Australian submarine sinks US Destroyer

Lunatik

Active member
The Minister for Defence, the Hon. Joel Fitzgibbon MP, today congratulated the crew of the Australian submarine, HMAS Waller, for being the first submarine to successfully fire a new heavyweight torpedo that has been jointly developed by Australia and the United States (US).
The firing occurred during the Rim of the Pacific 2008 (RIMPAC 08) exercise, involving multiple navies off the coast of Hawaii between June and July. This controlled exercise resulted in the planned sinking of a retired US warship.

“This represents the first new heavyweight torpedo warshot to be fired by either Navy. Just as significant is the fact that the warshot torpedo was assembled in Australia,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.

The MK 48 Mod 7 Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System (CBASS) torpedo is the latest enhancement for the MK 48.

Considered the world’s premier submarine-launched torpedo, the MK 48 Mod 7 represents a superior capability against both surface ships and submarines with sonar enhancements that make the torpedo an effective weapon in shallow water and in a countermeasure environment.

The development of the CBASS torpedo has been achieved under an Armaments Cooperative Program between the United States Navy (USN) and the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). This partnership has established common requirements, interfaces, configurations and maintenance standards enabling any Australian or US submarine to load torpedoes prepared by any Australian or US torpedo maintenance facility.

This submarine partnership has also led to co-development of a new replacement combat system, which is being progressively integrated into USN nuclear submarines and RAN diesel-electric submarines.

This successful live fire exercise underscores the maturity of the joint torpedo and submarine combat system programs for the RAN and USN. “For Australia in particular, this exercise has been a successful demonstration of the ongoing capability of the Collins Class submarine,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.

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Nice bang splash up there! :dive:
 
It's always sad to see one of these things go like that. I bet it'd be worse for those who served in it.
I'd be pretty pissed off if they dynamited the place I served in.
 
Come to think of it, isn't this water pollution and there an international treaty banning these things? They could have melted it and turned it into a million razors. And that'd have been easier on the sailors who served on it I'd imagine.

-- Johnny guess what I'm shaving with?
-- What?
-- Our old fat lady.
-- No way!.. Wait, which one?

:)
 
It's never easy to watch something you served with get torn apart into anything I'd imagine. My unit was featured on TV once (after I left) and that felt really good. Recognized two faces.
 
I was going to get all indignant and say that current US destroyers aren't really optimized for ASW in the first place, but I guess I don't have to...:D
 
It's always sad to see one of these things go like that. I bet it'd be worse for those who served in it.
I'd be pretty pissed off if they dynamited the place I served in.

Yeah it would suck to be one of the men who served on there. I wouldn't like to see that at all...
 
It appears that the Ray is not the only ship to be scuttled in RIMPAC08:

Like the ex-USS David R. Ray (DD-971) reported on yesterday, The Horne is also slated to be used as a target for the upcoming RIMPAC ‘08 exercise. Fifth ship of the Belknap-class and named for the VCNO during most of WWII, ADM Fredrick J. Horne, she was commissioned 15 April 1967 with then-CAPT Stansfield Turner as her first CO. Initially designated as DLG-30, her hull number would be changed to CG-30 in 1975.

See full article here: http://steeljawscribe.com/2008/06/27/ex-uss-horne-cg-30-more-fodder-for-rimpac-08

For more info on the USS Horne go to the Horne website here: http://www.usshorne.net/index.html
 
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Anybody seen the video. It goes down in a flash. It just splits in two and that's it.

It is far more fitting for a warship to go down under gunfire or by torpedo than to be dismantled. That is a sad end.

As for the issue of polluting the ocean... you've got to be kidding me. Grow a pair you beatnik.
 
Its sad to see these ships go, I remember the ships on Fleet Day in NYC harbor when I was growing up. But out with the old in with the new...
 
actually far from poluting this warships usually become artficial corral reefs, so its a win win situation.

as for shooting at retired hardware, i go to tell you shooting at old IDF tanks always annoys me...but you got to train:)
 
actually far from poluting this warships usually become artficial corral reefs, so its a win win situation.

as for shooting at retired hardware, i go to tell you shooting at old IDF tanks always annoys me...but you got to train:)

Most of these ships if not all are stripped down and decontaminated before being sunk and used to develop artificial reefs so there are no pollution issues.
 
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