Canadian Submarines Ready to Hit the Sea
For the first time since they were purchased in 1998, the Royal Canadian Navy has reached a stage where three of its four diesel-electric submarines are now shipshape and available for operations.
Canada's Navy is marking what it calls a milestone for its controversy-plagued submarine program.
Two of the subs, HMCS Victoria and HMCS Chicoutimi will be in the water off Esquimalt, B.C. this week, while HMCS Windsor is currently operating out of Halifax.
A fourth vessel, HMCS Corner Brook is currently in dry dock in Esquimalt in what the navy calls a period of "deep maintenance".
Canada's submarines were bought second-hand from Britain for $896 million in 1998. Critics believe they've cost at least twice that much to fix, maintain and update to modern standards.
Naval captain Jamie Clarke, commander of the Canadian Submarine Force, says submarines with their torpedoes are ready to do what they’ve always done, including patrolling Canada’s coasts, thwarting drug smuggling, stopping foreign fish poachers and training with allied nations.
“Submarine capability gives you the ability to know with great detail what’s going on underneath the ocean. They also provide a very persistent capability that’s not necessarily equivalent to the surface ships. A submarine can go unsupported for in excess of 40 days at sea,” Captain Clarke said.
Though critics are pleased the four submarines are now up to what it’s supposed to do, they still believe the 20-year long wait has somehow taken a toll on the subs that the end of their lifespans is just around the corner.
