| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name: | Remora |
| Namesake: | Remora |
| Builder: | OceanWorks International, North Vancouver, British Columbia |
| In service: | 1995–2006 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Submarine rescue vehicle |
| Displacement: | 16.5 tonnes (18.2 tons) |
| Test depth: | Over 500 metres (1,600 ft) |
| Capacity: | 6 passengers |
| Crew: | 1 onboard operator, 12 personnel on surface |
| Time to activate: | 36 hours to transport + 25 hours to fit and deploy |
Australian Submarine Rescue Vehicle Remora (ASRV Remora) was a submarine rescue vehicle used by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) between 1995 and 2006. The name comes from the remora, a small fish that can attach itself to larger marine life, and has the backronym "Really Excellent Method of Rescuing Aussies". [1] [2]
Remora was constructed by OceanWorks International of North Vancouver, British Columbia for the RAN, based on a diving bell. [1] The 16.5-tonne (18.2-ton) vehicle was designed to mate with a submarine's escape tower, and could do this even if the submarine had rolled up to 60 degrees from vertical. [1] [2] The vehicle can operate at depths over 500 metres (1,600 ft) and in currents of up to 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph), and was intended for use below 180 metres (590 ft); the maximum safe depth for Submarine Escape Immersion Equipment. [1] [3] The submersible carried seven people: an onboard operator and six passengers. [1] Those aboard Remora were kept under about five bars of pressure, and rescued submariners exited into one of two 36-man recompression chambers carried aboard the rescue ship. [1]
Remora could be controlled from a containerised facility aboard the rescue ship, with power, control, and sensors fed through an armoured umbilical cable. [4] [5] Twelve personnel make up the surface control complement, with this number supplemented by diving medicine specialists and divers. [5] The entire setup (Remora, control centre, and recompression chambers) could be transported by road or sea, or loaded into C-130 Hercules aircraft. [4] [3] Remora could be delivered to anywhere in Australia within 36 hours, and installed on a suitable vessel in another 25 hours. [3] The Defence Maritime Services tender Seahorse Spirit was designated the main tender for Remora, although any vessel with sufficient space to carry and deploy the equipment (300-square-metre (3,200 sq ft) of deck space, with 8 metres (26 ft) minimum width) could be used. [6] [5]
In December 2006, the umbilical cable parted during an exercise off Perth, trapping two men at a depth of 140 metres (460 ft) for 12 hours. [2] The men were rescued, but Remora was not recovered until April 2007. [2] The submersible was sent back to OceanWorks for repairs. [2] Although repairs were completed, Remora did not reenter service as the Det Norske Veritas classification society refused to certify the submersible; the launch and recovery equipment did not meet updated safety standards. [2] As of the end of 2008, Remora was in storage at Henderson, Western Australia. [2] To cover the capability loss, the Department of Defence arranged for the British LR5 submersible to be flown to Australia if submarine rescue was required. [2] In June 2009, LR5 was relocated to Australia on lease. [7]
Remora was the basis for the United States Navy's Submarine Rescue Diving Recompression System. [8]
