Australian Nuclear Subs: East Coast Basing Study

A major issue connected to Australia’s nuclear propelled submarine decision is where, on the East Coast, might Australian and perhaps UK and US SSNs be forward based or regularly visit? Scholars say if you want new ideas read old books. To that end I remembered a 10 year old document that WAS on the Internet, but for some reason(s) no longer.

The following are excerpts, relevant to nuclear propelled submarines, from the Australian Department of Defence's Future Submarine "FSM BASING STUDY" written by Commander D.L. Stevens RANR, dated 15 December 2011, formally released 15 December 2011, under FOI  373/17/18 Item 1 Serial 1. As the document is 348 pages long I’m just highlighting nuclear bits. The document had been removed from most places on the web. However "Rossler" has kindly rediscovered the document (about 100 MB PDF) on the "Wayback Machine" at https://web.archive.org/web/20210804160533/https://www.defence.gov.au/FOI/Docs/Disclosures/373_1718_Documents.pdf

Most of the document concerns the many social, environmental, and other factors concerned with building an East Coast Naval Base outside of the present one in Sydney Harbour. Alternative locations are discussed, with the message a base requires a large city to support its many needs.

Table of Acronyms and Abbreviations

"NBCD Nuclear Biological and Chemical Defence

NPS Nuclear Propelled Submarine(s)

NPW Nuclear Propelled Warship(s)"

Annex T: Host Ports for Visiting [concerns Nuclear Propelled Submarines / Warship(s)] Hence Annex T's pages, ie. 153 to 163 are Blanked Out under FOI Section 47C.

"RAN Homeport Hosting of Nuclear Powered Submarines .......................... 155"

"Figure 97 - Gage Roads Fremantle - Remote Anchorage for [Nuclear Propelled] NP Submarines .......... 156"

"Figure 98 - Fleet Base West Berthing Options for [Nuclear Propelled] NP Submarines .......................... 157"

"Figure 99 - Albany-King George Sound [Nuclear Propelled] NP Submarine Anchorages ....................... 158"

"Figure 100 - Brisbane Berthing Options for [Nuclear Propelled] NP Submarines .................................... 159"

"Figure 102 - Jervis Bay [Nuclear Propelled] NP Submarine Anchorage .... 160"

"Figure 103 - Melbourne [Nuclear Propelled] NP Submarine Anchorages....161"

"Figure 104 - Darwin [Nuclear Propelled] NP Submarine Anchorages ....... 162"

"Figure 105 - Nuclear Powered Submarine Anchorage – Hobart……......... 163"

[Paragraph] "59 For each of the homeport prospects considered in this study, key assessment criteria determined from stakeholder interviews are: "...Visiting Nuclear Propelled Submarines (NPS) – is the port accredited already for visiting nuclear powered warships or submarines, or does it have potential to acquire that accreditation?"

[Paragraph] "275 Gladstone is one of three ports that provides alongside berths for visiting [Nuclear Propelled Submarines] NPS 191, could it also be an FSM homeport?"

[Paragraph] "282 Brisbane is the most northern capital city on the Australian East Coast, and the only one approved to place visiting [Nuclear Propelled Warships] NPW at wharves."

[Paragraph] "445 In 1971, work had commenced there for construction of Australia’s first nuclear power station and the area excavated now forms the car park to a local boat ramp and to Murray’s Beach [Jervis Bay] …region and the adjacent Green Patch public camping zone has become such a significant public access and revenue earning facility for the local indigenous community since the Fleet Relocation Studies ending in 1992, that it will not be considered further as a potential [Future Submarine] FSM homeport site."

[Paragraph] "589.2 Garden Island [Sydney Harbour] (NSW) Modernisation [Environmental Impact Statement] EIS – 1979 -  the EIS found that ‘Subject to the completion of a modernisation programme the fleet base in Port Jackson would be capable of adequately accommodating a fleet of the present size into the twenty-first century. A major expansion of the fleet or the acquisition of nuclear-powered warships could make it necessary to develop a fleet base outside Port Jackson [Sydney Harbour]. Should it become necessary to construct a new fleet base, Jervis Bay. [but note Paragraph 445 above] is the preferred location in South-East Australia."

Australia's Fleet Base East,  "Port Jackson", aka Sydney Harbour. I know of no nuclear propelled subs or surface ships that have actually entered the harbour. There appears to be pre-existing public and political resistance to that prospect. Hence possible, long-term, contemplation of alternative basing. Nuclear aside, the base looks quite crowded in Australia's largest city and busy harbour.