Australian Navy Shafted by Spanish Shipbuilder

A new Navy supply boat was delivered with a crooked propeller shaft, and has been out of action for over a year as a result.

Junior Officers from the Western Pacific Naval Symposium Junior Officer Interaction Program walk towards HMAS Supply before touring the ship in Sydney, New South Wales. Lucinda Allanson/Royal Australian Navy

Australia’s Chief of Navy says he is disappointed that a supply boat—aptly named HMAS Supply—was delivered with significant defects that prevented it from being used for an extended period.

“I am not satisfied with the availability of this ship,” Vice Admiral Mark Hammond told a parliamentary hearing on June 6. “There are defects in the design and delivery of the ship, the ship remains under repair.”