The U.S. Naval Undersea Warfare Centre (NUWC) Division Newport recently achieved a significant milestone with the first modernisation of a U.S. submarine in Australian waters, underscoring the growing collaboration between the U.S., United Kingdom, and Australia under the AUKUS partnership.

Engineering agents Matthew George, Daniel Braman, and Dillon Savitzky, from NUWC Division Newport’s Sensors and Sonar Systems Department, played a key role in the three-week Submarine Tendered Maintenance Period (STMP) at HMAS Stirling in Perth, Australia.

This historic effort marked the first instance of a joint American-Australian team performing maintenance on a nuclear-powered attack submarine, specifically the Virginia-class USS Hawaii (SSN 776).

The STMP focused on modernising the submarine’s thinline towed array handling system, integrating Royal Australian Navy (RAN) personnel into the process. Rear Admiral Lincoln Reifsteck, U.S. Navy AUKUS Integration and Acquisition Programme Manager, described the event as a critical step in establishing Australia’s sovereign nuclear-powered submarine capability.