• Republic of Korea Submarine Lee Sun Sin comes alongside Diamantina Pier at Fleet Base West. (Defence)
    Republic of Korea Submarine Lee Sun Sin comes alongside Diamantina Pier at Fleet Base West. (Defence)
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A major international submarine search and rescue exercise has concluded off the coast of WA.

Exercise Pacific Reach 2019, held at Fleet Base West and in the Western Australian Exercise Area, involved assets from Australia, Japan, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, Singapore and the US.

The exercise used the James Fisher Submarine Rescue System submersible LR5, a 21.5 tonne vehicle that can carry up to 16 submarine survivors eight times to the mother ship or to a mother submarine before needing to recharge, representing a total rescue capacity of 120 people.

“During Exercise Pacific Reach the Royal Australian Navy’s Submarine Force and our regional partners demonstrated readiness and the ability to respond to the unlikely event of a submarine incident at sea,” Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds said.

“Each nation’s submarine search, escape and rescue organisations took part in simulated rescues.

“HMAS Sheean and ROKS Lee Sun-sin, both successfully transferred participants while submerged using the James Fisher Submarine Rescue System submersible LR5, with support from rescue units from Japan and the US.

Exercise Pacific Reach is a triennial multinational event and was last held in the Republic of Korea in 2016.

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