US Navy submarine tender arrives in Australia

US Navy submarine tender USS Emory S. Land (AS-39) arrived in Darwin for a scheduled port call on May 28. Darwin is the first port call of the ship’s current deployment, which began May 17

“We already have a number of Royal Australian Navy sailors onboard as part of the Personnel Exchange Program, but bringing the tender here lets us cooperate at a unit-to-unit level and rehearse the interoperability needed to support each other’s forces around the globe,” said Capt. Brent Spillner, the ship’s commanding officer.

Since January the ship has hosted more than 30 RAN officers and sailors ranging from AB to Lieutenant and including technicians and bo’sun’s mates, building knowledge, skills and experience in maintaining US Navy nuclear-powered submarines.

“For those Royal Australian Navy officers and sailors on board the Emory S. Land, this deployment is an incredible opportunity to put their training and technical skills into practice,” according to the Chief of Navy, VADM Mark Hammond AO, RAN.

​“This unique program will contribute significantly to our Navy’s future, developing our people to have the skills to operate, maintain and steward conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines.”

The USS Emory S. Land is on deployment supporting the US 7th Fleet and operating with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region, says the US Navy. She provides expeditionary intermediate-level maintenance, services, and logistics support to deployed submarines.

Guam is home to the US Navy’s only submarine tenders, USS Emory S. Land and USS Frank Cable (AS 40), as well as Los Angeles-class attack submarines. The submarine tenders provide maintenance, hotel services and logistical support to submarines and surface ships in the US 7th Fleet area of operation. The submarines and tenders are maintained as part of the US Navy’s forward-deployed submarine force and are capable of meeting global operational requirements.