The HMCS Corner Brook was sidelined in 2014 for maintenance and upgrades after it hit the ocean floor in 2011.

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A Canadian submarine that has been out of action for at least 10 years will be ready for operations starting this summer, the Department of National Defence says.

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DND and the Royal Canadian Navy are calling HMCS Corner Brook the country’s “most advanced submarine” after spending $715 million on repairing the 34-year-old boat.

HMCS Corner Brook has now completed sea trials and related training.

“It is expected that HMCS Corner Brook will be deployable by summer 2025,” DND spokesperson Alex Tétreault said in an email. “HMCS Corner Brook will operate in the Pacific, focusing on defence and Indo-Pacific operations.”

The submarine was one of four second-hand boats acquired from the United Kingdom. It was commissioned into Canadian service in 2003 but has seen limited time at sea.

It was damaged when it hit the ocean floor during a training accident in June 2011 on the west coast. In 2014, the boat was sidelined for maintenance work as well as upgrades as part of what is called an extended docking work period.

That process was supposed to be finished in 2016, but the submarine caught fire in 2019 while still in dry dock. A 2020 test by maintenance crews further damaged systems on board the submarine, delaying its return to sea.

HMCS Corner Brook completed its extended docking work period or EDWP in Victoria in 2023 at the cost of $695 million. Another $20 million was spent on repairing the damage from the 2011 collision.

The EDWP included extensive repairs and upgrades across various systems, including hull, mechanical, electrical, operations and weapons equipment areas, according to DND spokesperson Cheryl Forrest.

“Investing in improvements to the Victoria-class will equip the RCN with the increased capabilities needed to address evolving threats in the current and future operating environment, while also avoiding the significant costs and technical challenges involved in the immediate acquisition of a new platform and related infrastructure,” she said in an email.

The Royal Canadian Navy’s leadership recommended to then prime minister Jean Chrétien’s government that it purchase the four used submarines from the United Kingdom. Canada took delivery of the boats between 2000 and 2004. The navy said it did a thorough examination of the vessels to ensure they met Canadian needs, but problems with the Victoria-class submarines started materializing almost immediately.

High-pressure welds had to be replaced and cracks were found in some of the valves on the four submarines. Steel piping also needed to be replaced as the submarines were put into storage in the United Kingdom with water in their fuel tanks. HMCS Victoria also underwent repairs after a dent was discovered in her hull. HMCS Chicoutimi was damaged by a fire in 2004 that killed one officer. In addition, there were delays in installing Canadian equipment, such as the weapons fire control and communications gear.

“The introduction of the Victoria class has been fraught with many issues and faced a number of setbacks,” a May 2009 report produced by the Royal Canadian Navy said.

Critics have questioned the value of the submarines, pointing out that they have cost billions of dollars and have not spent that much time at sea.

In September 2024, Defence Minister Bill Blair’s office announced that DND was requesting information from shipyards about their capabilities in building a new fleet of submarines.

But the first of these submarines won’t actually be operating with the Royal Canadian Navy until 2037, noted various DND briefings obtained by the Ottawa Citizen.

The Canadian government has indicated it wants to acquire up to 12 “conventionally powered, under-ice capable submarines.”

No cost has been officially released for the purchase of new submarines.

But in April 2023, the Ottawa Citizen reported that the Royal Canadian Navy had made a pitch to the Liberal government for the purchase of as many as 12 new conventional-powered submarines at an initial cost of $60 billion.

In the past, the navy has had trouble training enough submariners to crew its current fleet of four boats, let alone 12 new boats.

Naval officers have already outlined to the companies some of what they need for the new submarines in a series of briefings presented over the last two years. More details have also been added via the government’s request for information issued to companies in 2024.

The new submarines will have to be capable of operating undetected for a range of 7,000 nautical miles, as well as a minimum of 21 days of continuous dived operations.

The briefings to industry stipulated that the submarines be capable of no less than 60 days of self-sustained operations. On board communication systems must be compatible with the U.S. military, according to the Canadian government.

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