HMAS Waller (SSG 75)

HMAS "Waller" (SSG 75), is a "Collins" class submarine of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).

"Waller" was laid down by the Australian Submarine Corporation at Osborne, South Australia on 7 February 1992, launched on 14 March 1997 and commissioned into the RAN on 10 July 1999.

Name

The submarine is named after Captain Hector Waller (1900 - 1942), DSO and Bar who, in 1942, was commander of the cruiser HMAS "Perth" that was part of a combined Allied force when it was ambushed by the Japanese. All except Perth and USS "Houston" were sunk.

Later, the two ships were intercepted by a Japanese invasion fleet escorted by two cruisers and 12 destroyers. Enormous damage was inflicted on the Japanese fleet. Waller ordered "Perth" be abandoned as the Japanese closed in. "Perth" was sunk with her captain, but not before he had fired two torpedo tubes at the convoy. "Houston" was sunk shortly afterwards.

Notable Achievements

During RIMPAC 2000, HMAS "Waller" successfully "sank" two "Los Angeles" class fast attack submarines of the United States Navy, before getting within torpedo range of the aircraft carrier USS "Abraham Lincoln" without being detected.

During Exercise Tandem Thrust in 2001, HMAS "Waller" "sank" two USN amphibious assault ships in waters between 75 metres (200 feet) to 105 meters (350 feet) deep, barely more than the length of the submarine itself.

During RIMPAC 2008, HMAS "Waller" fired a live Mark 48 torpedo at the decommissioned US destroyer the USS "David R. Ray", becoming the first submarine to successfully fire the MK 48 Mod 7 Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System (CBASS) variant of this torpedo. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7523147.stm] ] [cite press release |title=Australian submarine first to fire new heavyweight torpedo |publisher=Australian Minister for Defence |date=2008-07-24 |url=http://www.defence.gov.au/media/download/2008/Jul/20080724a/index.htm |accessdate=2008-07-24 ]

Upgrade

Beginning in 2002 and concluding in 2007, HMAS "Waller" was upgraded with the Raytheon CCS Mark Two command/control system and Mark 48 ADCAP torpedoes. cite news|author=AAP|title=PM to inspect upgraded submarine |url=http://au.news.yahoo.com/070301/2/12l3m.html] "Waller" is the first of the six "Collins" class submarines to be upgraded, with the entire class predicted to be outfitted by 2010.

HMAS "Waller" has also just become the first submarine to successfully fire a new heavyweight torpedo that has been jointly developed by Australia and the United States.Fact|date=September 2008

References

External links

* [http://www.navy.gov.au/HMAS_Waller Royal Australian Navy's HMAS Waller site]
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/rimpac-2000.htm RIMPAC 2000 Participants]
* [http://www.netnewspublisher.com/australian-submarine-hmas-waller-successfully-fires-new-heavyweight-torpedo/ Heavyweight Torpedo Test]