Sea Power: Girls own adventure: 24 hours on HMAS Sheean | ADM April 2013

I wouldn’t normally write something like this for ADM but I thought the experience had to be shared. I was lucky enough to spend 24 hours on board HMAS Sheean with a shattered crew who had just finished their return to service trials.

With full disclosure in mind, my ride came about during a presentation to the Submarine Institute of Australia conference last year where I mentioned that I had a great longing to go on a Collins class boat and see what all the fuss was about. Submarines are the most reviewed, commented on and expensive platform the Australian Defence Force has to offer. I wanted to get a better understanding of the circumstances that the crews have to operate under, see how the various systems worked together and confirm that the boats did work.

After a few months of my request working its way through the labyrinthine approval process, I was delighted to find out that my prayers had been answered. I was to head from Sydney down to Jervis Bay on an overnighter. My keeper was a former Captain of a submarine himself and had championed me getting a ride.

Being both nervous and excited about how I would cope with being on a submarine, I talked to everyone I knew who had been on one. The best piece of advice before the trip: “You’ll always be in the way unless you’re in your rack (bed).”

After getting medical clearance from my GP and a Navy doctor, I was on my way. We left from Garden Island under good conditions. The water was slack which made for an easy transfer and the rain started once we were safely inside.

Once on board, I was introduced to the upstairs/downstairs world of accommodation on a submarine. Officers and non-commissioned officers lived on the first floor and the general crew on the second floor. The tour of the basic facilities was… interesting. I was assigned a female officer as my tour guide who showed me to my rack in the overflow compartment. She was a little embarrassed to have to explain the in and outs of the ladies room facilities more than anything else. I was then given free range of the boat.

I knew that quarters would be tight but nothing prepared me for the working conditions that these men and women face for weeks on end. Sheean wasn’t carrying a weapons load so the temporary bunks under the torpedo racks were in place; a luxury apparently as there is more headroom. The torpedo room was one of the few places where crew could actually get some exercise on an exercise bike. The only other opportunities are some free weights and a rowing machine at the aft of the boat, past the noise of the engines, batteries and generators. Jammed beside a line of cabinets, it’s not your everyday gym. Considering the climb to get back there, it’s understandable that not many crew make the most of the facility.

Captain Richard Smallwood and his crew were beyond wonderful. There were no stupid questions, I was treated with courtesy and as mentioned I had free run of the boat, barring the comms/EW consoles behind the black curtain. CAPT Smallwood mentioned that given the nature of the technology behind said curtain there were many crew members who weren’t allowed in there as they lacked the proper clearance levels.

Diving
That afternoon, after making our way clear of Sydney, we dived to periscope depth. The sensation barely registered – it was that smooth. There only significant difference was the roll of the boat lessened. Both the search and attack periscopes were used for navigation as the nav team kept the boat on track with the help of the new digital maps console. Sheean is the second boat to have such an upgrade.

I was able to familiarise myself with the boat in the meantime. I had the pleasure of climbing all over HMAS Rankin when it was on the hardstand at ASC last year, a skeleton of the boat that I was now on. There is no spare space on these boats. Every little nook and cranny is utilised. Looking around the business end of the boat, the various company names dotted around the cabinets and machinery was a who’s who of engineering. Getting everything to work at the same time, in the same place as part of a wider system in such an unforgiving environment is an engineering feat in and of itself. It struck me once again that if submarines were easy, every nation would have them.

I was lucky enough to board on a Saturday which meant only one thing; pizza night. I split my meals between the upstairs and downstairs worlds during my stay. And they were different worlds, with their different schedules and crewmembers but I found each had their own delights. There was one young sailor who was very keen for me to interview him as he was key to the boat he thought. At 22, of course he was. The officers ward room has a collection of religious icons from most of the major religions of the world, including a Jedi (you never know).

The lack of personal space onboard a Collins class makes for a very close knit crew. And while the crew was tired from their recent return to service trials, they were in good spirits.

During the night, I did get a bit of a shock when the boat dived at rather a sharp angle and I almost fell out of my rack. When I came up to the control room the next morning, I asked whom the work experience kid was that was driving last night. A sheepish sonar operator put his hand up and explained that he was still learning. Oops.

The crew ran a simulation to take out a MANPADS installation near Jervis Bay the next morning. There were about two dozen pleasure craft out and about on a fine Sunday morning while we ran the exercise. The Executive Officer (XO) ran the engagement and the site was taken out successfully after a single firing. Jervis Bay was safe once again.

Home again
I was able to ride into Jervis bay on top of the fin with the Captain, XO and navigator, waving to some startled locals. The water looked pretty tempting (and Sheean would be the best diving platform) but the shark nest in the near distance kept me on board until our boat transfer came.

The crew and the boat impressed me and leaving them to head down to Devonport for their rededication ceremony was bittersweet. On one hand I was going home to my family, I could have a shower whenever I wanted rather than every four days and there was sunshine on demand. But the great people, the challenge of living and working on a submarine and serving in the Royal Australian Navy are not easily dismissed. While I won’t be signing up to a become submariner any time soon, the chance to experience the life for 24 hours was fantastic.

I would like to thank Captain Richard Smallwood and his crew for their hospitality. I would also like to thank Captain Matt Buckley of the Navy’s Submarine Capability office for arranging my time aboard HMAS Sheean.