Nuclear-Powered Submarines for Australia: Origin Stories

The announcement in 2021 that Australia would acquire nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) signalled a significant shift in Australia’s defence policy. For many it seemed as if it was a decision and discussion without precedent, but this is not the case. The question of whether Australia should acquire nuclear-powered submarines was first asked in 1959 during the simpler discussion of whether Australia should acquire submarines at all. Over the years that followed the nuclear propulsion question was raised several times, including in 1965 as the construction program for the RAN’s first four Oberon class submarines was well underway in the UK.

This paper will explore these early discussions in Australia about the potential for nuclear propulsion for RAN submarines. This will show how the nuclear propulsion question is far from new and that Australia long ago considered whether the RAN should acquire nuclear powered submarines. This issue is seemingly divorced entirely from questions of whether or not Australia should pursue a civil nuclear industry or obtain nuclear-powered weapons. In light of the recent AUKUS discussion, it is important to realise the historical background behind nuclear propulsion in the RAN and to highlight that the question has been asked before. What follows is a brief examination of the nuclear-powered submarine discussions being held at high level in the 1960s by certain areas of Defence.

Dr John Nash