Aussie Submarine Sinks U.S. Warship!!11!!1!
The breathless and somewhat misleading headlines in the Australian media notwithstanding (here and especially here), there's a great video that just came out of HMAS Waller (SSG 75) sinking an unidentifed U.S. hulk with a Mk 48 Mod 7 CBASS torpedo. Check it out:
This SINKEX occurred off the coast of Hawaii in conjunction with the upcoming RIMPAC 08 exercises. It brings a tear to an old submariner's eye to see a skimmer's bow slipping silently beneath the waves...
Bell-ringer 1539 24 July: A commenter thinks the SINKEX victim was the ex-USS David R. Ray (DDG 971); this post last month from Steeljaw Scribe would seem to confirm that this is likely.
posted by Bubblehead at 9:40 AM
24 Comments:
Seeing a periscope peering out of the water and then the old "heave-ho" of a surface ship make my skin tingle, right below my left collarbone.
Makes me proud to have served!
Tuebor!
7/24/2008 10:57 AM
"Target" is Ex-Spruance Class DD, don't know which one though.
Smoke-boats still get the job done.
Keep a zero bubble......
DBFTMC(SS)USNRET
7/24/2008 1:33 PM
Kick his ass, CBASS!!
7/24/2008 1:41 PM
Target was the ex David R Ray DD-971. Hull number was painted over, but she was scheduled to be used as a target during RIMPAC.
7/24/2008 3:08 PM
Isn't that the DD that was mothballed out in Sinclair Inlet until just recently?
7/24/2008 3:19 PM
That was the DD-971 David R Ray. Sad, That is the same DD that passed our boat inbound at the Hood Canal Bridge to cover air threats around the Bangor/SWFPAC AOR while we were outbound to sea on 9-11-01 on the SSBN-732 (G). Nasty day, but that was the one time I saw everyone pull together and do the job that we were trained to do.
Nereus
7/24/2008 5:40 PM
Here is the link in the Kitsap Sun
http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2008/jun/25/familiar-destroyer-will-be-sunk-in-naval/
7/24/2008 5:46 PM
I'm proud to say that the Aussies did that with a combat system they bought from us!
7/24/2008 5:52 PM
Kick ass video but does anyone know why WE don't ever get a chance to fire our torpedoes. This is the second video I've seen on the web from the Aussies but none from us. What gives?
A note to Nerus. I have that same photo from my boat 731(G). I just said to someone the other day that that picture may be the only good memory I have of 911.
7/24/2008 7:08 PM
You are right, it was 731 G. Was there got the tee shirt. I am still searching the Internet for that photo.. It was published on the Kitsap Sun. But I am failing to find it. ( the 732(G) was a slip of fat finger typing)
7/24/2008 7:13 PM
I have heard that the aussies have had big problems with your c&c system. There was a lot of political arguing about the upgrade of the Collins class. A lot of people wanted them to go for a better system...
7/25/2008 1:37 AM
I'm working with an Aussie who is a maintainer for their submarine combat systems, and he got word it was the ex-USS Fletcher. Any confirmation on that?
7/25/2008 3:01 PM
Nick:
The political wrangling couldn't have been that bad. They came back for the next upgrade...
And obviously you can't argue about performance...
7/26/2008 5:37 AM
sonarman,
I can neither confirm nor deny - if you know what I mean...
7/26/2008 6:52 AM
It is not the Ray ! We had a much larger sonar dome.
7/28/2008 10:22 PM
Aussie schmaussie, I served on the David R. Ray ( Named for Congressional medal of HONOR Recept. 1968 Navy Corpman David R. Ray ) DD 971 From '82 - 86
She had one of the finest sonar rig's (better than any sub EVER had!!) on the oceans of this planet, we tracked a typhon for 2 weeks b4 they caught on to us ( 1st time in usn history ) as for a sub sinking her she had asroc's that could sink 10 or more subs at once, yeah ASW was child's play for us. With 4 GE LM 2500's we could run down any sub on the planet. All sub's on this planet from '79 to '01 were damn lucky we never got to 'pull the trigger' Now you sub boys count yer blessings and go back watch the you tube footage again and count that Aussie sub as "lucky" they ain't got an ASROC ( I can neither confirm or deny the presence of -you know whats- onboard the David R. Ray )crawlin up there you know what !!
7/28/2008 10:25 PM
I was the poster that said it was the David Ray, but I had SINKEX hulls mixed up. Sonarman is correct, it was the Fletcher that was sunk by the torpedo. The David Ray was sunk by surface ship ordnance. Took a bit longer to do the same damage that one torpedo did to the Fletcher...
As for why there don't appear to be as many videos of US boats performing a SINKEX…US subs get their chance much more often than RAN submarines, closer to once a year. By the very nature that this was a RAN hull firing the first CBASS warshot, it received more media play than it otherwise would have.
7/29/2008 9:51 AM
USS Lake Erie CG 70 sunk the " stingray" another site http://www.lke-ohana.org/lke/2008/07/uss-david-r-ray.html
Said the D.R. Ray still had a light shining on Her stern as She slipped below the waves. Fitting end for one named after C. M. of Honor recipient !
7/29/2008 8:13 PM
yes the target was the ex-USS FLETCHER sunk by the latest CBASS torpedo using the BYG-1 tactical system. Both the torpedo and combat system projects are part of a collaborative arrangement between the Aust/US in that both countries have jointly designed the systems. From all accounts, the integration of both systems has been a great success.
8/02/2008 1:50 AM
Skimmer boat in question is the Fletcher (DD 992) you can see the number painted out on the bow as she sinks....
8/09/2008 12:51 PM
The original combat system on the Aussie subs had issues. In fact, it had an annual subscription.
It was due to be replaced by the German ISUS-90 system similar to the ones in service with the IDF. However, the US made an offer the Aussies couldn't refuse, and US companies were given another chance to get it right.
The ISUS-90 BTW was designed with significant input from Australians, so it was already "fitted for but not with" a lot of the features the RAN wanted. However, that was 1993, 15 years ago, and the BYG-1 is no doubt a good system.
8/17/2008 11:10 PM
I am the historian for the ex-USS Fletcher DD 992, the video that you have posted here. It is confirmed that the video is the Fletcher not the Ray. The Ray was sunk by gunfire and hits from Harpoons from the cruiser Lake Erie. She was sunk on July 16,2008by the HMAS Waller.
8/18/2008 11:14 PM
I am the historian for the 992 website, www.dd992.org. The video that is posted here is in fact that of the ex-USS Fletcher DD 992. The Aussie sub was the HMAS Waller, a diesel-electric boat from Australia. Hull 992 was sunk NW of Kuai on July 16, 2008 as part of the RIMPAC2008 exercise. Even though 992 was hit by a Mk 48 mode 7 torpedoe, she did not get cut in half. Her dramatic sinking shows her being pulled down at a rapid rate due to her stern portion dragging her down. Fletcher was known to be the top US destroyer in the Pacific fleet and for good reason. During my tour of duty aboard her from 1981 to 1986, she caught and tracked for several days a Soviet Echo II submarine. She was relieved by a Los Angles class sub named the Bremerton. All through her career she was always ready to do her job in ASW. The fact that the SONAR crew on Fletcher made good friend with the SONAR crew on Bremerton made ASW history during her 1985 cruise. This is ASW history both ships are a credit to the Pacific fleet in prosecuting unfriendly subs. I made chief onboard this ship so seeing her destroyed by this means is a little tough to take but she did provide a tough target even though she was "prepared" to be sunk. I will always remember her and her motto, America's finest destroyer". If interested, I made several dvd movies on her including her decommissioning. If you would like to contact me, send an email to walkerusn@embarqmail.com
8/19/2008 12:12 AM
It will not truly have success, I feel like this.
12/03/2011 4:36 AM
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