HMCS Chicoutimi (SSK 879)

HMCS "Chicoutimi" is a "Victoria"-class long-range hunter-killer (SSK) submarine of the Canadian Navy, originally operated by the Royal Navy as HMS "Upholder". Shortly after being handed over from the UK to Canada she was involved in a partial flooding incident which resulted in a fire at sea. The incident sparked a fierce debate over the value of the purchase of this group of second-hand vessels, as well as the handover inspection process. Despite all the media speculation, this was later proven to be as a result of an error in operational procedure. [http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/Focus/chicoutimi/index_e.asp HMCS Chicoutimi Board of Enquiry website] ]

History

Decommissioning

This submarine was built for the Royal Navy as HMS "Upholder" (S40), the lead ship of the "Upholder" (2400) class of submarines, named after the original "Upholder". She was built by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd (VSEL), launched on December 2 1986 and commissioned on June 2, 1990. Her commissioning was delayed because of a potential problem with the operation of the torpedo tubes.

Following the end of the Cold-War and subsequent cancellation of the programme, along with the other three vessels in the class, she was decommissioned in April 1994, amidst some controversy, as a financial measure. She and her sisters were sold in 1998 to the Canadian Navy and she was recommissioned as HMCS "Chicoutimi". She was named for the city of Chicoutimi, Quebec, now a borough of the city of Saguenay.

The actual agreement to buy the "Chicoutimi", and the other three vessels of the "Upholder"-class, was, at the time, considered to be a relative bargain. Canada would allow the use of Canadian bases for training British soldiers, and pay a total of $750 million CAD on a 'lease-to-own' plan for the four submarines that would extend until 2006, and which included a six-year maintenance contract. After the lease period ended, Canada would have the option to purchase the four submarines for only one British pound.

Transfer

The "Upholder" had been mothballed in April 1994, and by the time the Canadians agreed to purchase her, she had already been laid up for four years. The problems with returning the vessel to service were therefore, perhaps, predictable. When workers set to work restoring the "Chicoutimi", some areas of steelwork, but not the hull itself, were discovered to be corroded well beyond a safe extent. Some hull valves were cracked, air turbine pumps were defective, and the "Chicoutimi" had been looted for usable parts. Ironically, the cannibalization of the "Chicoutimi" took place to provide parts for her sister ship, HMCS "Corner Brook", according to documents acquired by the Halifax "Daily News" in September 2004. [ [http://www.pej.org/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=643 Halifax Daily News: Fourth sub delayed by rust :: PEJ News :: Stories, Features, Opinion and Analysis :: Peace, Earth & Justice News ] ]

The increased cost of preparing the "Chicoutimi" for active service in the Canadian Forces has drawn considerable scrutiny in Canada, where public scepticism over military spending and hardware has increased. However, some sources cite the cost of four new submarines with capabilities little greater than those of the "Victoria"-class as high as $2 billion CAD, while even with the overruns, the cost of restoring the "Upholder"-class could be less than half of that.

Opposition Canadian MP Bill Casey listed a catalogue of problems that the Upholder class have suffered:

:"They have experienced overheating, they have experienced leaks, they have experienced rust," he said.

:"They have had to have the exhaust valves replaced, which is a huge valve in the middle of the boat which redirects the exhaust whether the boat is submerged, partially-submerged or on the surface."

October 5, 2004 incident

The "Chicoutimi" was the last of the newly renamed "Victoria"-class vessels to be delivered, handed over to the Canadians on October 2, 2004 at Faslane Naval Base. Two days later, "Chicoutimi" set sail for her new home port at CFB Halifax in Nova Scotia.

On October 5, "Chicoutimi" was apparently surfaced and running through heavy seas convert|100|mi|km north-west of County Mayo, Ireland. Both hatches in the bridge fin lockout chamber were left open and an estimated 2,000 litres of seawater entered the vessel.

The seawater created electrical shorting and a fire. Nine crewmembers were affected by smoke inhalation and the ship was left drifting without power in heavy seas. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3717906.stm BBC NEWS | Scotland | Nine hurt on stricken submarine ] ] Three of these crew members were airlifted to Sligo General Hospital in the Republic of Ireland the next day, with one listed in 'critical' condition. Later, on October 6, Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin confirmed that one of the "Chicoutimi"'s crew, Lieutenant(N) Chris Saunders, died in transit to hospital. [ [http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2004/10/06/newhmcschicoutimi041006.html Canadian sailor dies in submarine accident ] ]

The RNLI lifeboat stationed on Achill Island, County Mayo (the "Sam and Ada Moody") was put on standby to assist, but was later stood down. An Irish Naval Service vessel, the LÉ "Róisín", attempted to assist the submarine, but was seriously damaged by the rough seas and forced to return to harbour. The only other Irish naval vessels available to help, the LÉ "Aoife" and LÉ "Niamh" were patrolling off Ireland's southern coast. At 2 p.m. local time, the Royal Navy frigate HMS "Montrose" and the auxiliary vessel RFA "Wave Knight" reached the crippled "Chicoutimi", with an additional three British ships en route. The LÉ "Aoife" later reached the area, and took over co-ordination of the rescue and salvage efforts. Other ships dispatched to assist the boat were HMS "Marlborough" and RFA "Argus" as-well as a number of specialist vessels to handle the situation. The rough conditions in the North Atlantic were impeding the efforts of the Irish and British navies to rescue the surfaced "Chicoutimi", and a former Canadian naval officer said of the "Chicoutimi" that " [it's] not [a] good surface rider at all. It’s by no means unsafe; it’s just very uncomfortable." [http://www.hfxnews.com/news.aspx?pname=News&StoryID=22491]

By the evening of October 7 the weather had abated, and the "Chicoutimi" was taken in tow by the British Coastguard tugboat "Anglian Prince" to return to Faslane Naval Base in Scotland. Towing was later taken over by the US Submarine Support Vessel MV "Carolyn Chouest", which was able to increase the towing speed from three knots (6 km/h) to eight or nine knots (15 or 17 km/h), and reached Faslane on the evening of October 10. "Chicoutimi" was escorted into the Royal Navy base by HMCS "St. John's", a Canadian frigate which rushed across the Atlantic after the navy learned of the fire.

As well as highlighting the problems with the "Victoria" class, the incident has also sparked debate in Ireland over the country's search and rescue capabilities.

Following claims made in the Canadian media about the cause of the fire, blaming the UK for supplying an unsafe vessel, the situation was further exacerbated by controversial comments made by Secretary of State for Defence Geoff Hoon. He accompanied his condolences for Saunders with a proposal that the Royal Navy would charge Canada for the cost of the rescue while also stating that Canada as the buyer had to beware. In Canada, many World War II veterans were outraged by his comments, considering Canada's sacrifice for the British.

In April 2006, it was announced that repair priorities had shifted; "Chicoutimi" would remain in drydock until at least 2010, and would likely not be seaworthy again until 2012. [ [http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/04/28/sub-060428.html Fire-damaged sub won't be operational until 2012 ] ]

See also

*HMS|Upholder for other ships of the same name
* Major submarine incidents since 2000

References

External links

* [http://www.marine.forces.gc.ca/chicoutimi/home/index_e.asp Official website]
* [http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/Focus/chicoutimi/index_e.asp HMCS Chicoutimi Board of Enquiry website]
* [http://www.navy.forces.gc.ca/mspa_fleet/fleet_home_e.asp Canadian Navy fleet]
* [http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=15504 "U.S. Submarine Support Ship Assists Canadian Submarine"] , "Navy newsstand", October 13, 2004.
* [http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=116058&sc=507 "Three years after Chicoutimi fire, crew members’ health worsening"]