The Collins Class Submarine Story
Steel, Spies and Spin

This book examines the most expensive and controversial project ever undertaken by the Australian Defence Force.

Peter Yule (Author), Derek Woolner (Author)

9780521868945, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 28 March 2008

402 pages
23.4 x 15.6 x 2.2 cm, 0.74 kg

"...highly recommended, both as eminently readable naval history and as a fine treatise on project managment." -Commander Michael Craven, Canadian Naval Review

A unique and outstanding military and industrial achievement, the Collins class submarine project was also plagued with difficulties and mired in politics. Its story is one of heroes and villains, grand passions, intrigue, lies, spies and backstabbing. It is as well a story of enormous commitment and resolve to achieve what many thought impossible. The building of these submarines was Australia's largest, most expensive and most controversial military project. From initiation in the 1981–2 budget to the delivery of the last submarine in 2003, the total cost was in excess of six billion dollars. Over 130 key players were interviewed for this book, and the Australian Defence Department allowed access to its classified archives and the Australian Navy archives. Vividly illustrated with photographs from the collections of the Royal Australian Navy and ASC Pty Ltd, The Collins Class Submarine Story: Steel, Spies and Spin, first published in 2008, is a riveting and accessibly written chronicle of a grand-scale quest for excellence.

List of key people
List of acronyms
Introduction
Part I. You Can't Build Submarines in Australia: 1. 'The one class of vessel that it is impossible to build in Australia': Australia's early submarines
2. Australia's Oberon class submarines
3. The submarine weapons update program and the origins of the new submarine project
4. The new submarine project
5. 'We can't build submarines, go away' - Eglo Engineering and the submarine project
6. The acts of the apostles
7. 'But how will you judge them?' The tender evaluation process 1984–5
8. Spies, leaks and sackings: from tender evaluation to project definition study
9. The project definition studies, 1985–6
10. Debating the laws of physics: picking winners 1987
Part II. The Honeymoon Years 1987–92: 11. 'Keen as mustard to do a good job': setting to work 1987–9
12. Designing the Collins class
13. Building the Collins class
14. The automated integrated vision
15. Steel, sonars and tiles: early technological support for the submarines
16. 'On time and on budget'
Part III. 'A Strange Sense of Unease', 1993–8: 17. End of the honeymoon
18. The trials of Collins
19. 'They were problems we didn't expect'
20. The role of Defence Science: noise and diesels
21. 'A patch on this and chewing gum on that': the combat system 1993–7
Part IV. Resolution: 22. 'Hardly a day went by without the project getting a hammering in the press'
23. 'Bayoneting the wounded': the Mcintosh-Prescott report
24. 'That villain Briggs' and the submarine 'get-well' program
25. Inside the American tent: the saga of the replacement combat system
26. 'We'll do it and get rid of the buggers': Kockums, ASC and Electric Boat
27. 'We would find that challenging': comparisons and retrospect
Index.

Subject Areas: Military history [HBW], Maritime history [HBTM], 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 [HBLW], Australasian & Pacific history [HBJM]