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The Forum > Article Comments > Dumb and dumber: Australia's failed naval procurement and maintenance > Comments

Dumb and dumber: Australia's failed naval procurement and maintenance : Comments

By Stuart Ballantyne, published 11/8/2022

Then there is the industry side of things. ASC (formerly the Australian Submarine Corp) was a mess and was typical of most bureaucracies but have reportedly lifted their game of late.

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The entire ADF is a joke. Read Jim Molan's book, 'Danger on our Doorstep'.
Posted by ttbn, Thursday, 11 August 2022 8:43:05 AM
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Absolutely and unreservedly agree.

I'm informed the Chinese are equipping some of their subs and warships with thorium powered reactors. Which are far and away safer than conventional solid fuel reactors. Just need better sheilding and as easy as.
Alan B.
Posted by Alan B., Thursday, 11 August 2022 11:01:39 AM
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I am an ardent leftist greenie, the most reviled in here :) and even I can see the wisdom in much of this, particularly Caincross.

Excellent article and why I am here to have my thinking challenged.
Posted by Valley Guy, Thursday, 11 August 2022 1:24:36 PM
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My sons ship, Manoora or Kanimbla I can't remember which of the twins hit a container off Gladstone. The immensely strong bow of the ex tank landing craft pushed the the semi floating thing down deep, from where it came back up, puncturing both the outer & inner hull. The damage was confined mostly to the sewerage treatment compartment, & the ship returned to Sydney for repairs.

Unfortunately the Garden Island dry dock has been rented to a private company & it was booked solid for 6 months, so she couldn't use it for repairs. They has to put a coffer dam over the damage to more or less eliminate the water, get down between the inner & outer hulls, push the hull more or less back into shape & weld it back together, with some few patches.

We had a great dry dock at Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbor, where HMAS Melbourne got her new bow after her last destroyer sinking effort, but that is now a World Heritage site, so basically useless.
Posted by Hasbeen, Thursday, 11 August 2022 4:01:53 PM
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Poor Stu (the author) has built possum's stew or dog's breakfast of expectations, namely:

- moving submarine building from Adelaide would be political suicide (losing seats) for Labor now, or the LNP next

- if you see land-based nuclear power reactors as a precursor or LEU complement for any submarine reactors (LEU or HEU) we won't have the cash to build nuclear subs until the 2060s

- Interim conventional subs and Then nuclear subs will require an expanded Defence Budget up from 2% GDP to 3%. Of that subs will soak up about 2%. Presumably the non-submarine parts of the RAN, the RAAF and Army can fight over the remaining 1% GDP as an afterthought.

- And maybe take money from Australia's health crisis to cross-subsidise subs. Say remove the 2 largest hospitals in each of our 8 Capital cities?

- even an Aussie nuclear sub could only carry less than 25 tons of conventional explosive, which will just get nuclear armed China angry enough to retaliate. Even one low yield Chinese nuke might represent 300 tonnes TNT (equivalent) impacting the Sydney or Melbourne CBD.

- you are only stirring up poor Alan B. by mention the "T" word.

- if Australia is serious about deterring our main threat, China, we need an Australian nuclear deterrent. Fortunately Australia's Gilmore Space is building long range "space" rockets, which can dual-use to long range missiles to carry SILEX enriched nuclear warheads. Just scroll down here http://www.gspacetech.com/launch

and "SILEX"? We still have the technology http://www.silex.com.au/silex-technology/silex-uranium-enrichment-technology/

Mavers
Posted by Maverick, Thursday, 11 August 2022 10:51:43 PM
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