HMAS Farncomb ( SSG 74 ) HMAS " Farncomb " ( SSG 74 ) is the second of six " Collins " class submarines operated by the Royal Australian Navy ( RAN ) . Named for Rear Admiral Harold Farncomb , the submarine was laid down in 1993 and launched in December 1995 — the first submarine to be completely constructed in Australia . A combination of factors led to " Farncomb " being the only vessel of her class in operational condition in mid - 2009 . Construction and trials . " Farncomb " was laid down by Australian Submarine Corporation ( ASC ) on 3 March 1991 . She was named for Rear Admiral Harold Farncomb ; the first Australian - trained officer promoted to Captain , and commanding officer of the flagship from 1941 to 1944 . Work on the boat was delayed by the need to complete sister boat and class lead to a launchable condition by her set launch date of 28 August 1993 . To free up resources at ASC for " Collins " , " Farncomb " s bow section was sent to Newcastle for completion . " Farncomb " was launched on 15 December 1995 : as she was the first submarine to be completely constructed in Australia ( two sections of " Collins " had been assembled in Sweden ) , the submarine wore a large Made In Australia logo on the fin . The submarine commenced sea trials in September 1996 . Lessons learned from the trials of lead boat " Collins " benefitted " Farncomb " , with training materials improved and the trials crew instructed to familiarise themselves with the submarine while she was being completed ( the crew of " Collins " had the option to , but most personnel did not ) . The trial program was impacted on by problems with " Collins " . " Farncomb " was provisionally accepted into service by the RAN at the end of 1997 . She was formally commissioned into the RAN on 31 January 1998 . Characteristics . The " Collins " class is an enlarged version of the Kockums " Västergötland " class submarine . At in length , with a beam of and a waterline depth of , displacing 3 , 051 tonnes when surfaced , and 3 , 353 tonnes when submerged , they are the largest conventionally powered submarines in the world . The hull is constructed from high - tensile micro - alloy steel , and are covered in a skin of anechoic tile s to minimise detection by sonar . The depth that they can dive to is classified : most sources claim that it is over , The submarine is armed with six torpedo tube s , and carry a standard payload of 22 torpedo es : originally a mix of Gould Mark 48 Mod 4 torpedoes and UGM - 84C Sub - Harpoon , with the Mark 48s later upgraded to the Mod 7 Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System ( CBASS ) version . Each submarine is equipped with three Garden Island - Hedemora HV V18b / 15Ub ( VB210 ) 18 - cylinder diesel engines , which are each connected to a 1 , 400 kW , 440 - volt DC Jeumont - Schneider generator . The electricity generated is stored in batteries , then supplied to a single Jeumont - Schneider DC motor , which provides 7 , 200 shaft horsepower to a single , seven - bladed , diameter skewback propeller . The " Collins " class has a speed of when surfaced and at snorkel depth , and can reach underwater . The submarines have a range of at when surfaced , at at snorkel depth . When submerged completely , a " Collins " class submarine can travel at maximum speed , or at . Each boat has an endurance of 70 days . Operational history . In May 1997 , two groups of six female sailors were posted to " Collins " and " Farncomb " as a test on the feasibility of mixed - sex crews aboard submarines . Following the trial ' s success , eleven female sailors and one female officer commenced training for the submarine service in 1998 . In 1998 , while returning from Timor , all three of " Farncomb " s diesel generators broke down . The submarine limped to Darwin , where she waited several weeks for replacement parts to be organised and transported . As part of combat system trials , " Farncomb " fired a live Mark 48 Mod 4 torpedo at on 14 June 1999 , sinking the decommissioned destroyer escort . On 19 March 2007 , during a five - month intelligence - gathering mission in Asian waters , fishing lines became entangled in " Fancomb " ’ s propellor . The submarine surfaced in international waters during the calm night , and five sailors were out on the casing attempting to free the propellor when the weather suddenly worsened and the sailors were washed overboard . A rescue party , involving three volunteer swimmers was successful in retrieving the five sailors during a ninety - minute effort , and the submarine continued on without detection . The incident remained classified until August 2009 , when the RAN nominated the three rescue swimmers for bravery decorations , the first submariners to be nominated since a 1981 incident aboard . In 2008 and 2009 , personnel shortages reduced the number of submarines able to be deployed to three , with the maintenance schedule and battery malfunctions on several boats combining to reduce this to one , " Farncomb " in mid - 2009 . On the morning of 13 March 2009 , " Farncomb " was one of seventeen warships involved in a ceremonial fleet entry and fleet review in Sydney Harbour , the largest collection of RAN ships since the Australian Bicentenary in 1988 . The submarine did not participate in the fleet entry , but was anchored in the harbour for the review . In January 2010 , " Farncomb " was forced to return to port for urgent repairs after a generator failure . This left sister boat as the only fully operational submarine , with on restricted duties , and the other four submarines undergoing repairs or maintenance . " Farncomb " was deployed to Hawaii to participate in the 2012 Rim of the Pacific ( RIMPAC ) multinational exercise . On 22 July , the submarine fired a Mark 48 torpedo at the former ammunition ship , breaking the ship in two and sinking her . A few days later , a hose in the submarine ' s weight compensation system split while the boat was recharging her batteries , causing flooding . " Farncomb " surfaced from periscope depth without major incident and sailed to Pearl Harbor for repairs . In October 2013 participated in the International Fleet Review 2013 in Sydney , Australia . It was the only submarine present in the review .