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126-655: The Collins -class submarines are Australian-built diesel-electric submarines operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The Collins class takes its name from Australian Vice Admiral John Augustine Collins ; each of the six submarines is named after significant RAN personnel who distinguished themselves in action during World War II . The six vessels were the first submarines built in Australia, prompting widespread improvements in Australian industry and delivering

252-490: A request for proposal (RFP), which is used when a company sources for business proposals , ITTs are used when a government or company does not require the submission of an original business proposal and is looking solely to award a contract based on the best tender submitted. As a result, whereas ITTs are often decided based on the best price offered, decisions on RFPs may also involve other considerations such as technology and innovation. Both are forms of reverse auction . At

378-577: A New Generation of Vehicles was a cooperative research program between the U.S. government and "The Big Three" automobile manufacturers ( DaimlerChrysler , Ford and General Motors ) that developed diesel hybrid cars. Diesel–electric propulsion has been tried on some military vehicles , such as tanks . The German armored vehicles VK 45.01 (P) , Elefant , and Panzer VIII Maus of the Second World War were petrol-electric or diesel-electric propelled. The prototype TOG1 and TOG2 super heavy tanks of

504-412: A call for bids or a request for tenders) is a formal, structured procedure for generating competing offers from different potential suppliers or contractors looking to obtain an award of business activity in works, supply, or service contracts , often from companies who have been previously assessed for suitability by means of a supplier questionnaire (SQ) or pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ). Unlike

630-437: A combination: Queen Mary 2 has a set of diesel engines in the bottom of the ship plus two gas turbines mounted near the main funnel; all are used for generating electrical power, including those used to drive the propellers . This provides a relatively simple way to use the high-speed, low-torque output of a turbine to drive a low-speed propeller, without the need for excessive reduction gearing. Most early submarines used

756-503: A direct mechanical connection between the combustion engine and propeller, switching between diesel engines for surface running and electric motors for submerged propulsion. This was effectively a "parallel" type of hybrid, since the motor and engine were coupled to the same shaft. On the surface, the motor (driven by the engine) was used as a generator to recharge the batteries and supply other electric loads. The engine would be disconnected for submerged operation, with batteries powering

882-660: A direct-drive diesel locomotive would require an impractical number of gears to keep the engine within its powerband; coupling the diesel to a generator eliminates this problem. An alternative is to use a torque converter or fluid coupling in a direct drive system to replace the gearbox. Diesel electric based buses have also been produced, including hybrid systems able to run on and store electrical power in batteries. The two main providers of hybrid systems for diesel–electric transit buses include Allison Transmission and BAE Systems . New Flyer Industries , Gillig Corporation , and North American Bus Industries are major customers for

1008-687: A new combat system for the submarines, with all four submitting proposals during early 2000. In May 2000, after the DSTO tested operational versions of the proposed combat software packages, the Lockheed and Thales tenders were eliminated, despite the Thales proposal being rated better than Raytheon's. After indepth testing of the remaining systems and observations of the systems in action, the German STN Atlas ISUS 90-55 aboard an Israeli Dolphin -class submarine and

1134-480: A number which was revised to between four and eight boats by the start of 1983, and later settled on the acquisition of six submarines, with the option to order two more. The development of the submarine commenced in May 1983, when the government released a request for tender and approached seven of the world's nine diesel-electric submarine manufacturers for submissions. The submissions would be narrowed down to two based on

1260-642: A petrol engine is paired with electric motors for this reason. Petrol engine produces most torque at high rpm, supplemented by electric motors' low rpm torque. The first diesel motorship was also the first diesel–electric ship, the Russian tanker Vandal from Branobel , which was launched in 1903. Steam turbine–electric propulsion has been in use since the 1920s ( Tennessee -class battleships ), using diesel–electric powerplants in surface ships has increased lately. The Finnish coastal defence ships Ilmarinen and Väinämöinen laid down in 1928–1929, were among

1386-594: A pro-Kockums bias, investigations into perceived coaching of IDL/HDW representatives in the questions to be asked at an ALP Caucus briefing session on the project, and public emphasis on security incidents in both Sweden and West Germany. These incidents either lacked supporting evidence or were proven false, and were the result of the Liberal Party attempting to discredit the Labor government, or pro-British politicians and organisations who believed both submarines were inferior to

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1512-506: A sovereign (Australian controlled) sustainment/maintenance capability. Planning for a new design to replace the RAN's Oberon -class submarines began in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Proposals were received from seven companies; two were selected for a funded study to determine the winning design, which was announced in mid-1987. The submarines, enlarged versions of Swedish shipbuilder Kockums ' Västergötland class and originally referred to as

1638-460: A standard pre-qualification questionnaire, for example the UK government has developed standard core PQQ questions which have been revised several times and are mandated for use across government, and has also stipulated that PQQs should not be used by central government contracting bodies when procuring goods or services valued less than the threshold values set by UK procurement legislation. A tender box

1764-502: A strategic need for rail engines without plumes of smoke above them. Diesel technology was not yet sufficiently developed but a few precursor attempts were made, especially for petrol–electric transmissions by the French (Crochat-Collardeau, patent dated 1912 also used for tanks and trucks) and British ( Dick, Kerr & Co and British Westinghouse ). About 300 of these locomotives, only 96 being standard gauge, were in use at various points in

1890-472: A system with a distributed architecture , despite the absence of an accepted definition for ' distributed computing ' at that time, and had to show the cost of programming the software in Ada , although they could offer additional cost breakdowns for other programming languages. By May 1985, three months behind schedule, the review board narrowed the tenders down to two contenders in each group: IKL/HDW and Kockums for

2016-413: A two-stage process; the first stage comprises issuing an expression-of-interest (EOI) tender call, resulting in a shortlist of selected suitable vendors. The reasons for using restricted tenders differ in scope and purpose. Sole source tenders involve only one potential supplier being invited to submit a tender. A sole source tender may be used where there is essentially only one suitable supplier of

2142-441: A variety of reasons. Most failures were attributed to the fifteen-tank diesel fuel system: the tanks were designed to fill with salt water as they were emptied to maintain neutral buoyancy , but water would regularly enter the engines due to a combination of poor design, gravity separation of the fuel and water being insufficient, and operator error resulting from poor training. Problems were also caused by bacterial contamination of

2268-483: A white board, the aerofoil issue with the Dorsal – Sail conning tower structure showing that the aspect ratio (span (height) to chord (width)) was too short and that severe turbulence / cavitation would be generated by such a design. This was demonstrated again on the white board using aircraft aerofoil wing shapes as a basis for the discussion. That the turbulence / cavitation generated would, by natural rearward flow, move down

2394-418: Is a mailbox used to receive the physical tender or bid documents, or a digital equivalent. The tender box is not implemented in every country around the world. A tender validity date is a date until which a tenderer commits to keeping their prices (and other tender details) open for acceptance (or otherwise) by the client. Such a date is usually included in a form of tender, either as a specified date or as

2520-460: Is applicable to proposals of different quality within the limits set. Under this the proposals are graded according to their price for value and the contract is awarded to the one with the best grade. Similar to this is the grading of the proposals according to time, making the proposals needing less time of implementation seem more valuable. One of the proposed for public tenders within the EU. The contract

2646-480: Is awarded to a bid close to the mean value of the proposals received. This may apply to procurements where numerous proposals are expected and there is a need for a market-representing value. Under this method the proposals that are deviating the most from the mass of the proposals are excluded and then the procedure continues with one of the above methods. There are also many variants and/or combinations of these main methods. Upon completion of tender evaluation it

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2772-517: Is often used in India. The European Union 's institutions often use the terms "calls for tenders" and "calls for expressions of interest". Open tenders (also known as open calls for tenders or advertised tenders) are open to all vendors or contractors who can guarantee performance. Restricted tenders (also known as restricted calls for tenders or invited tenders) are only open to selected pre-qualified vendors or contractors. The tender stage may form part of

2898-413: Is sometimes termed electric transmission, as it is identical to petrol–electric transmission , which is used on vehicles powered by petrol engines, and to turbine–electric powertrain , which is used for gas turbines . Diesel–electric transmissions are a type of continuously variable transmission . The absence of a gearbox eliminates the need for gear changes, which prevents uneven acceleration caused by

3024-413: Is that it avoids the need for a gearbox , by converting the mechanical force of the diesel engine into electrical energy (through an alternator ), and using the electrical energy to drive traction motors , which propel the vehicle mechanically. The traction motors may be powered directly or via rechargeable batteries , making the vehicle a type of hybrid electric vehicle . This method of transmission

3150-555: The Anzac -class frigate project a few years later. The Australian Submarine Corporation construction facility was established on previously undeveloped land on the bank of the Port River , at Osborne, South Australia . Work on the site began on 29 June 1987, and it was opened in November 1989. South Australia was selected as the site of the construction facility based on the proposed location of

3276-699: The Attack class . On 15 September 2021, in the face of growing delays and cost increases, the Australian government announced the cancellation of the contract with Naval Group, and that the replacement will be a nuclear-powered submarine fleet made in partnership with the United Kingdom and the United States . The proposal for a new type of submarine to replace the Oberon class of diesel-electric submarines began in July 1978, when

3402-527: The "fast track" program , Dechaineux and Sheean were fitted with the old Rockwell combat system, which was enhanced by the addition of sub-systems developed during the early 1980s for the Oberon -class mid-life upgrade and commercial off-the-shelf components. Even with the enhanced system, it was believed that the capabilities of the fast track Collins boats was at best equivalent to the Oberon s. Lockheed Martin , Thales , STN Atlas , and Raytheon were approached to provide tenders to design and assemble

3528-534: The 1996 federal election , and Beazley became Leader of the Opposition . During the mid-1990s, it was recommended on several occasions that the submarine project be abandoned, and the completed submarines and incomplete hulls be broken up for scrap. Following the McIntosh-Prescott Report , which indicated the long-term faults with the class that still required solving, successful efforts were made to bring

3654-533: The 1998 federal election , John Moore decided that the only way to solve the various problems of the Collins class was for an independent report to be prepared on them. He appointed Malcolm McIntosh, chief executive of the CSIRO and an unofficial advisor to Moore, and John Prescott, a former BHP director, to investigate the project, uncover the problems with the submarines, and suggest ways of solving them. The Report to

3780-498: The Australasian region, that they be equipped with a combat system advanced enough to promote a long service life, that appropriate and sustainable infrastructure be established in Australia to construct the boats, then provide maintenance and technical support for their operational lifespan, and that the submarines were capable of peacetime and emergency operations in addition to their hunter-killer role. Ten submarines were envisioned,

3906-644: The Australian Industry Development Corporation to create the Australian Submarine Corporation . During the study, various accusations of foul play by or unsuitability of both submarine designers were made by Australian politicians and the media. These included claims that the centre-left Australian Labor Party (ALP) and the Swedish Social Democratic Party , both in power at the time, would lead to

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4032-518: The Australian Labor Party and several trade unions. The proposal was accepted by the defence operational requirements committee in August 1978, and the project was given the procurement designation of SEA 1114. Approval for the development phase of the project was given in the 1981–82 federal budget. The RAN had four main requirements: that the submarines were tailored to operating conditions in

4158-525: The Collins combat system, to Boeing . Boeing attempted to produce a workable combat system, but believed that this could only be done if the changes in technology were accounted for in a contract alteration, which the RAN and the Australian Government initially refused to do. Boeing then requested assistance from Raytheon , and after further negotiations with the Government resulted in a reduction of

4284-442: The Collins -class project later claimed that large sections of the report could have been copied from reports previously submitted by the RAN or ASC. The report, along with the planned December 2000 decommissioning of the final Oberon -class submarine, Otama , prompted the establishment of an A$ 1 billion program to bring the fourth and fifth submarines ( Dechaineux and Sheean ) up to operational standards, then retrofit

4410-402: The Oberon class was machinery noise transmitted through the hull; this was successfully avoided during construction of the Collins class by mounting machinery on platforms isolated from the hull. Noise testing during 1996 and 1997 found that the hydrodynamic noise signature—the noise made by a submarine passing through the water—was excessive, particularly at high speed. The shape of the hull

4536-402: The fin , and the rear of the submarine, focused the displaced water into two turbulent streams; when the seven propeller blades hit these streams, the propeller's vibration was increased, causing cavitation. These problems were fixed by modifying the casing of the submarine with fiberglass fairings. During trials of the first submarines, the propulsion system was found to be prone to failure for

4662-440: The 1930s, the system was adapted for streamliners , the fastest trains of their day. Diesel–electric powerplants became popular because they greatly simplified the way motive power was transmitted to the wheels and because they were both more efficient and had greatly reduced maintenance requirements. Direct-drive transmissions can become very complex, considering that a typical locomotive has four or more axles . Additionally,

4788-458: The A$ 1.17 billion allocated to the fast track program, only A$ 143 million was required to fix problems where the submarines did not correspond with the original contract: the rest was used to update components that were technologically obsolete and make changes to the submarines beyond the contract specifications. When the fast track program is factored in, the Collins class cost just under 20% more than

4914-535: The ASC facility in April 2001 for a year-long maintenance docking, multiple welding defects were found in the bow and escape tower sections of the submarine (the two sections constructed by Kockums), while almost no problems were found in the welding of the four Australian-built sections. Repairing these welds quadrupled the time Collins spent in dock. The noise made by the submarines, which compromised their ability to stay hidden,

5040-727: The Allison EP hybrid systems, while Orion Bus Industries and Nova Bus are major customer for the BAE HybriDrive system. Mercedes-Benz makes their own diesel–electric drive system, which is used in their Citaro . The only bus that runs on single diesel–electric transmission is the Mercedes Benz Cito low floor concept bus which was introduced in 1998. Examples include: In the automobile industry, diesel engines in combination with electric transmissions and battery power are being developed for future vehicle drive systems. Partnership for

5166-538: The American Raytheon CCS Mk2 aboard a USN Los Angeles -class submarine , it was decided that the STN Atlas system was the best for the class. However, political pressure from both the United States and Australia, questions about the security problems and possible leaks involved with a European combat system linked to American weapons, and desires to increase the political and military ties between Australia and

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5292-543: The Australian Government over the nature of problems, their causes, and who was responsible for solving them. Media reporting of the problems during the mid-1990s was often negative and exaggerated, creating poor public perception. This was aided by politicians, who used the shortcomings to politically attack the Labor Party and Kim Beazley, particularly after Labor was defeated by the Liberal-National Coalition in

5418-470: The French engineering firm Jeumont-Schneider . The contract for construction of six submarines was signed on 3 June and valued at A$ 3.9 billion in 1986 prices, with allowances for inflation and the changing value of the Australian dollar. The submarine acquisition project was at the time the most expensive project ever undertaken by the Australian Defence Force , but was unseated from this title by

5544-576: The IKL/HDW Type ;2000 was the best design offered, the Walrus class was rated as 'fair', while Kockums' and Vickers' proposals were considered 'marginal' contenders. However, none of the tenders completely matched the desired RAN specifications, and the two proposals selected would have to be redesigned during the funded study. The combat data system was procured separately to the submarine design; 14 companies were identified as capable of providing what

5670-557: The Minister for Defence on the Collins class submarine and related matters (commonly referred to as the McIntosh-Prescott Report ) was compiled in ten weeks, and released on 1 June 1999. This report concluded that the Collins class was incapable of performing at the required level for military operations. Although the report highlighted several elements of the submarine design that performed to or beyond expectations, and acknowledged that many of

5796-418: The RAN director of submarine policy prepared a paper detailing the need to start considering a replacement for the ageing Oberon s. The paper also raised the suggestion that the majority of the submarines be constructed in Australia and that the number of submarines be increased beyond the six Oberon s. Building the submarines in Australia was initially met with reactions predicting an impossible task because of

5922-501: The RAN since 2016. The Collins class was expected to be retired about 2026, however, the 2016 Defence White Paper extended this into the 2030s. The Collins class life will now be extended and will receive an unplanned capability upgrade, including sonar and communications. The initial replacement for the Collins class was to be a conventionally-powered version of the Barracuda -class SSN proposed by Naval Group of France , dubbed

6048-558: The RAN wanted full penetration welding, but had not made this clear; delays in delivering the steel plates to Kockums resulted in rushed work and a resulting drop in quality. Kockums engineers proposed that the section be kept in Sweden for repairs, but to minimise delays it was accepted as-is, with repairs attempted at ASC during full assembly of the first boat. Kockums sent welders and inspection technicians to ASC in order to assist in undertaking these repairs. However, when Collins returned to

6174-635: The RAN wanted, from which eight were approached in January 1983 with a separate request for tender. Five responded: a consortium led by Rockwell International of the United States, Plessey of the United Kingdom, Signaal of the Netherlands, Sintra Alcatel of France, and a collaboration between the German Krupp Atlas Elektronik and the British Ferranti . Each tender was required to offer

6300-527: The RAN: in service with another navy, well tested, and with all the problems solved before they entered Australian hands. The RAN began to realise that as the parent navy for the class, they had a greater responsibility than normal in ensuring that the boats were at an operational standard. During assembly of Collins ' bow and escape tower sections in Sweden, multiple defects in the hull welding were discovered. Different reasons were given by different parties for

6426-556: The Second World War used twin generators driven by V12 diesel engines. More recent prototypes include the SEP modular armoured vehicle and T95e . Future tanks may use diesel–electric drives to improve fuel efficiency while reducing the size, weight and noise of the power plant. Attempts with diesel–electric drives on wheeled military vehicles include the unsuccessful ACEC Cobra , MGV , and XM1219 armed robotic vehicle . Request for tender An invitation to tender ( ITT , also known as

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6552-465: The Swedish company was dissatisfied with the Australian actions; the dispatch of the propellers was one of the points of contention in the company's legal action in the mid-2000s against the Australian government over ownership of the intellectual property rights to the submarine's design. Other propulsion problems included excessive motor vibrations at certain speeds which damaged various components (which

6678-556: The Type 471, were constructed between 1990 and 2003 in South Australia by the Australian Submarine Corporation (ASC). The submarines have been the subject of many incidents and technical problems since the design phase, including accusations of foul play and bias during the design selection, improper handling of design changes during construction, major capability deficiencies in the first submarines, and ongoing technical problems throughout

6804-564: The Type ;471 bid, and outcries from the IKL and HDW groups, which questioned the validity of the recalculations and if the Australian evaluators had the experience to do this correctly. Analysis of the two combat system proposals saw Signaal fall out of favour with the tender reviewers. This was primarily attributed to a cost-reducing re-design late in the process: the changes were not fully documented because of time constraints. Supporting documentation

6930-500: The US made much use of diesel–electric transmission before 1945. After World War II, by contrast, it gradually became the dominant mode of propulsion for conventional submarines. However, its adoption was not always swift. Notably, the Soviet Navy did not introduce diesel–electric transmission on its conventional submarines until 1980 with its Paltus class . During World War I , there was

7056-506: The United States resulted in the cancellation of the tender program in July 2001 and the decision to enter a joint development program with the United States, with a formal agreement signed on 10 September 2001 at the Pentagon. The replacement program received Australian government approval in September 2002. The second combat system development program proceeded with far fewer problems, and took

7182-634: The Vickers Type 2400 offering. The Dibb Report on the state of the Australian Defence Force was released in March 1986; it included advice that if the submarine project cost increased too much, the boats' capabilities should be scaled back to save money. Around the same time, Federal Treasurer Paul Keating began efforts to tighten fiscal policy and cut government spending across all portfolios. Consequently, despite his enthusiastic support for

7308-450: The appropriate quality control certifications for Defence projects, but by 1998 this had increased to over 1,500. Although the acquisition project organisers originally planned for the first submarine to be constructed overseas, the Cabinet decided as part of the project's approval that all six submarines would be built in Australia; the increases in construction time and cost from not building

7434-400: The autopilot (which aboard Collins was nicknamed 'Sven') was found to be better at maintaining depth during snorting than most helmsmen. However, problems with the combat system, excessive noise, and engine breakdowns were recurring and appeared across the entire class. These and other shortcomings were often made harder to solve by disagreements between Kockums, ASC, Rockwell, the RAN, and

7560-484: The battery compartment exhaust fans were noise-creating factors found and eliminated during studies by the DSTO. In March 2010, the Department of Defence revealed that the generators in five of the submarines were flawed and had to be replaced. The three generators aboard each of the five submarines are to be replaced in the submarines as they come in for their next maintenance docking . The periscopes had two problems,

7686-431: The combat system, although this meant that Singer Librascope, which had prior experience in creating submarine combat systems, was reduced to a minor role in the project. Other major problems with the system, to which most of the later difficulties were attributed, were that the original concept was beyond the technology of the day, and that the system architecture required by the RAN was both overly ambitious and flawed. This

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7812-421: The company. On 5 April 2000, the shares in ASC held by Kockums were bought out and the company was nationalised , despite a trend at the time to privatise government-owned companies. At the end of 2003, a contract to maintain the Collins class worth $ 3.5 billion over 25 years was awarded to ASC. As of April 1996, the option to order the seventh and eighth submarines was still under consideration, but

7938-406: The complete system had been delivered. Sea trials of Collins were unable to commence until Release 1.5 of the combat system software was delivered; because of ongoing delays in the provision of the software, the early phases of the trials were completed using stand-alone equipment By March 1994, the combat system had become the major area of concern for the submarine project: assembly of the system

8064-439: The concepts presented in the initial proposals. As part of this process, the two submarine designers were required to establish a consortium with at least 50% Australian ownership: IKL/HDW joined with Eglo Engineering to form Australian Marine Systems , while Kockums (which had originally planned to work with Eglo) became part of a joint venture with the Australian branch of Chicago Bridge & Iron , Wormald International , and

8190-488: The conflict. In the 1920s, diesel–electric technology first saw limited use in switcher locomotives (UK: shunter locomotives ), locomotives used for moving trains around in railroad yards and assembling and disassembling them. An early company offering "Oil-Electric" locomotives was the American Locomotive Company (ALCO). The ALCO HH series of diesel–electric switcher entered series production in 1931. In

8316-475: The diesel engine and the propeller that was initially common, the advantages were eventually found to be more important. One of several significant advantages is that it mechanically isolates the noisy engine compartment from the outer pressure hull and reduces the acoustic signature of the submarine when surfaced. Some nuclear submarines also use a similar turbo-electric propulsion system, with propulsion turbo generators driven by reactor plant steam. Among

8442-466: The diesel fuel, which, along with the salt water, would cause the fuel pumps to rust and other components to seize. The fuel-related issues were solved by installing coalescers , improving training and operational procedures, and adding biocides to the fuel. Propeller shaft seals were a significant problem on Collins and Farncomb . Although designed to allow for a leak of 10 litres (2.2 imp gal; 2.6 US gal) per hour, during trials it

8568-456: The disengagement of a clutch . With auxiliary batteries the motors can run on electric alone, for example when the noise or exhaust from the engine disrupts a clean air zone . Disadvantages of a diesel electric transmission are the potential complexity, cost, and decreased efficiency due to energy conversion. Diesel engines and electric motors are both known for having high torque at low rpm, this may leave high rpm with little torque. Typically

8694-402: The dorsal fin and create a more streamlined integration of the dorsal to flat upper Hull deck section. and 2) To 'fill in' the hollow section of hull aft of the bow curvature. Both these could be achieved with Carbon Fibre or Fibreglass covers as no load bearing strength would be required. Subsequent studies by the DSTO showed that the submarine's hull shape, particularly the redesigned sonar dome,

8820-437: The early life of the class. These problems have been compounded by the inability of the RAN to retain sufficient personnel to operate the submarines—by 2008, only three could be manned, and between 2009 and 2012, on average two or fewer were fully operational. The resulting negative press has led to a poor public perception of the Collins class. After 20 years of service issues, the boats have finally provided high availability to

8946-458: The electric motor and supplying all other power as well. In a true diesel–electric transmission arrangement, by contrast, the propeller or propellers are always driven directly or through reduction gears by one or more electric motors , while one or more diesel generators provide electric energy for charging the batteries and driving the motors. While this solution comes with a few disadvantages compared to direct mechanical connection between

9072-497: The facility and promises by the State Government to help minimise any problems caused by workers' unions. The state's bid was aided by careful promotion to both Kockums and IKL/HDW during early in the project, and problems with the other states' proposals: Tasmania and Western Australia lacked the necessary industrial base, New South Wales could not decide on the location of the construction facility, Victoria's proposed site

9198-399: The first of which was shared with the other masts. They were not streamlined; raising a periscope while moving would create enough drag and turbulence to shake the entire submarine. As with many elements of the submarine, there were disagreements as to who was responsible for the problem. It was solved by modifying the masts to redirect the water flow around them (for example, a spiral wrap

9324-583: The first surface ships to use diesel–electric transmission. Later, the technology was used in diesel powered icebreakers . In World War II, the United States Navy built diesel–electric surface warships. Due to machinery shortages destroyer escorts of the Evarts and Cannon classes were diesel–electric, with half their designed horsepower (The Buckley and Rudderow classes were full-power steam turbine–electric). The Wind -class icebreakers , on

9450-419: The first two submarines in late 1996, before completely re-designed seals were fitted to the boats in late 1997, solving the problem. The propellers themselves were also found to be poorly manufactured, having been shaped by hand, with at least one cast at the wrong pitch . This was rectified by using a five-axis milling machine for future shaping work and replacing the miscast propeller. The material used for

9576-402: The funded study, when Singer Librascope and Thomson CSF , who were partnering with Rockwell to develop the combat system, refused to release their intellectual property or their software code for Rockwell to sell. It was proposed that Computer Sciences of Australia, a division of Computer Sciences Corporation and a minor partner in the consortium, take over the role of writing the software for

9702-467: The head as on other submarines, requiring the optical path to be routed around these components. The periscopes were gradually improved, and were no longer a problem by the time the fast track submarines entered service. Despite the public focus on the various physical issues with the boats, the major problem with the submarines was the development of the Rockwell combat system. The problems had started during

9828-504: The inflation-adjusted contract value; a smaller increase than other contemporary defence projects. Diesel-electric transmission Diesel–electric transmission is used on railways by diesel–electric locomotives and diesel–electric multiple units , as electric motors are able to supply full torque from 0 RPM . Diesel–electric systems are also used in marine transport , including submarines, and on some other land vehicles. The defining characteristic of diesel–electric transmission

9954-404: The launch of the first submarine, the project cost had increased from A$ 3.892 billion in 1986 dollars to A$ 4.989 billion in 1993 dollars, which corresponded to the rate of inflation during that period. By 2006, A$ 5.071 billion had been spent to build the submarines (excluding the fast track program); after taking inflation into account, the project had run less than A$ 40 million over contract. Of

10080-468: The launching ceremony. Within weeks of the launch, Collins was removed from the water, and it was not until June 1994 that the submarine was completed. Progress on the other five submarines was delayed by the extra effort required to meet Collins ' launching date and the subsequent work to complete her. Collins was not commissioned into the RAN until 27 July 1996; eighteen months behind schedule, because of several delays and problems, most relating to

10206-696: The lead ship in the winning designer's home shipyard was considered to be offset by the additional experience provided to Australian industries. Even so, two sections of the first submarine were constructed by Kockums' shipyard in Malmo, Sweden . By the end of 1990, Chicago Bridge & Iron and Wormald International had both sold their shares in ASC. The shares were bought up by Kockums and the Australian Industry Development Corporation, with some of Kockums' shares then sold to James Hardie Industries to maintain an Australian majority ownership of

10332-492: The majority of cases, these are listed on their websites and traditional print media. Electronic procurement and tendering systems or e-procurement are also increasingly prevalent. The European Union states that 235,000 calls for tender are issued annually using its Tenders Electronic Daily system, including those issued by countries in the European Economic Area and beyond. The term "notice inviting tenders" (NIT)

10458-442: The mid-1910s, the technology was immediately reintroduced when Sweden began to design its own submarines again in the mid-1930s. From that point onwards, diesel–electric transmission has been consistently used for all new classes of Swedish submarines, albeit supplemented by air-independent propulsion (AIP) as provided by Stirling engines beginning with HMS Näcken in 1988. Another early adopter of diesel–electric transmission

10584-492: The modifications to the other boats. Referred to as the "fast track" or "get well" program, the program also included solving the problems preventing various parties from cooperating fully, and improving the negative media coverage and public perception of the class by responding to criticism and providing more information to reporters. The Collins -class submarines experienced a wide range of problems during their construction and early service life. Many of these were attributed to

10710-423: The new Mk48 Mod 7 torpedo but was hampered by changes to the maintenance cycle. The system can receive new software releases and hardware can be upgraded with new versions of the system regularly released with the version operated by a boat dependent on its full cycle docking schedule. Several newspaper articles and commentators have incorrectly claimed that the project ran significantly over the contract cost. As of

10836-545: The other hand, were designed for diesel–electric propulsion because of its flexibility and resistance to damage. Some modern diesel–electric ships, including cruise ships and icebreakers, use electric motors in pods called azimuth thrusters underneath to allow for 360° rotation, making the ships far more maneuverable. An example of this is Symphony of the Seas , the largest passenger ship as of 2019. Gas turbines are also used for electrical power generation and some ships use

10962-733: The pioneering users of true diesel–electric transmission was the Swedish Navy with its first submarine, HMS Hajen (later renamed Ub no 1 ), launched in 1904 and originally equipped with a semi-diesel engine (a hot-bulb engine primarily meant to be fueled by kerosene), later replaced by a true diesel. From 1909 to 1916, the Swedish Navy launched another seven submarines in three different classes ( 2nd class , Laxen class , and Braxen class ), all using diesel–electric transmission. While Sweden temporarily abandoned diesel–electric transmission as it started to buy submarine designs from abroad in

11088-418: The poor state of the Australian shipbuilding industry, and Australian industry in general, although campaigning by several figures in Australian industry who thought it could be done came to the attention of those spearheading the project to design the Oberon -class replacement, and led to the view that it was both possible and feasible. The campaign to build submarines in Australia was also met with support from

11214-487: The problems: To speed production, Kockums employed welders who were not qualified to work on high strength steels; the Qualified Welding Procedures developed by Kockums for these steels were not followed in production; the steel alloy used for the hull required different welding techniques to those normally used by Kockums; the Swedish navy always requested partial penetration welds for their submarines, while

11340-582: The project 70% of the construction and 45% of the software preparation had been completed by Australian-owned companies. Work was sub-contracted out to 426 companies across twelve countries, plus numerous sub-sub-contractors. In many cases, components for the first submarine were constructed by companies outside Australia, while those for the following five boats were replicated by an Australian-owned partner or subsidiary. The project prompted major increases in quality control standards across Australian industries: in 1980, only 35 Australian companies possessed

11466-460: The project as a means to improve Australia's defence and industrial capabilities, Minister for Defence Kim Beazley advised the project heads that he would not be able to secure Cabinet approval for construction of the submarines if the predicted cost "started with a 4 [A$ 4 billion]". The four tenders resulting from the study were submitted during October and November 1986. Although the IKL/HDW design

11592-421: The propeller at certain speeds, was the other main noisemaker. Cavitation had not been a problem with earlier Swedish submarine designs or during early testing of the Type 471 design, but the propeller had to be redesigned late in the process to provide more power, and like the redesigned hull, was not retested. During the year 2000, an unusual meeting took place with a next door neighbor (Francis 'Frank' Smith) of

11718-529: The propellers was also found to be weaker than expected, developing fatigue cracks after only a few years of use. Instead of going to Kockums, which had started to go into decline after the end of the Cold War, the submarine project office sent the propeller to the United States Navy for redesigning. Despite the Americans fixing the problems with the propeller design, resulting in significant performance improvements,

11844-413: The proposed American weapons system. On 9 May, the Australian cabinet approved the selections for the funded studies and decided that six submarines would be built, with the option for two more, all in Australia. The companies were granted funding for project definition studies, from which the final selections would be made. Liaison teams were sent to each of the four companies to observe the development of

11970-482: The proposition method asked by the procurement management: This method is the simplest and oldest of all. Under this the procurement contract is awarded to the best price. Some relevant methods are these of examining the overall or in parts and in total discount in a given price list or on a given budget. One of the options available under rules applicable to government procurement in the European Union (EU). This

12096-460: The provided information, with these undergoing a funded study to determine the winning design. Tendering companies had to demonstrate how Australian industries would be incorporated into the project, and that they were willing to establish an Australia-based consortium to construct the submarines. All seven companies responded by the end of the year: the combined submissions totalling four tonnes (9,000 lb) of paper. The review board concluded that

12222-462: The provision and installation of the combat data system software. Collins was not approved for operational deployments until 2000. The other five submarines were scheduled for completion at 12-month intervals. However, the series of defects and problems encountered during sea trials of the submarines (particularly Collins ) resulted in the repeated diversion of resources from those still under construction, adding to delays. Consequently, delivery of

12348-519: The publicised problems had been or were in the process of being fixed, it presented the propulsion system, combat system, and excessive noise as ongoing problems across the class. After identifying the combat system as the central problem, McIntosh and Prescott recommended that it be scrapped entirely and replaced with a system based on commercially available equipment and software. They also claimed that these problems were caused by poor design and manufacture; inappropriate design requirements; deficiencies in

12474-410: The rear upper surface deck of the hull and be drawn into the propeller. He was also able to demonstrate that the design of the bow section would not pass a flow test for generated turbulence / cavitation, with the change in shape from circular bow section to long hull, being ill-conceived. He made several recommendations during the lecture that would be cost-effective and possible. 1) To lengthen and taper

12600-428: The required number of personnel. It was found that the problem could be temporarily alleviated by running the propeller in reverse for 100 revolutions, pulling the seal back into alignment, although a permanent solution could initially not be found, as ASC refused to accept responsibility for the problem, and the original manufacturer of the seals had closed down. New suppliers were found, with modified seals fitted to

12726-418: The requirements, although evaluators found that the figures failed by only narrow margins, and believed that these were conservative. The evaluation team recalculated the capability statistics for both submarines to a common baseline, portraying the predicted Australian operating conditions, which generally saw Kockums' figures revised upwards, and those from IKL/HDW downwards. This resulted in growing support for

12852-466: The same time, variants may be requested in an ITT, which allow suppliers to offer proposals which differ in non-essential terms from the supplies or services requested. The European Commission has suggested that requesting variants is one way in which suppliers can be asked to offer more socially responsible solutions to meeting public needs. Public sector organisations in many countries are legally obliged to release tenders for works and services. In

12978-478: The services or product. Tenders have a bid preparation period available to bidders. Research has shown that the length of this period might affect the number of bids and, as a result, the level of competition among tenderers. Supplier questionnaires or pre-qualification questionnaires ensure that potential suppliers are all asked the same information when assessing their suitability to be invited to tender or to have their tenders evaluated. Some organisations issue

13104-412: The structure of the contract, particularly with regards to modifying the contract to meet changing requirements; and problems between the various parties involved in the construction of the submarines, with a lack of overall direction and conflicts of interest causing avoidable hostility and uncooperativeness. Despite the report being promoted by the government as 'ground-breaking', many people involved with

13230-547: The submarine, Rockwell and Signaal for the combat system. The Walrus and Type 2400 submarine designs were considered to be too expensive to manufacture because of inefficient building practices, while the combat data system tenders had been narrowed down by unjustified development risk in the Plessey and Krupp/Ferranti proposals, and the dual problems in the Sintra Alcatel tender of excessive power usage and incompatibility with

13356-428: The submarines being a new, untested design, and were successfully addressed as they were discovered. Most systems and features worked with few or no problems, while the boats' maximum speed, manoeuvrability, and low-speed submerged endurance were found to exceed specifications. The ship control system, which during development had been marked as a major potential problem, functioned beyond positive expectation: for example,

13482-486: The submarines ran significantly behind schedule; submarines were presented to the RAN between 21 and 41 months late, and the entire class was not cleared for full operational service until March 2004, a year after the last boat was commissioned. These delays forced the RAN to keep several Oberon -class submarines and the submarine base HMAS Platypus in service beyond their planned decommissioning dates. Following his appointment as Minister for Defence following

13608-472: The submarines to operational standard. As part of this, a public relations plan was implemented to provide up-to-date information on the submarines to the media, to improve the public perception of the class by providing factual information on the status of the project and responding to queries and incidents. This same period saw the dispelling of the idea, widely held within the RAN, that the Collins -class boats would be like any other vessel previously ordered by

13734-433: The system capabilities, the companies were able to stabilise the system and deliver Release 2.0 at the end of 1999. Boeing sold its naval systems division to Raytheon in May 2000, making the latter company solely responsible for completion of the combat system. After this, the submarine project began investigating ideas for a new combat system. Because there was not enough time to evaluate the replacement system to include it in

13860-554: The tactical and fire control components from the CCS Mk2 system, and the sonar interface component from the fast track program. The system is the AN/BYG-1 that was developed for the new USN Virginia -class submarine and has since be retrofitted to the whole USN fleet. The first of class installation was Waller in 2008 and the final installation was Collins in 2018. The program was to be completed by 2010 in conjunction with modifications for

13986-514: The termination of a specified period from another key tender date. For example, in tendering for gym equipment in 2013, West Dunbartonshire Council required tenderers to accept that "Your tender shall remain open for acceptance for ninety (90) days from the date for return of tenders indicated above, or any subsequent date notified to you by us. Your tender may be accepted by us at any time during this period." There are several different methods for available for tender evaluation, which are related to

14112-633: The then HMAS Stirling Naval Base commander. He was an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (originally trained at Government Aircraft Factories Fisherman's bend) who had been aware of the fluid dynamics issues of the Collins class for some time, purely by interest and observation on television. After a lengthy discussion, he was invited to discuss and demonstrate where possible, his observations at the Stirling Naval Base with Navy and Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) staff who were there at that time as part of an investigative group. He showed on

14238-498: Was almost nine months behind schedule, and at least 20% of the software had not been compiled. The combat system continued to be a problem during the next few years, with progressive drops offering little improvements in performance over the previous version, and the completion date of Release 2—the designation for the full contractual realisation of the combat system software—was continually postponed. In 1996, Rockwell sold its military and aerospace division, including responsibility for

14364-409: Was another major problem with the design. In the original requisition, the RAN guidelines for the noise signature of the new submarines were vague; for example, asking that they be "twice as quiet" as the Oberon s. Expectations and operational requirements also changed between the 1987 contract signing and when the submarines began operating in the late 1990s. The major element of the noise signature for

14490-431: Was attributed to the removal of a flywheel and to corrosion caused by the fuel problems), and excessive fuel consumption in Collins at high speed (found to be caused by manufacturing problems with the turbines and turbochargers). The propulsion system was also found to be a secondary source of noise: poor design of the exhaust mufflers , weight-saving measures in the generator mountings, and an incorrect voltage supply to

14616-428: Was compounded by the rate of advancement in computer technology: equipment had to be designed from scratch and custom manufactured at the start of the project, but by the time these were installed, they were obsolete compared to commercially available hardware and software. Australian Submarine Corporation was made responsible for the delivery of the Rockwell combat system, but had little ability to enforce this. Rockwell

14742-464: Was contracted to deliver the combat system by 9 September 1993, but was unlikely to do so. ASC's management board voted to issue a default notice to Rockwell as the American company had defaulted on the contract, but was ordered by the Department of Defence to retract the default notice and accept gradual delivery of partially completed versions of the combat system—referred to as 'releases' and 'drops'—until

14868-439: Was fixed around the head of each periscope). The periscopes also had problems with their optics: periscope users reported difficulty in refocusing after changing magnification, duplication of images, and bands across the field of vision. These problems were attributed to RAN demands that the optical view be the first exposed when a periscope was raised above the water, instead of placing the infrared sensor and single-pulse radar at

14994-460: Was found that the seals would regularly misalign and allow hundreds of litres per hour into the boat—during one deep diving test the flow rate was measured at approximately 1,000 litres (220 imp gal; 260 US gal) a minute. ASC claimed that solving these problems could be done by manually adjusting the seals as the submarine dived and rose, but this would have required a sailor dedicated solely to that task, affecting efforts to minimise

15120-497: Was further criticised by the reviewers for being vaguely worded and not using milspec terminology and standards. In addition, the system proposed by Rockwell appeared to have greater performance capabilities, and would be cheaper to implement. On 18 May 1987, the Australian Cabinet approved the final design: Kockums' Type 471 submarine, fitted with the Rockwell combat system and Diesel-Electric propulsion units provided by

15246-528: Was looked on unfavourably by the Department of Defence at the time, as the additional cost would require the diversion of funding from the Australian Army and Royal Australian Air Force , resulting in an imbalance in the capabilities of the Australian Defence Force. The option was cancelled outright by late 2001. The first submarine, HMAS  Collins , was laid down in February 1990. Collins ' launch

15372-419: Was originally planned for 1994, but was later set for 28 August 1993. Although launched on schedule, she was not complete: the design of the submarine had not been finalised, important internal pipes and fittings were not installed, the components of the combat system had yet to be delivered, and some hull sections were actually sheets of timber painted black so the submarine would appear complete in photographs of

15498-449: Was poorly sited, and building in Liberal -led Queensland would have been politically unwise for the project when Labor was in power both federally and in all other states. Each submarine was constructed in six sections, each consisting of several sub-sections. One of the main criteria of the project was that Australian industries contribute to at least 60% of the work; by the conclusion of

15624-492: Was rated highest during the initial inspection, the evaluation team found that the German proposal was less attractive than previously thought. Although IKL/HDW claimed that their boat could meet the RAN's performance requirements, the evaluators concluded from the information provided that doing so would require the deactivation of all non-essential and some essential systems. Conversely, Kockums' proposal conceded that they did not meet

15750-745: Was the United States Navy , whose Bureau of Steam Engineering proposed its use in 1928. It was subsequently tried in the S-class submarines S-3 , S-6 , and S-7 before being put into production with the Porpoise class of the 1930s. From that point onwards, it continued to be used on most US conventional submarines. Apart from the British U-class and some submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy that used separate diesel generators for low speed running, few navies other than those of Sweden and

15876-546: Was the main cause: although a scale model of the design had been tested during the funded study and was found to have a minimal signature, the hull shape was changed after the contract was signed, primarily by a 2-metre (6.6 ft) lengthening of the submarine and a redesign of the bow dome to accommodate the larger-than-expected main sonar and reduce its blind spot (the baffles ). The design had not been retested, as who would pay for this could not be agreed on. Propeller cavitation , caused by water flow over control surfaces onto

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