Ron Allum News

Attention Turns to Extra Large Unmanned Underwater Vessels

In August, 2021, after years of delays, cost overruns, and rising tensions, the Australian government canceled a A$90 billion order with France’s Naval Group for 12 conventionally powered submarines intended to replace the Royal Australian Navy (RAN)’s aging fleet of six Collins-class attack subs. Overnight, the future of the RAN’s undersea warfare capability was cast into uncertainty. The very next month, however, the United States and the United Kingdom announced a plan to help Australia fill the void…

Deepsea Challenger a Hit in Navy Museum

The record-breaking manned submersible was brought to the Navy Yard to be with the Trieste, which is housed in the National Museum of the United States Navy. The Navy museum says that a large number of school children stop by to see Deepsea Challenger, a submarine designed by James Cameron, Academy Award-winning film director and diver, and Ron Allum, Deepsea Challenger pilot. The craft was built to explore the Marianas Trench's deepest point of "Challenger Deep". In March of 2012, Cameron, diving solo in Deepsea Challenger, replicated the U.S.