Page 27 - Australian Defence Magazine October 2021
P. 27

                                     OCTOBER 2021 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
SPONSORED CONTENT 27
  HMAS CANBERRA DEEP-LEVEL MAINTENANCE
HMAS Canberra, the first Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) to enter service for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), undocked earlier this year from Fleet Base East in Sydney after its five-year maintenance was completed by the LHD Enterprise team, comprising of Amphibious Combat and Sealift Systems Program Office (ACSSPO), Amphibious and Afloat Support Group (AASGRP) and Naval Ship Management (NSM) as Asset Class Prime Contractor (ACPC).
THE docking of an LHD is a rare occurrence, particularly when it requires the replacement of both propulsion pods, which has never been done before in Australia.
The logistical effort of delivering and install- ing these two 120-tonne pods, worth a combined $32.5m was a challenging undertaking linked to one of many first of class upgrades completed during Canberra’s stay in the dock. But as one of Navy’s most complex assets, the challenges as- sociated with the task didn’t end there.
To support the installation of these massive
pods and other maintenance activities, a large
number of support structures also needed to be
designed and constructed locally. While it seemed daunt- ing the strong support from local industry and the broader Australian supply chain made it successful.
This was truly a collaborative effort throughout the pro- cess, allowing the team to push through some unexpected challenges. International engineering support was provided by Siemens, where our local team utilised HoloLens goggle technology to contact the engineers in real time and complete the maintenance activity.
chain partners to deliver these landing craft ahead of schedule. LLC 4410 was the final landing craft to receive the upgrade and was loaded onto HMAS Canberra before she left for sea trials.
NSM also recently achieved facility qualification at Syd- ney City Marine where the landing craft were docked for maintenance. This qualification is formal recognition that our maintenance operations comply to Defence engineer- ing best practice, and provides assurance to the RAN that NSM is conducting its operations to the highest standards.
After its successful undocking, the crew of HMAS Can- berra put its new pod and propellers through their paces during rigorous sea trials. Meanwhile, the NSM team pre- pared her sister ship, HMAS Adelaide, to enter dock and undergo its own set of maintenance activities.
The first of class upgrade for HMAS Canberra was one of the most complex dockings of a warship ever undertaken in Australia, enabling important capability upgrades for one of the RAN’s two flagships. To be delivered on schedule dur- ing a restrictive COVID environment highlights the value of having a strong sovereign defence industry capability. ■
    “SINCE SIGNING AS ASSET CLASS PRIME CONTRACTOR IN 2018, NSM HAS CONTINUED TO SHOW ITS COMMITMENT TO SUPPORTING THIS CRITICAL CAPABILITY FOR NAVY.”
JOE SMITH, GENERAL MANAGER, NAVAL SHIP MANAGEMENT
HMAS Canberra’s mainte- nance effort coincided with the tail end of a bulkhead up- grade for the 12 LHD Land- ing Craft (LLC), a 30-month project that was part of NSM’s commitment to Navy through the ACPC program.
Our small team at Rozelle, NSW worked hand-in-hand with local industry and supply
     LOCALLY SUPPLIED SUPPORT STRUCTURES
 ■ New A-frames and double beams were constructed to support the weight of the propellers and pods during installation.
■ A Self-Propelled Modular Transporter was procured to move the pods and frames into position.
■ New auxiliary cradles were designed to support the bulkier propellers and were constructed using Australian steel.
■ Various jacking arrangements for adjustment of the pods during installation and a 400 tonne crawler crane to allow reach and lifting capabilities.
 










































































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