[Bruce_the_vii]

Scape Scape:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_212_submarine

Thanks for the link and the polite response. The article glosses over the fuel cell technology but I assume it's just the standard hydrogen fuel cell. Even liquid hydrogen is an extremely bulky way of storing energy and would be difficult in a cramped submarine. I see hydrogen powered submarines as a curio, something the defense industry does too much of.

[Scape]

Sorry, was out the door for new years.

Hydro has no moving parts that means it is the worlds quietest.

[Gunnair]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

Gunnair Gunnair:

Nuc ain't going to happen.

Never say never.

Ain't going to happen. As Stokes says, the infrastructure isn't there and would cost millions that the CF doesn't have. The public would not stand spending billions on Yank boats and then sending them south for maintenance. Diesel is where we are at, they're quieter than nucs and if we catch up on the tech side, will do the job we want for a fraction of the cost of nucs.

Canada may have shit the bed on its aerospace industry so that we have to buy foreign, but it appears they will not do it for shipbuilding - even building under license seems distasteful.

[bootlegga]

The subs are a great tool when they are operational, but given how little they have been operational, we probably would have been better off buying brand new subs from Germany in the 90s. Of course back then, out government was looking for ways to save money, not spend it, so that's why we got the subs we did.

It was either used or nothing at all - and the DND choose this route.

The sad thing is that by the time these subs are all fully operational, they'll probably be obsolete...