HMAS Farncomb (SSG 74)

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HMAS Farncomb off the West Australian coast arriving for homeporting at Fleet Base West
Career (Australia)
Laid down:	3 March 1991
Launched:	15 December 1995
Commissioned:	31 January 1998
Homeport:	Fleet Base West
Motto:	"With Skill and Resolve"
Fate:	Active in service
Badge:
General characteristics
Displacement:	Surfaced: 3,051 tonnes Submerged: 3,353 tonnes
Length:	77.8 metres
Beam:	7.8 metres
Draught:	6.8 metres
Propulsion:	1 × Jeumont Schneider main motor 7,050 hp (5.25 MW) 3 × Hedemora/Garden Island Type V18B/14 diesels 6,000 hp (4.42 MW) 3 × Jeaumont Schneider generators 5,630 hp (4.2 MW) 1 × shaft and a skew back propeller 1 × Mactaggart Scott dm 43006 hydraulic motor for emergency propulsion
Speed:	Surfaced: 10+ knots (18.5 km/h) Submerged: 20+ knots (37 km/h)
Range:	11,500 nautical miles (21,300 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) surfaced 9000 nautical miles (17,000 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) snorting 400 nautical miles (700 km) at 4 knots (7 km/h) dived
Complement:	45 (8 Officers)
Sensors and processing systems:	Thales underwater systems scylla bow sonar Thales Underwater Systems GEC-Marconi Kariwara, Thomson Marconi Narama towed array or Allied Signal TB 23 Kelvin Hughes I-band navigation radar Thales optronics CK043 search and CH093 attack periscopes Anechoic tiles fitted
Electronic warfare and decoys:	Edo ES-5600 ESM, Argo AR-740 Strachan and Henshaw SSDE
Armament:	Boeing/Rockwell integrated system McDonnell Douglas UGM-84 Harpoon 6 × 21 in (533 mm) tubes for sub harpoon and Gould Mark 48 torpedo - total of 22 carried 44 mines in lieu of torpedoes Fitted for but not with Land Attack Cruise missiles with combat system AN/BYG 1 To be fitted : US Mk 48 ADCAP Combat System AN/BYG 1 based on Raytheon's CCS Mk 2

HMAS Farncomb (SSG 74), is a Collins-class submarine laid down by the Australian Submarine Corporation at Osborne in South Australia on 3 March 1991, launched on 15 December 1995 and commissioned on 31 January 1998.

[edit] Name

The submarine is named after Rear Admiral Harold B. Farncomb CB, DSO, MVO, RAN (1899–1971) who distinguished himself in action during World War II. He commanded HMAS Canberra in 1941 when the ship forced two German raider support ships to scuttle while on Indian Ocean patrol.

Later, aboard HMAS Australia he saw action in the Battle of the Coral Sea, Battle of Guadalcanal, the East Solomons, Arawe and Cape Gloucester. He assumed temporary command of His Majesty’s Australian Squadron when Commodore Collins was wounded aboard the HMAS Australia at Leyte in 1944. He commanded the Squadron in operations at Corregidor, Brunei and Balikpapan.

[edit] Notable achievements

On 14 June 1999, HMAS Farncomb took part in an exercise off the Western Australian coast, which saw it fire an MK-48 torpedo at the decommissioned HMAS Torrens, from over the horizon.

[edit] External links

• Royal Australian Navy's HMAS Farncomb site

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