USS Colorado arrives in Australia for monthlong maintenance

The U.S. Navy submarine USS Colorado arrived at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia on October 27 for a scheduled monthlong maintenance period, as Australia prepares to support planned AUKUS submarine rotations from late 2027. More than 30 trained and certified Australian civilian technicians from ASC are working alongside specialists from Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility. The U.K. Royal Navy is also participating. The maintenance is the first routine work on a Virginia-class submarine to be carried out by Australian civilian technicians in Western Australia, according to the U.S. Navy. The visit follows a joint announcement on October 26 by U.S., Australian and U.K. officials naming Colorado the first U.S. Virginia-class submarine assigned to Submarine Squadron 3. The submarine is scheduled to return in late 2027 to help formally establish Submarine Rotational Force-West, or SRF-West, at HMAS Stirling. The force is planned to host up to four U.S. submarines and one British submarine on a rotational basis; the announcement does not establish a final operating schedule. The current maintenance period is the fourth submarine maintenance period in...