The navy has shown it can rescue crew members from a sunken submarine, should that ever be necessary.
The submarine escape and rescue exercise involved flying a special rescue submersible from Henderson, Western Australia to the east cast, where it was loaded onto Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) Ocean Shield.
The 21.5 tonne LR5 submersible then docked with submarine HMAS Farncomb bottomed in 112 metres of water, "rescued" crew members and returned them to the surface where they were transferred into a decompression chamber.
Australian navy submarine force commander Captain Mark Potter said it was unlikely this equipment would ever be needed.
"Should the unthinkable happen, it is essential that we have established and well practiced procedures in place to rescue personnel," he said in a statement.
During Exercise Black Carillon, the navy worked closely with contractor James Fisher Defence to test the equipment on the east coast.
This was the first time that ADV Ocean Shield was used as a mother ship.
Australia is a member of the International Submarine Escape and Rescue Liaison Organisation which would provide international support should one of the six Australian submarines be disabled.
