HMAS Farncomb (SSG 74)
Farncomb arriving at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii ahead of the RIMPAC 2012 exercise
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| History | |
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 Australia
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| Name: | Farncomb |
| Namesake: | Rear Admiral Harold Farncomb |
| Builder: | Australian Submarine Corporation |
| Laid down: | 3 March 1991 |
| Launched: | 15 December 1995 |
| Commissioned: | 31 January 1998 |
| Motto: | "With Skill and Resolve" |
| Status: | Active as of 2016 |
| Badge: |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Collins-class submarine |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 77.42 m (254.0 ft) |
| Beam: | 7.8 m (26 ft) |
| Draught: | 7 m (23 ft) at waterline |
| Installed power: | 3 × Garden Island-Hedemora HV V18b/15Ub (VB210) 18-cylinder diesel motors, 3 × Jeumont-Schneider generators (1,400 kW, 440-volt DC) |
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| Speed: |
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| Range: |
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| Endurance: | 70 days |
| Test depth: | Over 180 m (590 ft) (actual depth classified) |
| Complement: |
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| Sensors and processing systems: |
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| Armament: |
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| Notes: | The sonars and combat system are in the process of being updated across the class, to be completed by 2010. These characteristics represent the updated equipment. |
HMAS Farncomb (SSG 74) is the second of six Collins class submarines operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
Named for Rear Admiral Harold Farncomb, the submarine was laid down in 1993 and launched in December 1995—the first submarine to be completely constructed in Australia.
A combination of factors led to Farncomb being the only vessel of her class in operational condition in mid-2009.
The Collins class is an enlarged version of the Västergötland-class submarine designed by Kockums. At 77.42 metres (254.0 ft) in length, with a beam of 7.8 metres (26 ft) and a waterline depth of 7 metres (23 ft), displacing 3,051 tonnes when surfaced, and 3,353 tonnes when submerged, they are the largest conventionally powered submarines in the world. The hull is constructed from high-tensile micro-alloy steel, and are covered in a skin of anechoic tiles to minimise detection by sonar. The depth that they can dive to is classified: most sources claim that it is over 180 metres (590 ft),
The submarine is armed with six 21-inch (530 mm) torpedo tubes, and carry a standard payload of 22 torpedoes: originally a mix of Gould Mark 48 Mod 4 torpedoes and UGM-84C Sub-Harpoon, with the Mark 48s later upgraded to the Mod 7 Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System (CBASS) version.
Each submarine is equipped with three Garden Island-Hedemora HV V18b/15Ub (VB210) 18-cylinder diesel engines, which are each connected to a 1,400 kW, 440-volt DC Jeumont-Schneider generator. The electricity generated is stored in batteries, then supplied to a single Jeumont-Schneider DC motor, which provides 7,200 shaft horsepower to a single, seven-bladed, 4.22-metre (13.8 ft) diameter skewback propeller. The Collins class has a speed of 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph) when surfaced and at snorkel depth, and can reach 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) underwater. The submarines have a range of 11,000 nautical miles (20,000 km; 13,000 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) when surfaced, 9,000 nautical miles (17,000 km; 10,000 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) at snorkel depth. When submerged completely, a Collins-class submarine can travel 32.6 nautical miles (60.4 km; 37.5 mi) at maximum speed, or 480 nautical miles (890 km; 550 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph). Each boat has an endurance of 70 days.
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Wikipedia