Asia-Pacific
USS Colorado arrives at HMAS Stirling for a month of maintenance, with Australian technicians working on a Virginia-class submarine for the first time
The U.S. Navy submarine USS Colorado reached HMAS Stirling on 27 October for a monthlong maintenance period, the fourth in Western Australia under AUKUS.
The Virginia-class submarine USS Colorado (SSN 788) arrived at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia on 27 October to begin a scheduled maintenance period expected to last about a month, the U.S. Navy said. It is the fourth submarine maintenance period carried out in Western Australia since the AUKUS partnership was established, and the first in which Australian civilian technicians work on a Virginia-class boat.
According to the U.S. Navy account, more than 30 trained technicians from the Australian company ASC are carrying out the work, supported by specialists from Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility. Colorado is the sixth nuclear-powered attack submarine to visit Stirling since the “Optimal Pathway” for Australia’s nuclear-powered fleet was announced, and the third to undergo maintenance in Australia in the past 12 months. The UK Royal Navy is taking an active part in the period.
Australian-built infrastructure on show
The visit is also a test of the facilities that Australia has built at the base. They include an Australian-made safety walkway around the submarine’s sail, upgrades to Diamantina Pier, a pure-water plant, a high-pressure air compressor and dehumidification equipment. Capt. Jason Pittman, commander of Submarine Squadron 3, said that last year’s maintenance period validated the water plant and the walkway, and that the UK’s maintenance period in February validated the compressor and the dehumidifiers.
Rear Adm. Doug Adams, the U.S. Navy’s director for AUKUS, international and systems, said the work “brings us closer to establishing SRF-West”. Rear Adm. David Mann, who heads the Virginia division of the Australian Submarine Agency, described the aim as to “deliver maintenance to schedule and get the boats back to sea”.
Link to the rotational force
On 26 October the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom named Colorado as the first U.S. Virginia-class submarine assigned to Submarine Squadron 3. It is expected to help formally establish Submarine Rotational Force-West (SRF-West) when it returns to Western Australia in late 2027, as we reported in USS Colorado to be the first US submarine rotating through Australia under AUKUS. The plan envisages up to four U.S. submarines and one UK submarine rotating through Stirling.
AUKUS work continues on other fronts too: the UK is leading three undersea sensor payloads for uncrewed vehicles, described in UK to lead three AUKUS undersea sensor payloads for uncrewed submarines, due across the three navies from 2027.
