Farewell to the US Navy’s Virginia-class submarine, USS Vermont, which has departed Western Australia following a landmark package of maintenance work at HMAS Stirling, south of Perth. The extended port visit was the first time a US nuclear-powered submarine has undergone a maintenance period in Australia without a US support ship, achieved through the combined efforts of Australian, US, and UK onshore teams.

Over the past four weeks, Royal Australian Navy personnel and ASC Pty Ltd workers have partnered with their US counterparts to complete more than 160 maintenance tasks—strengthening Australia’s workforce and industrial capacity to sustain nuclear-powered submarines.