Aukus reawakens Perth’s WWII role as the West’s submarine hub in the East

By 2027, US and British nuclear submarines operating out of HMAS Stirling will make Perth a key player in Indo-Pacific defence strategies

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A torpedo in the Western Australian port of Fremantle, near Perth, serves as a reminder of US submariners based in the area who died in World War II. Photo: Huw Watkin

Published: 9:00am, 30 Sep 2024Updated: 11:53am, 30 Sep 2024

Perth, one of the world’s most isolated cities, is re-emerging as a critical hub in global efforts to deter conflict in the Indo-Pacific region.

Despite its remoteness on Australia’s western edge, Perth is at the heart of a modern strategy that echoes its unsung role in the World War II defeat of Imperial Japan. The city is poised to become a key base for US and British nuclear-powered submarines under the Aukus alliance, aimed at preventing another catastrophic clash between East and West.

“It is a straight-line shot from Perth to India, Sri Lanka, to the Malacca, Lombok and Sunda straits which lead to the South China Sea,” said Dr John Blaxland, professor of international security and intelligence studies at the Australian National University.

“Strategically, Perth is a profoundly consequential piece of real estate because of its potential [as a base] to interdict and control shipping … right across the Indian Ocean and much of Asia.”

In 1941, Perth was connected to the world only by a 2,400km (1,491-mile) railway to South Australia and the nearby port of Fremantle. Singapore was a week’s voyage away, and Fremantle served primarily as a refuelling stop. By March 1942, however, the previously sleepy port was a thriving US submarine base, second only to Hawaii’s Pearl Harbour.

The West Australian Maritime Museum in Fremantle, located on the site of slipways that enabled the repair of US, Dutch and British submarines during World War II. Photo: Huw Watkin

Fast forward to today and at HMAS Stirling – about 20km (12 miles) south of Fremantle – history is set to repeat itself. Starting in 2027, this Australian naval base will serve as a haven for US and British nuclear-powered submarines, capable of refitting and resupplying outside the range of Chinese missiles.