NEWS ON RMN'S SCORPENE SUBMARINES
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Source: Bernama
May 24, 2006 12:26 PM
First-Time Submariners, But Adapting Well
From Sakina Mohamed
BREST (France), May 24 (Bernama) -- If one were claustrophobic, one would probably not make it as a submariner.
That's what this reporter discovered when she stepped into Ouessant, the Agosta-class submarine used by Malaysia's first batch of submariners for initial training.
The corridors are so narrow, only one person can pass through at a time.
Its wardroom, or officer's mess, is considered a luxury of space at around 8x6 feet.
The kitchen, where over 100 meals are cooked a day, is so small that the chef can barely move a few steps before coming up against a wall.
In the morning, crew members would have to line up to use one of only two toilets in the submarine, one of which was just a urinal.
It is hard to imagine how over 70 men can spend up to 12 days in the cramped space in the submarine during sea training.
According to its commanding officer Jean Magne, the overhauled ex-French navy submarine was initially meant for an operational crew of only 58 men.
However, the Malaysian trainees hardly complained or exhibited difficulty in adapting to the packed environment.
"This is remarkable for a batch of trainees who have had no prior experience onboard a submarine," he told Bernama at the DCN dockyard where the submarine was berthed Tuesday.
The trainees are attending a submarine school here conducted by the Defense Conseil International and Navfco (the French Naval Company for Training and Advice) and monitored by the Authority of the French Submarine Force, or Alfost.
They attend classes on weekdays and are tested weekly on the subjects through written and oral examinations as well as performance on simulators.
Their demanding schedule required them to master various skills and knowledge, including navigational skills, electrical engineering as well as maintenance and operation know-how.
Those who make the grade would go on sea training onboard the Agosta for 12 days to gain hands-on experience in handling a submarine to prepare them for the more sophisticated Scorpene submarines, currently assembled in Cherboug, France and the Navantia dockyard in Cartagena, Spain
During each sea training, 25 trainees would be guided and assessed by a trainer each, mostly ex-French navymen who had once served on the Ouessant before it was decommissioned in 2003.
The school director, Loic Andrieu, said the trainees had to pass their examinations with excellence and complete at least 250 diving hours in the Ouessant before they could become qualified submariners.
After two years of training in the Agosta class, the training would continue in the same progression but would involve the Scorpene class instead, he said.
-- BERNAMA -
got any pics on the vessel?
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Source: Bernama
May 25, 2006 10:06 AM
Submarine Sonar Operators Play It By The Ear
From Sakina Mohamed
BREST (France), May 25 (Bernama) -- Petty Officer Bruce ak Juhay can differentiate between the sound of a school of prawns and a school of crabs from 300 metres under the sea.
The knowledge used to distinguish sounds are also used to identify fishing boats and merchant vessels and calculate their approximate distance from the position of the submarine he is in.
The 32-year-old Bidayuh from Kuching is undergoing training as a graph bearing and sonar operator at the submarine school here operated by the semi-government French company NAVFCO, which also trains another 150 Malaysians on various submarine trades.
In addition to classroom and simulation training, trainees who make the grade would be given the chance to apply the knowledge and skill they have attained in the Agosta-class submarine OUESSANT, an overhauled ex-French navy submarine bought by Malaysia for sea training.
Bruce, who had been serving the Malaysian Navy for 13 years in the Electrical Technician (Radio) trade was assigned to classify, record and report every sonar-detected sound including that made by ships and marine life.
As a submarine cannot compromise its position by using active sonar as used by ships to determine the distance of objects, sonar operators on submarines have to listen intently to incoming sounds and use range predictions to calculate distances of potential threats.
Bruce admitted that his first experience in the cramped environment typical of a submarine was a little overwhelming.
"We had to stay underwater in the deep sea for 12 straight days...it was a different experience altogether from that on a surface ship.
"Imagine lining up to use the only available toilet and taking turns to eat because of the very limited space in the eating quarters," he said.
On top of that, he said, his movement and performance onboard would be watched and assessed by the trainer assigned to him.
However, he said, he felt much more at ease during the second week of training.
"I felt excited to be able to hear the beautiful sounds made by the whales and schools of dolphin. I now even look forward to sea training," he said.
Today, Bruce is one of the 60 Malaysian submariners from the first batch of trainees to be awarded the Royal Malaysian Navy Submarine insignia and Basic Submarine Course certificate, making him a qualified submariner.
He would soon be trained to man the soon-to-be-completed Scorpene-class submarines ordered by Malaysia, the first to be delivered in 2008.
-- BERNAMA -
Source: Bernama
May 27, 2006 00:31 AM
Malaysia's First Subs 53 Pct Complete
From Sakina Mohamed
CHERBOURG (France), May 27 (Bernama) -- The construction of Malaysia's first two submarines at the DCN naval yard here is 53 per cent complete, Malaysian Chief of Navy Admiral Datuk Seri Ilyas Din said Friday.
Leading a Royal Malaysian Navy delegation, Ilyas visited the naval yard Friday where the front part of the two Scorpene submarines ordered by the Malaysian government was being built.
After a briefing by the DCN Malaysia Scorpene project manager, Eric Lavolle, the navy chief was taken on a tour to see the half-completed submarines.
Thursday, Ilyas told Bernama that the construction of the submarines was "ahead of schedule" and that the rear part of the submarines were being constructed at the Navantia dockyard in Cartegena, Spain.
Earlier, he promoted two senior officers of the RMN in a brief ceremony at the Scorpene submarine project office, here.
Commander Abdul Rahman Ayub was promoted to captain while Captain Rosland Omar was elevated to first admiral.
-- BERNAMA -
Source: Strategy Page
New Sailors for New Subs
May 31, 2006: While the headlines have focused on Malaysia's purchase of French Scorpene-class submarines, one can be forgiven for asking what preparations are being made for first submarine's arrival in 2008. The answer is simple: The Malaysian Navy is already beginning the process of training personnel for the submarines, which are still under construction. This is an approach that will help the Malaysians hit the ground running once the first of the Scorpene-class submarines arrive.
The Scorpene is a modern French-Spanish diesel-electric submarine (a variant uses air-independent propulsion) that displaces 1700 tons, has a top speed in excess of 37 kilometers per hour, and is armed with six 21-inch torpedo tubes with eighteen torpedoes or SM.39 Exocet anti-ship missiles. Malaysia is acquiring two of these vessels, each of which requires a crew of 30.
So, Malaysia only has to train 60 sailors, right? Wrong. Malaysia is going to need a deeper pool, for a number of reasons. Some crewmen will not want to make the navy a career. Others will get sick or injured in the course of peacetime operations and have to be discharged. Other people just won't make the grade, or will develop claustrophobia. Submarine duty is very difficult, and a constant stream of well-trained personnel is necessary. Otherwise, Malaysia's new submarine force is little more than a money pit.
The way Malaysia is doing this is through classroom training, and the use of an older Agosta-class submarine as a "school". The Agosta displaces 1500 tons, has a top speed of 37 kilometers per hour, and is has four 21-inch torpedo tubes that can fire torpedoes or Exocet anti-ship missiles. The real benefit to the Agosta as a training vessel is the fact that it has a complement of 58, nearly twice that of the Scorpene. Despite being first commissioned in 1974, the Agosta is still a capable submarine, and is in service with Spain and Pakistan.
Ultimately, the effectiveness of Malaysia's new submarines will depend on how well they train their personnel. If the training provides good crews for the submarines, then Malaysia will be in a good position to defend its interests. If it doesn't… Malaysia has two submersible white elephants. – Harold C. Hutchison ([email protected]) -
Source: Bernama
June 01, 2006 15:50 PM
Learn Submarine Maintenance From Others First - RMN Chief
From Sakina Mohamed
BREST (France), June 1 (Bernama) -- The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) personnel must take lessons on submarine repair and maintenance from foreign builders first before they can manage by themselves.
RMN Chief Admiral Datuk Seri Ilyas Din said the navy's long-term plan was to develop its own naval base maintenance crew.
There are several stages of maintenance, he told Bernama in an interview during his one-week visit to France to present the Dolphin Insignia and submarine course certificates to 60 RMN personnel undergoing training to handle submarines there.
The 37 RMN officers and 23 other ranks have just completed their basic course at the Centre De'Instruction Navel here.
While in France, Illyas also visited the French's shipbuilder DCN International's naval yard in Cherbourg where Malaysia's first two Scorpene submarines are being built by the company.
Ilyas, however, said it was highly likely that at the early stages of submarine ownership, the Navy would have to opt for a service provider like a dockyard.
"We've to remember the development of submarines cannot be seen as an operational requirement.
"To ensure we're contributing towards our country's development via the submarine platform, we need skilled workers and excellent infrastructures to support it," he said.
This may mean the navy might sign agreements with other shipbuilders or dockyards to help out with the development at the depot level.
"As with the other ships we owned, we need to spend the first three to 10 years to learn from the makers. After that, we'll do it ourselves," he said.
On another matter, Ilyas said the navy would decide whether or not it would bring back the Agosta-class submarine it acquired for sea training of Malaysian submariners in Brest by year-end.
He said the navy was conducting a study on the feasibility of bringing back the "OUESSANT", the overhauled ex-French navy submarine which was decommissioned in 2003.
"We may bring it back but perhaps not for operational use as the Agosta only has a lifespan of five years (after an overhaul) and that is just enough to train our men.
"Even if we decide to operate it upon bringing it home, it will be too costly," he said.
It would also be expensive to bring it back as a historical piece as it would be too complicated to de-assemble for transportation, re-assemble in Malaysia and maintain it, he added.
-- BERNAMA -
