No construction, just sustanment it looks like, LCM, LCH, Mogami, Hunter, Support vessels etc. assume unmanned vessels aswell.
Royal Australian Navy Discussions and Updates 2.0
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While I know this is technically more of a RN post, the Type 26 is finally coming along and I gotta say, it looks really good imho. I really cant wait to see our Hunter version.
ukdefencejournal.org.uk
New images show progress on first new Type 26 Frigate
New photographs taken today show HMS Glasgow moving deeper into the final stages of her build, with the ship’s main gun, both communications masts, and a series of smaller topside fittings now clearly visible.
ukdefencejournal.org.uk
OldTex
Well-Known Member
It always seemed strange that Cairncross was looking like being closed and filled in for housing development. Hopefully, with proper management and support it will become a useful maintenance and refit location.The return of Cairncross dockyard?
Cairncross Dockyard Brisbane – ASSIST
assistmaritime.com.au
7 News - Sunshine Coast/Brisbane
7.5K views · 81 reactions | There's a multi-billion dollar plan to revive Brisbane's shipyards for future defence needs, unlocking jobs for thousands of people. @MarlinaWhop | 7NEWS Sunshine Coast
There's a multi-billion dollar plan to revive Brisbane's shipyards for future defence needs, unlocking jobs for thousands of people. @MarlinaWhopwww.facebook.com
QLD government states 6,000ton shiplift, other Sources say 9,000ton.
Hopefully it is a 9,000ton lift(would make alot more sense) but atm it appears to be a 6000ton lift for LCH, Support vessels etc, larger graving dock for a single Mogami, Hunter or possibly an AOR Etc.
Doesn’t appear to be well thought out, you would think the dock should be lengthened to around 320m(maybe from the south-east end) so that multiple vessels (2 future MFUs+ smaller) could be in dock at the same time. Unfortunately Cairncross is not the same size as Captain Cook where it is possible to have 2+2 MFUs side by side and/or back to back.
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Sigh. This is just going to further undermine our ability to maintain continuous shipbuilding. Especially when keeping in mind that there is going to be ANOTHER new facility built on the East Coast for the SSNs, which Kembla or Newcastle are best placed to win.
While I know this is technically more of a RN post, the Type 26 is finally coming along and I gotta say, it looks really good imho. I really cant wait to see our Hunter version.
New images show progress on first new Type 26 Frigate
New photographs taken today show HMS Glasgow moving deeper into the final stages of her build, with the ship’s main gun, both communications masts, and a series of smaller topside fittings now clearly visible.
Bit over enthusiastic in the words. From that photo the radars, for example, aren’t yet fitted, much less being trialled.
That's a big facility.The return of Cairncross dockyard?
Cairncross Dockyard Brisbane – ASSIST
7 News - Sunshine Coast/Brisbane
7.5K views · 81 reactions | There's a multi-billion dollar plan to revive Brisbane's shipyards for future defence needs, unlocking jobs for thousands of people. @MarlinaWhop | 7NEWS Sunshine Coast
There's a multi-billion dollar plan to revive Brisbane's shipyards for future defence needs, unlocking jobs for thousands of people. @MarlinaWhop
QLD government states 6,000ton shiplift, other Sources say 9,000ton.
What do you think they mean by "construct a graving dock". I assume that means refurbush the existing one?
Is the current graving dock still servicable or is it permanently flooded at the moment. If the intention is to refurbish, it would be big enough for most combat warships.
Seems overkill to build that and a massive sychrolift. That's a hell of a lot of work that would need to go through this facility to make it economically viable.
Does Brisbane even have that need across the Defence and private sector? I'm not sure I understand the strategic and economic plan here.
Is this perhaps a play to attract a second east coast fleet base to Brisbane, rather than Wollongong or Newcastle.
-Yup, a refurbish.
-It’s flooded, no gate. Big enough for 1 Hunter(151mx21m) or 1 Mogami(142mx17m) or 1 Supply(174m x 23m)
-Alot of work, no chance they complete the project anytime soon and for $2.5 billion?
-Syncrolift better for smaller(more numerous) vessels.
-“The Cairncross Dockyard Brisbane Project has already attracted attention from key stakeholders, both domestically and internationally, including from Australia, the United States, Japan, and South Korea, further highlighting its potential as a strategic maritime hub.”
-Crisafulli government going full throttle = trying to take work/jobs/infrastructure from Cairns, Newcastle, Townsville, Wollongong no doubt.
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I recall reading a memoir of a USN ship that sustained damage during Darwin bombing in WW2.
At that time the only refurbishment/dry dock was in Sydney, which had a queue of ships waiting their turn for long repair work.
They had to sail a crippled ship south via Fremantle, the southern ocean and up to Sydney.
That situation repeating today worries me.
At that time the only refurbishment/dry dock was in Sydney, which had a queue of ships waiting their turn for long repair work.
They had to sail a crippled ship south via Fremantle, the southern ocean and up to Sydney.
That situation repeating today worries me.
My read is that this is exactly what this is.
To be honest I’m relatively agnostic as to where the sub base goes, but have a modest preference for Kembla due to:
- short transit to the continental shelf
- access to south / sw Sydney workforce
- access to other expertise at FBE
- access to ANSTO and the nuclear programs at UoW and ANU
albeit at the cost of an extra day of transit time each way.
I think Brisbane is the weakest of the three sites for the reverse reasons.
There has been and always will be a backlog of work at Co-Dock. Its big, it can support almost any type of operation. Its convenient. Just the big ships (defence) and big commercial (manly ferries, cruise stuff) mean its schedule isn't flexible.
Ships aren't getting smaller, but bigger. Cairncross may exist in that future, but it has langished for over 2 decades now, and has all the problems of a brownfields site, and a greenfields site. It is not really located in an industrial area anymore and planning to make it a residential area means its possible conversion even as a civilian ship yard is probably marginal. IMO you would have more luck and success with Cockatoo Island.
IMO subs Newcastle and Kembla seem to be more obvious, and there seems to be a fair bit of support for Kembla (with easier deep water and industry support). Sydney has all the nuclear know how. That's how its ended up, no one else built any nuclear facilities, no one else has any academic or research in that space nationally. We have had multiple nuclear reactors running in Sydney for over 60 years across 3 series/generations of reactors. If any other state wants in, they can build a civilian nuclear reactors, university and tafe/trade programs, waste storage, secure fuel import and waste export travel paths, and try. I'm not sure on what grounds something else other than Kembla/Newcastle would get serious consideration. ANSTO is what it is, a national nuclear facility. There is no other national nuclear facility. There isn't anything like it in the whole southern hemisphere (inc Brazil and Argentina who have sizable national nuclear centres).
Somethings can be moved, some things cannot.
The only other consideration is really that the American are going to base stuff over at WA. But that is different, and interconnected. We will build them down in S.A (mostly installing prebuilt modules from elsewhere), but again, different. SA may be the site of a nuclear fuel/reactor assembly centre, but that is still decades away. Nuclear tech is hard for the US/UK/France/Russia/China, they don't just randomly move around their key sites and create greenfield problems. Los Alamos is still Los Alamos.
Being further away is a good thing, it makes it that much harder for drones/diesels to follow.
I'm not sure I see the connection to where Australia's nuclear centre of scientific excellence is located, and where nuclear submarines will be based and maintained. I would view them as seperate functions that do not need to be co-located. Convienient perhaps, but not necessary.
I don't see it as unreasonable for Sydney to be where specialised engineers and scientists train and work, for SA to be where nuclear submarines are built (and potentially where reactors are serviced in the future), and for submarines to be then home ported and maintained over their life elsewhere (with one location being Perth).
I would have thought a choice of a second east coast home base would be premised primarily on broad access to non nuclear trades (being the majority of the regular work), in a location where families would want to live (both civilians and military), and where a sizable protected facility could be built. Port Kembla and Newcastle both have these attributes, but I think so does Brisbane.
I don't think Cairncross meets that definition however (mostly in regards to size and protection), but the original Brisbane location of Fisherman Island would be able to.
Attributes against Brisbane in my opinion are perhaps increasing exposure to severe weather (cyclones), and being a little too close to the possible future action and threat sources.
I should note that where ever the east coast submarine base goes, so will in all likelihood a good portion of the east coast surface fleet (FBE is full and becomming progressively more difficult). So the base would also need to accomodate surface ships, and several of them.
I can see FBE in due course (several decades) fully relocating.
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I am not advocating for this, but if that were ever to happen the value of Garden Island would probably be north of $30bn.
Certainly a very significant contribution to the budget.
Seen several posts over the years suggesting we have selected the RAFAEL ‘Typhoon-Mk30C’ RCWS, but have yet to find any hard data confirming this. Only a speculative purchase worth ‘tens of millions’ by an ‘unknown Asian customer’ back in 22’. The most detailed article I could find suggested 4 likely customers, none of which was Australia. Was hoping one of you could enlighten me with greater detail, cheers.
Trackmaster
Member
The gate was lifted out about two months ago, but there is major steel fabrication taking place at the moment, adjacent to the flooded dock. There has also been continuous dredging work at the entrance to the dock over the past couple of weeks.
The fitting out wharf has been upgraded, with two patrol boats alongside last week.
It's a long way from the plan of a couple of years ago to fill the dock in and pave it over.