploys the Harpoon on several types of surface ship, the Royal Canadian Navy carries Harpoon missiles on its Halifax-class frigates. The Republic of Singapore Air Force also operates five modified Fokker 50 Maritime Patrol Aircraft which are fitted with the sensors needed to fire the Harpoon missile, the Pakistani Navy carries the Harpoon missile on its frigates and P-3C Orions. The Turkish Navy carries Harpoons on surface warships and Type 209 submarines, the Turkish Air Force will be armed with the SLAM-ER. S. Navy Knox-class frigates and the four former USN Kidd-class destroyers which have sold to Taiwan. The two Zwaardvis/Hai Lung submarines and 12 P-3C Orion aircraft can use the missile. The Block 1 missiles were designated AGM/RGM/UGM-84A in US service and UGM-84B in the UK, Block 1B standard missiles were designated AGM/RGM/UGM-84C, Block 1C missiles were designated AGM/RGM/UGM-84D. This version featured a fuel tank and re-attack capability, but was not produced in large numbers because its intended mission was considered to be unlikely following the events of 1991–92. Block 1D missiles were designated RGM/AGM-84F, Block 1G missiles AGM/RGM/UGM-84G, the original SLAM-ER missiles were designated AGM-84H and later ones the AGM-84K. Block 1J was a proposal for an upgrade, AGM/RGM/UGM-84J Harpoon
8.
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 colonial navies were integrated into a national force. Originally intended for defence, the navy was granted the title of Royal Australian Navy in 1911. Britains Royal Navy continued to support the RAN and provided additional blue-water defence capability in the Pacific up to the years of World War II. Then, rapid expansion saw the acquisition of large surface vessels. In the decade following the war, the RAN acquired a number of aircraft carriers. Today, the RAN consists of 47 commissioned vessels,3 non-commissioned vessels, the current Chief of Navy is Vice Admiral Tim Barrett. The Commonwealth Naval Forces were established on 1 March 1901, two months after the federation of Australia, when the forces of the separate Australian colonies were amalgamated. As a result, the force structure was set at one battlecruiser. On 10 July 1911, King George V granted the service the title of Royal Australian Navy. The first of the RANs new vessels, the destroyer Yarra, was completed in September 1910, in this time the focus of Australias naval policy shifted from defence against invasion to trade protection, and several fleet units were sunk as targets or scrapped. By 1923, the size of the navy had fallen to eight vessels, following the outbreak of the Pacific War and the virtual destruction of British naval forces in south-east Asia, the RAN operated more independently, or as part of United States Navy formations. As the navy took on a greater role, it was expanded significantly and at its height the RAN was the fourth-largest navy in the world. A total of 34 vessels were lost during the war, including three cruisers and four destroyers, after the Second World War, the size of the RAN was again reduced, but it gained new capabilities with the acquisition of two aircraft carriers, Sydney and Melbourne. The RAN saw action in many Cold War–era conflicts in the Asia-Pacific region and operated alongside the Royal Navy and United States Navy off Korea, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Since the end of the Cold War, the RAN has been part of Coalition forces in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean, operating in support of Operation Slipper and it was also deployed in support of Australian peacekeeping operations in East Timor and the Solomon Islands. The strategic command structure of the RAN was overhauled during the New Generation Navy changes, the RAN is commanded through Naval Headquarters in Canberra. The professional head is the Chief of Navy, who holds the rank of Vice Admiral, NHQ is responsible for implementing policy decisions handed down from the Department of Defence and for overseeing tactical and operational issues that are the purview of the subordinate commands
Australia
Media related to HMAS Otway (S 59) at Wikimedia Commons
