The 21.5 tonne LR5 submarine rescue vehicle normally carries 3 submersible crew members, the pilot, a co-pilot and the systems operator. Up to 16 submarine survivors can be evacuated at a time to the mother ship or to a mother submarine. The LR5 could make up to 8 trips to the distressed submarine (a rescue capability of 120 personnel) before needing to recharge the battery power supply. The LR5 System can be air lifted by a military or civil transporter aircraft, for example by C-5 Galaxy or Antonov and a 747, and then transferred to port for speedy installation on the mother ship.
The Australian Defence Force contracted Submarine Escape and Rescue System is based at Henderson in WA. The LR5 System is managed by James Fisher Defence. The operating team of pilots, engineers and technicians maintain and upgrade the system.
Specifications
- Class: DSAR (deep search and rescue) Class
- Type: submarine rescue vehicle
- Builder: James Fisher Defence
- Acquired: June 2009
- Tonnage: 24 tons (in air weight)
- Length: 9.6 metres
- Beam: 3.2 metres
- Depth: 2.7 metres
- Propulsion: two 10 kilowatt (13 horsepower) electric motors
- Speed: 3 knots (5.6 km/h)
- Endurance: 10 hours
- Test depth: 650 metres
- Capacity: 1,200 kilograms
- Crew: 2
Function
Rescue vehicle