In March, JFD performed a capability demonstration of the James Fisher Submarine Rescue Service (JFSRS) off the coast of Western Australia.

The demonstrations provided the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) with the opportunity to witness the JFSRS assets in full operation, and also provided an opportunity to prove the mating capability of the LR5 Submarine Rescue Vehicle with the Collins Class of submarine.

The demonstrations coincided with Australia’s submarine rescue exercise, Black Carillon, in which JFSRS also took part. The exercise involved the transfer of RAN personnel from submarine HMAS Waller while it sat on the seabed off the west coast of Australia.

As submarine escape and rescue is a requirement of the RAN’s submarine safety system, the exercise demonstrated that the procedures and equipment are in place to rescue personnel in the event of an accident.

“Black Carillon is an extraordinarily valuable opportunity to exercise our submarine and rescue capabilities” said Commander Submarine Force, Captain Brett Sampson.

Black Carillon 2010 was a 4 day exercise in which JFD demonstrated each of the component systems of the JFSRS, including the transfer under pressure system, launch and recovery system, remotely operated vehicle and the LR5 rescue submersible. This was the twelfth exercise completed by the RAN in a series of live exercises.

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