A group of Royal Australian Navy technicians are putting their training into practice, supporting maintenance on the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Vermont alongside at HMAS Stirling.

The 20-strong group – comprising marine and electronic technicians – is part of an engineering team supporting a Submarine Maintenance Period (SMP) at Fleet Base West during November. Prior to the SMP, the personnel received training at Pearl Harbor Navy Shipyard. 

Lieutenant Zachery Telfser, officer in charge of the Pearl Harbor Deployable Maintenance Team, said the group was keen to hone the skills learned over the past five months during training in the US.

“This is important for Australia to be able to maintain our own capability without having to rely on the US, mainly from a sovereign capability perspective, so we are self-reliant,” Lieutenant Telfser said.

“If I was to explain what we’re doing to someone outside of Defence, I’d like to say that we are achieving what we need to achieve to provide the US with confidence that we are going to be a professional custodian of this technology.” 

Chief Petty Officer Steven Sheakey, second in charge of the Pearl Harbor Deployable Maintenance Team, said the five-month training the team completed in Hawaii this year had provided the perfect foundation for the work undertaken as part of the SMP.

“That’s why we spent five months over there – to get that experience and that confidence,” Chief Petty Officer Sheakey said.

“The guys are very experienced now [compared] with where they were at the start of the mission, and are continuing to build that trust between ourselves and our US counterparts, and also with Australian civilian contractors, which has been vital to delivering the SMP.

“It’s all been part of working together, sharing facilities and integrating our workforces to achieve our end goal, which is to get nuclear-powered submarines under the Australian White Ensign.”

Vermont arrived at Stirling in late October as part of the SMP. 

While alongside, Australian personnel are taking on even greater responsibility for planning, coordinating and delivering complex maintenance activities on the US Navy submarine to uplift RAN and industry capability.

The SMP is a major capstone event towards Australia becoming sovereign ready for owning, operating and maintaining its own conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines as part of the AUKUS partnership.