[Newsbot]

Title: Sub HMCS Victoria fires 1st torpedoes in test
Category: Military
Posted By: Hyack
Date: 2012-03-16 16:20:59
Canadian

[Hyack]

$1:

"As the submarine fleet achieves steady state it will be ready to act decisively at sea in defence of Canada, when and where needed, Capt. Luc Cassivi, director of the Canadian Submarine Force, said in a news release.

It's now on the West coast, how long would it take to get it to the East coast if needed there?

[jeff744]

That sub looks like it has more patches than original hull.

[BartSimpson]

You know, the thought occurs to me that if Canada wants something that's really good at diving then instead of these subs they need to buy an Italian soccer team.

[1Peg]

We will make due with what we have to work with. We always have.

[PublicAnimalNo9]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

You know, the thought occurs to me that if Canada wants something that's really good at diving then instead of these subs they need to buy an Italian soccer team.

I was gonna say the Philadelphia Flyers but that'll work too.

[Hyack]

What I would really like to know is why they didn't keep the British torpedoes and are now spending millions more to convert the systems to accommodate the US Mk-48 torpedoes.

$1:

Canada's navy plans to spend about $120 million to upgrade 36 torpedoes, but they still won't work in its four submarines without further refits, CBC News has learned.

The navy has MK-48 American torpedoes in stock, but the four British-built submarines aren't capable of firing them.

Even after the weapons are converted, Canada would still have to spend millions more to refit the submarines to fire them.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2011/04/08/ns-submarines-torpedoes.html

[Freakinoldguy]

So that's the long black thing that doesn't work right I happened to see out my front window the other day.

It must have been up here trying to sink that OHP Frigate that was sitting out there this morning.

Nice to see the range being used again.

[ShepherdsDog]

$1:

As the submarine fleet achieves steady state

One boat does not a fleet make.

[Scape]

Hyack Hyack:

What I would really like to know is why they didn't keep the British torpedoes and are now spending millions more to convert the systems to accommodate the US Mk-48 torpedoes.

$1:

Canada's navy plans to spend about $120 million to upgrade 36 torpedoes, but they still won't work in its four submarines without further refits, CBC News has learned.

The navy has MK-48 American torpedoes in stock, but the four British-built submarines aren't capable of firing them.

Even after the weapons are converted, Canada would still have to spend millions more to refit the submarines to fire them.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2011/04/08/ns-submarines-torpedoes.html

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/972 ... s-for-subs

$1:

“The Canadian Forces has always intended for the Victoria Class submarines to carry and fire the Mark 48 torpedo,” wrote Denise LaViolette, the director of navy public affairs, in an email. “Initial weapons certification will be progressed early in 2012 in HMCS Victoria for Pacific operations followed that year by HMCS Windsor for Atlantic operations.”

In late March, Canadians discovered their government has been cross-border window shopping for 36 “Torpedo Conversion Kits” when the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency issued a release. These kits come with spare parts and logistical support to upgrade the current stock of MK-48 torpedoes from Mod 4 to Mod 7. The estimated cost is $125 million, but the sale hasn’t been completed yet.

The Mod 7 torpedo, developed by the U.S. Navy and the Royal Australian Navy in 2006, is optimal in deep water and has advanced “counter-countermeasure capabilities,” according to the U.S. Navy. The Canadian navy already has some in stock but is hoping to upgrade all those dusty Mod 4 torpedoes they’ve unable to fire because of an engineering issue.

“We are re-using major portions of our existing weapons to create an inventory of newer, more capable and more cheaply maintained weapons,” wrote LaViolette.

The HMCS Corner Brook is the only submarine that is currently operational, and is lurking somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. On its maiden voyage, the HMCS Chicoutimi caught fire when power cables immersed in seawater sparked a deadly fire. One sailor died. The other submarines are undergoing refits.

At the time of the 1998 purchase, the submarines were the best non-nuclear technology available, said Roger Sarty, a naval historian at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Conversion Kits for 36 'new' Canadian Submarine Torpedoes
Simply put the Mark 48 did what we wanted them to do and the conversion kits were supposed to fill in the gaps. However, cutting the hull to make them fit didn't go to plan and a lot had to be done from scratch.

The good thing is that this forced the government to come to terms with the shortfalls of having a sub program on the cheap for so long and we now have the means and the manpower to take care and fabricate our own kit.

[gonavy47]

jeff744 jeff744:

That sub looks like it has more patches than original hull.

For your information, they did a good job on the patches. I mean, it's still inflated isn't it?

[ShepherdsDog]

The chief engineer was Red Green.

[PublicAnimalNo9]

If the shit hits the fan in the Falklands, I think we should magnanimously offer the Brits the use of our subs.... and they can crew 'em too.

[jeff744]

ShepherdsDog ShepherdsDog:

The chief engineer was Red Green.

If he designed them then they would be built out of duct tape and we wouldn't have nearly as many problems.

[Gunnair]

PublicAnimalNo9 PublicAnimalNo9:

If the shit hits the fan in the Falklands, I think we should magnanimously offer the Brits the use of our subs.... and they can crew 'em too.