Submarines: UK subs: an Astute decision | ADM November 2012
By Katherine Ziesing | Barrow and Canberra | 7 January 2013
The UK’s Astute class submarines have had their well publicised
issues for both technology and schedule, not unlike the Collins class. And like
the Collins class, there is a replacement already on the drawing board.
The Royal Navy operates six fleet submarines (SSNs), of the
Trafalgar and Astute classes, and four ballistic missile submarines (SSBN), of
the Vanguard class. All of these submarines are nuclear powered. The service
also owns the LR5 Submarine Rescue System, the same system that Australia leases
through James Fisher.
The Astute boats are still in the process of being built at BAE
Systems Barrow-in-Furness dockyard. The yard, previously owned by Vickers, has
been the site of the UK submarine and ship building for generations.
There are six fleet submarines on active duty – five Trafalgar
class submarines and one Astute class submarine, HMS Astute while
the second of the seven boats, Ambush
is now in the water but not yet
operational.
BAE Systems is the design/technical authority and lead
contractor for the Astute Class submarine program, providing design, build and
in-service support for seven Astute submarines for the UK Royal Navy.
These submarines are armed with the Spearfish torpedo for
anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare. Some are also armed with Tomahawk
cruise missiles for attacking targets on land. The Fleet submarines are capable
surveillance and reconnaissance platforms. A total force of seven Astute-class
submarines is planned. As of April 2012, the first is in service, the second is
launched and being fitted out (Ambush), three are under construction, the sixth is ordered, and the
procurement process has been started for the seventh.
Bridging
the gap
This seventh boat will act as a bridge across the shipbuilding
valley of death (see P18 for more on this gap in Australia) between the Astute
and the Maritime Underwater Future Capability (MUFC), the UK version of the
Future Submarine.
These will follow on from the Astute class, and possibly replace
the Trafalgar class. Some reports have suggested that the MUFC studies may
result in a single class of multi-role submarines to replace the Trafalgar class,
Vanguard class SSBNs and eventually the Astute class. This would require a
submarine capable of launching conventional land-attack missiles, some form of nuclear
missile (ICBM or tactical nuclear missile) as well as conventional submarine munitions
including mines and torpedoes.
The four ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) of the Royal Navy
are all of the Vanguard class. Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd, now
BAE Systems Submarine Solutions built them all. The SSBN flotilla or bomber ‘fleet’
tends to be almost a separate entity, for example it rarely uses pennant
numbers preferring to use hull numbers, thus Vanguard
05, Victorious
06, Vigilant
07 and Vengeance
08.
The four Vanguard class boats are responsible for the UK’s
nuclear deterrent, and use the Trident missile system. Each boat can carry up
to 16 Trident II D5 Missiles, each of which may carry up to 12 nuclear
warheads. It is UK Government policy to limit the actual number of warheads carried
to 48 per boat.
There has been at least one SSBN on patrol at all times for over
30 years, for a total of over 300 missions.
Speculation that the MUFC could be a combined nuclear deterrent
and ISR platform have been raised but the UK government is still deciding on
the best course of action. At this stage, a new generation of ballistic missile
submarines is also being planned, following a December 2006 Ministry of Defence
white paper which recommended that the nuclear weapons should be maintained
into the 2040s. It advocated the currently preferred submarine-based system, as
it remained the cheapest and most secure deterrence option available.
BAE Systems Submarine Solutions estimates that the build time
for an Astute class submarine is 9.5 years from the initial cutting of steel to
the launch of the boat. And while there will be some gains made through the
learning curve of any such program build (the use of modular blocks where
possible), the overall gains to be made through productivity and efficiency changes
are likely to be minimal.
However, this modular approach for the bridge consoles saw the
time involved a fit out period of 17 days for the first boat, threefor the
second and now takes 1.5 days. But the boats have 10 kilometres of piping of various
sizes alone throughout, the modular approach has seen some very complex pipe
work go into constrained spaces.
Best
of breed
As outlined by BAE Systems’ Brian Benn events manager at Barrow,
75 per cent of Astute is new technology with the remainder a best of breed
solution from previous submarine building efforts (see figure right). One of
the technology gains that they are most proud of is the fibre optic mast. No longer
will the bridge have a huge periscope tube going up and down, a massive
opportunity for design changes. A small post will pop up from the top of the
boat, make a quick 10-second scan and disappear again.
Design and construction of the Astute Class is arguably the most
challenging engineering project in the UK and has been described as “more
complex than the space shuttle”, involving the production of over 7,000 design
drawings. For the 4,450 BAE workers at Barrow, a company town in many respects,
seeing chunks of submarine being trucked down the street has become a non-event
in some ways.
The most startling realisation of a visit to the Devonshire dock
hall (DDH), built in the 1980s for the construction of the Vanguard class, is
the scale. Two Astute submarines are in varying stages of construction, are
side by side. The mammoth structure of DDH and the boats inside them, swarming
with workers, brings home the challenge that Australia faces in building its
own fleet in country.
BAE Systems spent £204, 686, 294 last year across 2,100
companies in their efforts to build Astute class submarines.
The new assembly shop is a sight to behold. The raw material –
steel plate – comes in at the far end of the gigantic building, where cutting machines
produced parts for ‘kits’, which are then delivered to the welders, who
construct gigantic hoops that will eventually be put together to form the
pressure vessel, while also fabricating the towering surface structure (outer
casing). Welding is the key skill and there is no room for error, illustrating
perfectly the ‘lives at stake’ ethos that drives everyone to aspire to 100 per
cent defect free work.
BAE Systems Submarines considers that it has the best welders in
the world and theirs is by no means an easy job. The young men and women who
weld wear rubber protective suits, masks and breathing equipment while they
work in confined spaces in temperatures of 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
To put together a section of an Astute Class submarine can
involve three miles of welding, consisting of hundreds of welds, all of which
are thoroughly inspected not only by the welder at every stage, but also by
their section leaders. The welds are X-rayed and if they are not up to standard
the welders are taken off the line and sent back to Barrow’s welding school.
Welding competitions and awards in the UK are populated by a lot of Barrow
natives.
Skilled
people
When Australia approached the UK in 2008 about support for the
Future Submarine, the feeling from the UK was ‘good luck with that, we have our
own hands full. Don’t steal our people’. Fast forward to 2012, and the attitude
has changed somewhat. The push to collaborate where possible has been driven on
both sides by a shortage of funds and people alongside a demand for more capabilities.
How the two nations will work together as the MUFC and Future Submarine on
finer details remains to be seen, but there is little doubt that there will be a
strong working relationship between the two nations.
Note: The writer travelled to Barrow as a guest of BAE
Systems.