Electrical fire hits Australian Navy's Collins class submarine HMAS Farncomb.

According to information published by ABC on September 26, 2023, the Royal Australian Navy's Collins-class submarine HMAS Farncomb experienced an electrical fire while at sea during its 25th year in service.
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Collins class submarine HMAS Farncomb. (Picture source: Australian MoD)

HMAS Farncomb, part of the Collins-class submarines operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), boasts a design based on the Västergötland-class, making it one of the world's largest conventionally powered submarines.

With dimensions spanning 77.42 metres in length, a beam of 7.8 metres, and a waterline depth of 7 metres, the submarine displaces 3,051 tonnes when surfaced and 3,353 tonnes when submerged.

Constructed from high-tensile micro-alloy steel, the hull is cloaked in anechoic tiles to minimize sonar detection. The depth to which it can dive remains classified, with some claims suggesting it exceeds 180 metres.

For its armament, the submarine is equipped with six 21-inch torpedo tubes, housing a mix of Gould Mark 48 Mod 4 torpedoes and UGM-84C Sub-Harpoons, which were later upgraded to the Mod 7 CBASS version.

Powering the submarine are three Garden Island-Hedemora HV V18b/15Ub diesel engines, each connected to a 1,400 kW Jeumont-Schneider generator.

This power is stored in batteries and supplied to a Jeumont-Schneider DC motor that offers 7,200 shaft horsepower to a 4.22-metre diameter propeller. Farncomb can achieve a speed of 10.5 knots when surfaced and up to 21 knots underwater. Its range when surfaced is 11,000 nautical miles at 10 knots, and when fully submerged, it can travel up to 480 nautical miles at 4 knots.

However, its technical prowess hasn't shielded it from operational challenges. In 1998, Farncomb faced a significant setback when all three of its diesel generators broke down, stranding the vessel until replacement parts could be shipped.

In 2007, while on an intelligence mission, the submarine got its propeller entangled in fishing lines. The situation became dire when a sudden weather shift led to five sailors being washed overboard, though they were fortunately rescued.

Operational hiccups continued. In 2010, after already facing personnel shortages and other submarines in the fleet undergoing maintenance, Farncomb had to return to port due to a generator failure.

A year later, off Rottnest Island, the submarine lost propulsion, falling backwards until an emergency ballast blow brought it back to the surface. Lastly, during the 2012 RIMPAC exercise in Hawaii, the submarine experienced flooding due to a hose split in its weight compensation system, necessitating repairs at Pearl Harbor.