Submarines: August 24, 1999

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Montenegro's Tivat Arsenal has sent 100 engineers and technicians to Libya to overhaul its Foxtrot-class and Romeo-class submarines. The Tivat Arsenal was, during the Cold War, a major refit facility for Russian submarines and missile boats operating in the Med.--Stephen V Cole

August 13; The Australian Navy fired its first live torpedo in a decade in mid-June with a US-built Mk-48-4 detonated under the old destroyer escort HMAS Torens, blowing the ship in half. The Australian government quickly said that this proved the value of the new Collins-class submarines that will be the backbone of the fleet until 2020. Critics charged that this torpedo was a stunt to deflect attention from the many problems and delays of the new subs. --Stephen V Cole