Shipbucket

Collins-class / DeWolf-class Nuclear-Powered Attack Submarine
or the Joint Australian-Canadian Nuclear Attack Submarine

Length: 96 m (315 ft)
Beam: 10.4 m (34 ft)
Draft: 9.75 m (32 ft)
Displacement: 5,400t surfaced - 6,250t submerged
Propulsion: Pressurized Water Reactor
Speed:
- 28-31 knots
Test Depth: 250 m (820 ft)
Crew: 120 men
Armament:
- 6 x 53cm (21") torpedo tubes firing Mk48 torpedoes, Sub-Harpoon missiles, or Stonefish mines
Ships in Class:
Australia:
- HMAS Collins (SSN-73)
- HMAS Waller (SSN-74)
- HMAS Rankin (SSN-75)
- HMAS Farncomb (SSN-76)
Canada:
- HMAS DeWolf
- HMAS Houghton
- HMAS Kingsmill
- HMAS Murray


HMAS Collins (SSN-73)


HMCS deWolf

Development
In the 1980s, the Australian and Canadian navies both discussed, on and off, their desire for nuclear submarines. This desire was particularly strong in Canada, which saw the utility of under-ice operations in the Arctic Ocean using SSNs. The Australians and Canadians were both in the process of planning replacements for their British-built Oberon class submarines, and a new proposal was sought for the next class. Although the RAN and RCN had reservations about nuclear power (caused in part by political positions adopted by parties in the various governments) discussions about a joint development project began in 1983. By 1985, both navies were closely involved in working out suitable specifications for a nuclear attack submarine, initially designated JACNAS (Joint Australian-Canadian Nuclear Attack Submarine).

In February 1986, Canada and Australia signed a memorandum of understanding agreeing to cooperate on the JACNAS project. The two parties agreed to share a set amount of joint design work, after which the national project teams would split and complete individualized designs tailored to each country's preferences. The base design shared many similarities with the British Trafalgar class submarine, with which the design team familiarized themselves.

Design
Among the RCN's primary interests was under-ice operation, and so a number of external features differed from the Australian boats. The deWolf class had a different sail, with the planes mounted low on the bow in order to protect them better when surfacing under the ice, and the X-tail, which the RAN insisted upon, was replaced with an American-style cruciform tail. Similarly, the bow sonar arrangements changed.

Design and construction was placed in the hands of a jointly-owned parastatal, the Australian-Canadian Submarine Corporation (ACSC), which would conduct the major design work, develop a purpose-built shipyard in Australia, and oversee the construction of major parts. The PWR pressurized water nuclear reactors were provided by Rolls-Royce, and shared many components with the reactors of the British Trafalgar-class.

Construction
Australia approved the start of construction on the first submarine, HMAS Collins, in April 1988, while the Canadian parliament did not authorize HMCS deWolf until March of 1989. Major construction took place at ACSC's shipyard in Osborne, Australia. All four of the Australian Collins-class boats were completely constructed at this facility, although a number of large subassemblies were manufactured in Canada and shipped to ACSC. The four Canadian submarines were built in six modular sections. Each section was then loaded loaded aboard a heavy-lift ship and transported to Halifax, where assembly and all further construction was undertaken by Irving Shipbuilding.

HMAS Collins was laid down on February 14th, 1990, but did not complete until 1996, only a month before HMCS deWolf, which was laid down a full year later. Construction generally took between four to six years for each boat. The Canadian boats, which incorporated more off-the-shelf technology acquired via the US and Britain, cost slightly less than the Australian boats, but took on average four to six months longer to complete.