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
| Piping |
23,500 metres |
| Major cable lengths |
7,000 |
| Cable connections |
200,000 |
| Cable |
75,000 metres |
| Batteries |
400 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 |
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