Preface – Commissioned in 1998, HMAS Farncomb is the second of 6 Collins Class submarines to enter service in the Royal Australian Navy. At a length of 77.8 metres and a range of 11,500 nautical miles, the submarine has conducted a range of activities throughout the region in support of Australian Defence Force exercises and operations.

On Easter Saturday (4 April), my husband, Max, and I drove to Beauty Point to meet my recipient, a mechanical /electrical engineer, and crew member on the submarine who has been in the Navy for 10 years. I had made a laundry bag for him and in the lovely email of thanks I received from him was an invite to tour the sub when it came to Tasmania for a break over Easter. It was a beautiful day when we arrived at Beauty Point to find the submarine tied up alongside Platypus House and quite a few people milling around the security gate hoping to get a closer look.

After introductions, a quick sign in, safety talk and a walk across the small gangway onto the submarine. Here is where the nerves kicked in. Now I am a 70 year old woman who doesn’t normally, in day to day life, climb any sort of ladder or step stool. Glancing down through the hatch door of this submarine you see a long, vertical ladder which I would have to climb down to reach the sub’s inner sanctum. But I DID IT ! I pulled up my big girl panties and with some encouragement from above and below, conquered that ladder with grace. And it was so worth the effort and willpower.

Most of the submarine’s 60 crew were away enjoying the tourist attractions Launceston has to offer or visiting with family who had flown in to see them. As Launceston is a 45minute drive away, many of the crew book into hotel accommodation for a comfy bed and more importantly, internet connection.On the submarine they have access to no comms of any description, even while the sub is moored. The skeleton crew that remain on duty on the sub oversee maintenance work and delivery of fresh produce supplies .

As we progressed along the narrow corridor, it was evident that every available space was utilised for storage. Our first stop was the Command Room, a room where all decisions are made and where it was hard to envision up to 20 crew including the Commanding Officer all working together when at sea. Along one wall were 7 chairs, along the opposite was the hub of the command centre controlled by 3 crew. In the corner on a not so comfy seat sat the crew member who steered the submarine, along with crew manning the charts console behind the CO’s chair. And in the middle of this room stood 2 imposing periscopes to take up what little room was left. Could only imagine that everyone got along well.

Our next stop was the sleeping quarters and my recipient showed us his bunk area consisting of 6 bunks, 3 each side. His bed was in the middle, all looked cramped, claustrophobic and downright uncomfortable. Ànd the inevitable question was asked about snoring – yes it did happen, some louder than others so ear plugs and headphones were a must but my recipient said it never worried him. The few quilts and laundry bags that were on board had been taken with the crew when they went into Launceston. The submarine wasn’t carrying torpedoes so where the torpedoes would have been was taken up by bedding, used by visitors or crew members wanting to stretch out their legs away from their other cramped sleeping bed.

The Mess area was compact and clean and every imaginable space available housing non perishables. The kitchen area was big enough for the chef to stand in and turn towards the stoves or ovens or back to the bain-maries without taking a step. The eating / chill out area would probably seat around 15 crew members at a time. We were told that the food served around the clock was amazing. 2 chefs served meals at breakfast, lunch, dinner and at midnight.

Even though the submarine was long, it essentially was halved, with 57 crew in one half and 3 crew in the other half which housed the massive diesel engines and machinery which kept the submarine operating at its optimum capacity. When in Tasmania, the submarine usually came to Beauty Point as Hobart stopped it docking at the wharf as the diesel fumes overpowered nearby establishments.

And then came the moment of truth as we were back at the long ladder to take us back to the submarine’s surface. And believe it or not, this climb up scared me more than the climb down. But taking each step carefully I finally managed to get to the top and haul myself back out without causing any damage to myself OR the submarine!

My recipient got called away for a brief time so another crewman chatted to us about his 3 years on the submarine. He had also received laundry bags from Aussie Hero Quilts, 3 in fact, which he loved and used all the time. He couldn’t emphasise enough how the laundry bags and quilts boosted the morale of crew members and brightened up sleeping quarters and laundry days. Other crew who hadn’t received a laundry bag for some reason were definitely envious. The crewman that we were chatting to explained he enjoyed his time at sea and in particular loved listening to the underwater world through headphones. He laughed when he told us that dolphin and whale noises weren’t anything like the calming sleep app noises but that they chatted incessantly and you could only listen to them for a short while. He liked listening to the lesser known sounds of the carpenter fish or the snappy shrimp which caused a bubble popping sound created by the snapping of the shrimp’s claw to stun prey.

We had the most incredible day and it was such a pleasure to meet a happy recipient of an AHQ laundry bag. Thank you to my recipient for the invitation to tour the submarine, it was amazing.

Lyn R

HMAS Farncomb

Lyn with the laundry bag she created and her recipient