US Navy Nuclear Sub Pays Visit To Western Australia

In the first of multiple planned American SSN submarine visits to Australia planned for 2025 under the AUKUS programme, the U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Minnesota has docked at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia.

During her stay members of her crew will participate in an American-led training program for naval officers who are preparing to take command of a submarine.

The 10th boat of the Virginia-class of hunter-killer submarines produced for the U.S. Navy, USS Minnesota was built by Newport News Shipbuilding and was commissioned in 2013. She is about 115 metres long, can travel at speeds of up to 25 knots, and has a crew of 134.

The visits are intended to help Australia prepare for a new phase of the AUKUS programme which will see a U.K. Astute-class sub and as many as four U.S. Virginia-class submarines based at HMAS Stirling on rotation.

The programme will eventually result in Australia acquiring its own future fleet of conventionally-armed but nuclear-powered submarines.

The next port visit to HMAS Stirling later this year will be a three-week submarine maintenance period, following on from 2024 visits by submarine tender USS Emory S. Land and U.S. submarine USS Hawaii, which marked the first time Australians had directly participated in maintaining a US nuclear-powered submarine in Australia.

Chief of the Royal Australian Navy, Vice Admiral Mark Hammond commented: “The Australian and U.S. navies operate on shared behaviours, shared values, and a shared commitment to assuring the prosperity and security of the Indo-Pacific region.” 

• You can read more details on the Australian Ministry of Defence website