PhelganA few points.
1. It’s a safety stand down. There was an issue with water entering the fuel system, which effected the fuel pump system. This had the effect of causing seals to deteriorate, one pump’s seals did so and sprayed fuel into the engine compartment. The incident was handled according to new protocols brought into play after the Westralia incident and no damage or injuries occured. Rather than risk another such incident the RAN brought the Armidales in while the fix was applied.
2. The issue is not ‘Another Australian Defence project gone wrong!’, its a minor issue involving a pump as supplied by the engine manufacturer. It is covered under the warranty and will be replaced with a new, modified unit at the manufacturers cost.
I would hardly say that withdrawing a whole class of ships is a minor issue, irrespective of warranty. That’s seven hulls the RAN won’t have available for the next xx weeks/months.
PhelganArmed trimaran to join Customs patrol fleet
– Sunday, 10th December 2006A 98-metre trimaran will soon join the Australian Customs patrol fleet to help combat illegal foreign fishing, the Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator Chris Ellison, announced today.
Senator Ellison said the deployment of the Triton for a 12-month patrol program was the latest initiative in the Howard Government’s strategy to beef up Australia’s response to illegal foreign fishing.
Built in the UK in 2000, the diesel-electric powered Triton is one of the largest trimaran vessels in the world, with a top speed of 20 knots and is capable of remaining at sea for extended periods.
Supported by a civilian maritime crew of 14, the Triton will also carry up to 28 armed Customs officers capable of boarding and securing vessels operating illegally in the Australian Fishing Zone.
Senator Ellison said the Triton would also be armed with two .50 calibre machine guns.
“The Howard Government allocated $17 million in the last Budget to provide for this year-long patrol deployment, as part of a $389 million funding increase over four years to support our anti-illegal fishing strategy,” he said.
Senator Ellison said Customs had selected the Triton for its range, speed and capability of operating independently or as a command ship, working in tandem with other Customs and Royal Australian Navy patrol boats.
“The Triton will be an integral part of the Border Protection Command’s responses to illegal incursions by fishing boats,” Senator Ellison said.
The ‘Triton’ will have the capacity to detain illegal foreign fishers for only as long as is needed to transfer them to shore for processing and prosecution, if warranted.
The Triton’s sole mission will be to hunt down and seize any illegal boats that are foolish enough to fish in Australian waters,” Senator Ellison said.
Images of the ‘Triton’ can be found in the image gallery http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=4556.
Broadcast quality video can be found at http://customs.ondeadline.com.au
***
Yes, it is that Trident, the one previously being used for trials in the UK some years back. The images of her are all taken when she was being used by Qinetiq
Unicorn
Glad they have found a use for her at last, it seemed such as waste.
PhelganWe used to charter civilian ro-ros as & when needed, but it was decided several years ago that was becoming impractical, so we had 6 built to RN spec. They’re operated by a civilian firm, which charters them out when the RN doesn’t want them, keeping two permanently available.
Who crews them? I assume they use RFA crews in RN service?
PhelganHope Trenton is not a rust bucket yankees want to get rid off..
Hmmm, what did the marines think of it. Heard conflicting reports from “it was great” to “sh*t-hole”.
PhelganIts not just Iraq- if you can think of a place where this is or has been a recent war you can probably be sure that Tony Blairs ego has sent British forces there.:(
To send the forces in is one thing – I may not agree with some of the deployments, but that’s life in a democracy.
To send them under equipped is another – for which they should be held accountable
To strip everything else down to (inadequately) pay for something – is inexcusable.
PhelganScotlands oil?
I’m casting my mind back here to an article in the Independent many years ago (well earlier-mid 90’s) and the numbers I seem to recall, were about 60% in “Scottish” waters, the rest in England’s. Of the Scottish share, something like 75%+ was Islanders, so they might be lucky to get 15% of the total.
I gather the basis of division involves the direction of the border as it leaves the mainland – thanks to Berwick (thank you Edward I), England gets the nice 40% chunk.
I wouldn’t discount the worth of North Sea reserves either. It may be dwindling, but as crises come and go and new techniques develop, who
knows what else is available in the longer term.
PS: I would stress that I am trying to quote a newspaper report from quite a while ago and I will never be voted Memory Man of Britian (nor England for that matter!).
Phil
Phelganmissed opportunity?
I think some of the bigger OPVs are more or less exactly that.
Well it seemed obvious 😮
I guess the RN have missed a trick with the new River-class then. They seem to have only limited helicopter facilities. Shame, with the marinised Apaches now being available.
PhelganThe River-class seem awfully small to fulfill any meaningful T-23 replacement type role.
Given the in-built “upgradability” of the T-45 design it seems like a logical choice to base a T23 replacement on..
So I expect we’ll see something based on the River then!
PhelganCould you clarify that last sentence? You have in effect said you would trade the Clemenceau for the Clemenceau, which is just a little confusing!
I think he wanted our Ark Royal.
PhelganWith the History on the last 50-60 years it so hard to believe? Of course that is why “History” keeps repeating itself! To the detriment of the Human Race I mite add………………..:(
No, its not so hard to believe, but deep, deep, down beneath various layers of hardened cynicism I still have a small vague hope that people will learn.
Damn optimism just won’t die
PhelganI would dread the day that the UK electorate voted for a party because it was committed to spending more on defence. Not that the government shouldn’t, but that it would mark the populace becoming overally nationalist. Of course it would be nice if more public pressure was put on the government not to be such a cheapskate.
Its wishful thinking on my part that people would pay more attention to what the parties say and do than just hospitals and tax cuts/raises. The fact that defence hardly merits a mention at all in election campaigns shows how disinterested people are until its too late, or until we get the horror stories of insufficient body armounr, bad accomodation, etc. (which will all be soon forgotten in tha face of some bright young thing telling the populace they can every x promises and then some AND miracously not pay more tax).
PhelganInteresting, I almost forgot! The CVF’s are to be named Queen Elizabeth and Prince of Wales? What happen to Military Hero’s and Historic Battles?
Probably not PC enough, you know it would be offending someone by bringing up our colonial past, etc.;)
Phelganhttp://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/15031.asp
I am not sure aboutthe items validity or what fillings are?:D
I’m also not sure what the hell Saddam’s death had to do with liking an American ship (if the reports that its a piece of junk are true, they’ve got other things to worry about). Especially as the punishment was dealt and “handled” by the Iraqi authorities.
And now for a newbie’s plea. I found this forum while looking for info on the modern IN (a wargamer’s interest for my sins) and found it fascinating. But this constant stream of “my opinion is better than yours” is not conducive (sp?) to revisiting, so please (pretty please?) move on and give me more interesting facts:)
Phelganmakes me mad
The MoD said it was “fully committed” to the carrier project and “steady progress” was being made.
Funny way of showing it.
I think this might all be too late now though. Looks like the press (sections of anyway) are actually going to make a fuss when half the damage is done. Delays on projects like T45 and Astute are well established, there is no vaguely half-formed plan for T22/T23 replacement and they cannot even commit to their flagship project of the CVF for a mere £200 million (which as far as I can make out is to ensure delivery by 2012 – so how a government delay helps achieve this date is beyond me).
When this thread was started, I read the Telegraph article and thought I’d check around other news sites – in my admittidly brief search, onyl Sky News seemed to have anything on it…Is this a good sign, or jsut a sign that most of the media don’t give a p*ss?
I even find myself thinking that even the Lib Dems couldn’t shaft the armed forces as competently as this bunch.
PhelganFrom today’s Telegraph, excerpt from an article by Lewis Page
In the Falklands, Type 22s and 42s could seldom do more than soak up Argentine air attacks. It’s hard to see why they weren’t all scrapped in favour of more aircraft carriers right away. But the Navy chose not to do that. Not only did it keep these ships, it bought dozens of equally useless replacement frigates. Now the MoD is engaged in spending £6 billion on more new destroyers, a decision firmly endorsed by Sir Alan West. By contrast, the entire future carrier project will cost less than £4 billion; and it is reportedly at risk due to a funding shortfall of as little as a quarter of a billion pounds. One might doubt just how committed Sir Alan and his fellow admirals really are to the new aircraft carriers.
The more so as the existing carriers have been effectively got rid of already: one decommissioned early, one converted to amphibious duties and the last stripped of its aircraft. If our admirals had really wanted carriers, they could have had them: they prioritised destroyers instead. This is very annoying, because a carrier isn’t merely much more useful than a destroyer for today’s land-based counter-insurgency fighting.
A carrier with the right aircraft can also do the destroyer’s job much better in a serious sea battle as well.
wow all this time we onyl needed aircraft carriers – all that money wasted over the last 80 years on pointless escort ships
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