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Home » Explore » Submarines » Collins Class

Collins Class

Collins – Australian Construction – Beginning the Submarine Enterprise

Designed to be as quiet as advanced technology can achieve, Collins class submarines have been developed from five generations of submarines designed and built by the Swedish Navy.


The characteristics and range of Collins class submarines have been tailored specifically for its defence and two-ocean surveillance role in the Royal Australian Navy.

One of the first submarines to be totally designed by computers, these submarines boast a vast range of features. They include a high-performance hull form, highly automated controls, low indiscretion rates, high shock resistance, efficient weapons handling, and an optional air-independent propulsion system.

The submarines move silently on electric power supplied by banks of new-technology lead-acid batteries. The batteries are charged by three on-board diesel generator sets.

The sophisticated combat system, which gathers its intelligence from its sensors, computes the input and then launches and directs weapons, is an advance on any system currently available. Referred to as AN/BYG-1(v)8, it is the result of an Armaments Cooperative Program (ACP) between the navies of Australia and the US.

Each ship has been named after a distinguished former member of the RAN, some of whom have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
Based at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia, they are a formidable element in Australia’s defence capability.

ShipPennantCommissioned
HMAS CollinsS7327 July 1996
HMAS FarncombS7431 January 1998
HMAS WallerS7510 July 1999
HMAS DechaineuxS7623 February 2001
HMAS SheeanS7723 February 2001
HMAS RankinS7829 March 2003

Four Collins Class in Cockburn Sound
Image provided by the Royal Australian Navy
HMAS Collins
Image provided by the Royal Australian Navy

Project Development

The Collins Class project was established by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in 1982.


Replacing the RAN’s Oberon Class, the new design was required to meet the unique needs of the Navy, which were dictated by, among other things, Australia’s geographic location.

The new submarines would be required to:

  • travel great distances;
  • operate in varying environments;
  • have state-of the-art weapons systems;
  • perform traditional submarine functions using the most advanced technology available.

The submarines would also be required to protect Australia through their very existence, acting as a deterrent to enemy forces.

It was decided that large conventional submarines would be acquired. The Collins Class submarines are the second largest non-nuclear-powered submarines in the world.

In 1987, the newly formed Australian Submarine Corporation (now ASC Pty Ltd), began the task of designing and building the most sophisticated conventional submarine in the world. 
Construction of the first Collins Class submarine, HMAS Collins, was begun in 1990 and delivered it to the RAN in 1996. The sixth and final boat, HMAS Rankin, was delivered to the RAN in 2003.

Submarine Construction

Australia’s Submarine Enterprise

The construction of the Collins Class submarines was an unprecedented feat of engineering, design and logistics in Australia.

The project required specification, integration and installation of equipment and material from over 150 major contractors and hundreds of smaller suppliers. Most of the submarine modules were constructed off-site and then shipped to us for integration.
Key parameters for equipment included electrical power, cooling, noise, shock resistance, weight and electromagnetic characteristics, all under rigorous configuration management as data was distributed between the various suppliers during the design phase.

Submarine Outfitting Statistics

Piping23,500 metres
Major cable lengths7,000
Cable connections200,000
Cable75,000 metres
Batteries400 tonnes

A completed submarine is a system of systems. A Collins Class submarine contains 108 integrated systems which are linked structurally, mechanically, electrically, hydraulically, pneumatically and electronically.

All of these systems need power and cooling, and many need to communicate with each other in order to achieve full operational capability.

Technical Documentation

Over 33,000 drawings and 5,000 work orders were produced before construction of the Collins Class submarines could begin. Once work started, each submarine took 2.5 million hours to assemble.
There are an estimated 350,000 individual technical documents associated with the Collins Class submarines, including:

Design drawings: 70,727
Parts lists: 46,717
Specifications: 42,865

Collins Class at Sea – Practice Makes Perfect

Collins Class at Sea – Practice Makes Perfect

When HMAS Rankin, Collins-class submarine defeated USN ships in the military exercise Silent Fury it demonstrated its crew’s expertise in tactics, the boats stealth and how swiftly being the hunted can shift to becoming the hunter.

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Australian National Submarine Museum acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we operate, live and gather as employees, and recognise their continuing connection to land, water and community. We pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging.

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