Rolls-Royce to the rescue of stricken submarine crews

Monday, 14 June 2004

Rolls-Royce, the global company providing power systems for land, sea and air, will provide and operate specialist craft which will race to rescue crews trapped within submarines in distress.

The company has been selected by the UK Ministry of Defence, acting on behalf of partner nations UK, France and Norway, in a contract worth £47 million.

The NATO Submarine Rescue System will enter service at the end of 2006, replacing the current UK rescue vehicle, LR5, which was dispatched to the scene of the last major accident, involving the Russian submarine Kursk in the Barents Sea in August 2000.

Rolls-Royce will provide a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) - an unmanned craft which will locate the submarine within 56 hours to check for signs of life by tapping on the hull and underwater telephone contact, take air quality measurements, provide emergency supplies to survivors, and prepare the submarine for the rescue stage by removing debris.

The company will also deliver a three-man operated Submarine Rescue Vehicle (SRV) which will within 72 hours, dive up to 600 metres below the sea to rescue up to 150 survivors in groups of up to 15 at a time.

The 10m-long SRV will be flown out, together with a portable launch and recovery system and other specialist equipment, and fitted onto a suitable ship at a port near the incident. The ship will sail to the submarine location, where the 27-tonne SRV will be deployed and dive to dock with the submarine escape hatch, allowing crew to be transferred and raised to safety.

On its return to the ship, the battery-powered SRV will transfer those rescued to special decompression units to ensure submariners do not get the bends - a potentially fatal disorder resulting from nitrogen bubbles forming in the bloodstream.

The contract covers ten years of design, build and operational support for the system, which will be based at Her Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde, in Scotland. Rolls-Royce selected HMNB Clyde because it has modern facilities, access to both shallow and deep waters for training exercises, and access to civilian and military airfields.

The new rescue system will primarily support the three partner nations, but will also be on standby to assist any nation anywhere in the world, complementing other systems operated by Sweden, the USA, Italy and Australia.

Saul Lanyado, President, Rolls-Royce Marine, said: “Rolls-Royce has provided the Royal Navy submarine flotilla with propulsion systems for more than 40 years. This prestigious contract, which has a vital role in saving lives, shows our continuing ability to innovate with long-term support contracts using our expertise in the field.

“The contract also recognises both our world-renowned engineering skills and our ability to create and lead a supporting team from the best in the industry.”

The contract will also require underwater navigation and communications, aircraft loading and ship embarkation expertise. Within three hours of an emergency call, a 12-strong rescue team on permanent standby at HMNB Clyde will use a mobilisation database to identify and track suitable ships in the area capable of carrying the ROV and SRV and load the equipment.

Rolls-Royce has put together a powerful team to support its work. They are:

    * Perry Slingsby Systems Ltd, based near York, providing the SRV and ROV.
    * The Engineering Business Ltd, based near Newcastle upon Tyne, providing the Portable Launch and Recovery System.
    * Babcock Design and Technology, based in Weymouth, providing engineering support services
    * Babcock Naval Services, based in Faslane, providing the base facility Divex, based in Aberdeen, providing the decompression equipment.
    * Kongsberg Maritime Limited, based in Waterlooville, providing underwater navigation, tracking and communications equipment.

It is anticipated around 85 people at Rolls-Royce and its support team will work on the contract.

Rolls-Royce has a long-established reputation for expertise in submarine propulsion, starting in 1963 with the delivery of the first Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR)1 Core A for HMS Dreadnought.

Since then the company has produced a further four core versions, constantly upgrading performance levels, the latest being the long-life core, enabling submarines to travel for a full operational lifespan without the need to refuel - the equivalent of one million miles.

The company also operates the Vulcan Naval Reactor Test Establishment site at Dounreay, Scotland, on behalf of the Ministry of Defence. This facility tests the operation and performance of nuclear power plants used to support the UK submarine flotilla.