The Australian Naval Architect
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THE AUSTRALIAN NAVAL ARCHITECT Volume 22 Number 3 August 2018 HMAS Adelaide preparing to embark United States Marine Corps amphibious assault vehicles during Exercise Rim of the Pacific 18 (RIMPAC 2018), Hawaii, in July. HMAS Adelaide unexpectedly took a lead role in the amphibious phase of RIMPAC when the US Navy assault ship planned for that role suffered mechanical problems and remained in Pearl Harbour for most of the exercise. HMAS Adelaide led HMA Ships Success, Melbourne and Toowoomba across the Pacific to take part in this major exercise which involved 25 nations, 46 surface ships, five submarines, 17 land forces, and more than 200 aircraft and 25 000 personnel. This major international exercise is held every two years (RAN photograph) THE AUSTRALIAN NAVAL ARCHITECT Journal of The Royal Institution of Naval Architects (Australian Division) Volume 22 Number 3 August 2018 Cover Photo: CONTENTS An impression of BAE Systems’ Global Com- 2 From the Division President bat Ship — Australia, selected as the preferred 3 Editorial design for Australia’s new frigates 4 Letter to the Editor (Image courtesy Department of Defence) 4 Coming Events The Australian Naval Architect is published four times per 5 News from the Sections year. All correspondence and advertising copy should be 15 Classification Society News sent to: The Editor 17 From the Crows Nest The Australian Naval Architect 18 General News c/o RINA PO Box No. 462 36 The Acquisition of a Multi-role Aviation Jamison Centre, ACT 2614 Training Vessel for the Royal Australian AUSTRALIA Navy — Alex Robbins email: [email protected] 39 Upgrade or Replace: A Cost Comparison The deadline for the next edition of The Australian Na- val Architect (Vol. 22 No. 4, November 2018) is Friday of Australian Warship Service Lives — 26 October 2018. Alastair Cooper and James Mugg Articles and reports published in The Australian Naval 43 Education News Architect reflect the views of the individuals who prepared them and, unless indicated expressly in the text, do not neces- 47 Industry News sarily represent the views of the Institution. The Institution, 50 The Profession its officers and members make no representation or warranty, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness or 51 The Internet correctness of information in articles or reports and accept 52 Membership no responsibility for any loss, damage or other liability arising from any use of this publication or the information 54 Vale which it contains. 56 Naval Architects on the Move The Australian Naval Architect 57 From the Archives ISSN 1441-0125 © Royal Institution of Naval Architects 2018 Editor in Chief: John Jeremy AM RINA Australian Division Technical Editor: Phil Helmore on the Print Post Approved PP 606811/00009 World Wide Web Printed by Focus Print Group www.rina.org.uk/aust August 2018 1 From the Division President Welcome to another edition of The Australian Naval Architect. We are really fortunate in Australia to have such a superb publication tailored exactly to our needs. This was supported very strongly in the outcome of the recent survey of members. The Institution as a whole is currently conducting a strategic review and has established a number of working groups to address various issues. I am on the group looking at the publication policy. It is difficult to know what the Institution’s future policy regarding publications should be. We currently have two peer reviewed journals — The International Journal of Maritime Engineering and The International Journal of Small Craft Technology. These both attract papers, mainly from academics, which are peer reviewed and certainly do meet the need for academics to publish the results of their world-leading research. Of course, this is an important role of the Institution but, sometimes, I do wonder how many non-academic members read such papers? However, we need to recognise that, today, more and more Martin Renilson information is disseminated using electronic means. These include e-Newsletters, podcasts and webinars. Personally, I and one at the AMC, University of Tasmania. So there are get more information this way than I can possibly read. How opportunities for students to move into our field. With all should the Institution address the move to more electronic the naval shipbuilding on the drawing board in Australia communication of information? I’m very interested in there will certainly be plenty of exciting careers available members’ thoughts on this — particularly younger members well into the long term. who perhaps make more use of modern technologies, and Members will be aware that the Institution has reorganised for whom the Institution’s policy going forward to 2050 is its standing committees. One of the new committees is the going to be of more importance than it will be to me! Maritime Innovation Committee. This is currently in the In fact, as many of the Institution’s policies are more likely process of identifying six key disruptive technologies which to affect younger members than those nearer the ends will influence the maritime industry in the future. That’s of their careers, it is a great shame to see that they don’t quite a challenge! seem to be having as much input into the running of the Personally, I think that it is quite likely that these disruptive Institution today, and the planning for the future, as perhaps technologies influencing our industry will come from outside they should have. the maritime industry. For example, there is a lot of work Since the last edition I attended the very successful “launch” going on around the world into improving energy storage of NUSHIP Sydney in Adelaide. Somehow a float off is systems — primarily, but not exclusively, better batteries. not as exciting as a “real” end-launch, but I know that If the storage of electrical energy were to become cheap, those involved were somewhat less stressed than if they light and efficient then it is quite likely that we will see all- had used the old-fashioned method. It was great to meet electric ships, which are charged up when in port. This will many members at this event — and my thanks to those who make a major change to the maritime industry, as well as to arranged the invitation for me. port infrastructure. I also took the opportunity to attend a SA-NT Section Another example of a disruptive technology which is often Technical Meeting on Submarine Design presented by Eric talked about is autonomy. I suspect that most of the work Fusil. Eric, as always, gave a great presentation, which that is being done in this field (not radio control, which is was enjoyed by those who attended. This was held on the quite different) is being done for self-driving cars. If that University of Adelaide’s campus and attracted a number can be solved, and we all learn to rely on self-driving cars, of undergraduate students. Many of these are studying then surely it will be a piece of cake to apply this to the aeronautical engineering and they found the presentation on maritime industry. Many container terminals already rely submarine design to be very interesting. I think that it’s really on this technology for moving containers around. great when it is possible for a section to hold its meetings If a ship was completely autonomous, then it wouldn’t even at a university, and to attract students to attend. After all, need pilots. Think of the increased safety if pilots were not they are the future of the profession, and our Institution. required to undertake the hazardous journey to the pilot If Eric’s presentation encouraged some of those students boarding ground, and then transfer from a small pilot vessel studying other branches of engineering to consider careers in severe conditions. in naval architecture, then that will be a really good outcome. If autonomy can be applied in the commercial sector, can it There are now a few masters degrees in naval architecture also be applied to warships? Of course, there are a number being offered, including one at the University of Adelaide, The Australian Naval Architect 2 of very different issues here, including whether society will ever permit an autonomous system to fire a weapon. Editorial Personally, I think that this is very unlikely, which is why After what has seemed, to the casual observer, a very long I feel that autonomous underwater vehicles will not have selection process, the BAE Systems Global Combat Ship as big an impact as many people think. However, it was — Australia has been selected as the preferred design for pointed out to me that once a torpedo has parted from its wire Australia’s new frigates. With decisions now made on all guidance it uses its own autonomy to track down, and then three new construction projects, the offshore patrol vessels, attack, the enemy. This can be done even although the enemy the submarines and the frigates, the challenging task of is trying to evade the weapon — and, of course, smart mines getting on with the task of completing design work and do something similar, by deciding which ship to attack. starting the job of building the vessels can now begin in earnest. Perhaps we all ought to put our thinking caps on (if we’ve not done that already) and see if we can identify disruptive Meanwhile, in May this year, the Australian National Audit technologies for our industry. It would be really interesting to Office (ANAO) published a report on the naval construction get some letters and/or articles about this into The Australian program, in which it was declared that the ambitious program Naval Architect.