Herman Hum
18 Nov 06, 15:05
Excerpt from:
Stealth fighters
Two years after a fire at sea crippled HMCS Chicoutimi, killing a sailor and triggering a parliamentary probe, the navy is embracing a new plan to prove the worth of its second-hand submarine fleet
David Pugliese, The Ottawa Citizen (http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/story.html?id=bb8d0e7a-6fff-412a-89ad-a264bdab4d7d)
Published: Saturday, November 18, 2006
ABOARD HMCS WINDSOR - It's early morning and a team of Canadian army commandos are swimming in the Atlantic Ocean, making their way towards a submarine periscope just barely visible in the water.
Inside the sub, its captain, Lt.-Cmdr. Christopher Ellis is trying to manoeuvre the 70-metre long vessel as close as he can to the men. About a metre of HMCS Windsor's conning tower starts to emerge from the grey but calm waters off the coast of Nova Scotia and as the sub glides by them, the commandos hook on to cables installed on the outside of boat.
They are gently pulled along behind the Victoria-class submarine and Lt.-Cmdr. Ellis can see through the periscope that the men are now attached to the vessel. "Surface now, surface now," he orders.
With a blast of air escaping from vents in its hull, Windsor rises from the ocean. The soldiers, members of an elite army group known as Pathfinders, who seconds ago were floating in the ocean, are now standing on top of the boat's casing, the naval term for the sub's deck.
The joint army-navy exercise is part of the ongoing work in support of Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier's plan to create a new amphibious assault force capable of going into action anywhere around the world. If the general has his way, the techniques being developed by the Pathfinders and the Windsor's crew could be how Canadian special forces, army reconnaissance teams and spies covertly slip into, or out of, war zones in the future.
It's been more than a decade since the Canadian military has practised with submarines for such missions and this year marks the first time it has done so with its Victoria-class boats. With Canadian Forces and a chief of the defence staff increasingly focused on joint operations -- having the army, navy and air force working closely together -- navy brass see any way the service can support that as a plus.
The navy has high hopes its submarines can play a key role in Gen. Hillier's plan to transform the Canadian Forces for the future. "From the submarine perspective we clearly see that is a critical role for us," says Cmdr. Randy Truscott, the officer responsible for submarine operations on the East Coast. "We're working hard at developing the joint capability with Pathfinders and there's an air force piece in there, too. We're looking at doing more exercises in the joint context next year."
There is also an unspoken reason for the interest in supporting Gen. Hillier's transformation plans. The navy is keen to embrace such operations as yet another way to prove the worth of its submarine fleet, purchased second-hand from Britain.
It's been a little more than two years since a major fire crippled HMCS Chicoutimi, killing Navy Lieut. Chris Saunders and injuring eight. The incident set off a parliamentary investigation into the purchase of the boats and the ongoing problems with the underwater force.
Over the last six years, news headlines have chronicled a host of technical issues plaguing the Victoria-class subs. The navy has had to replace high-pressure welds in three of the vessels and major cracks were found in some of the valves of the subs. There were issues with rust and unsafe electrical wiring and general concerns about the quality of air in the vessels while operating underwater. The ongoing repairs have caused the sub fleet's $750 million price tag to creep upwards to just under $1 billion, as well putting the program years behind schedule.
Stealth fighters
Two years after a fire at sea crippled HMCS Chicoutimi, killing a sailor and triggering a parliamentary probe, the navy is embracing a new plan to prove the worth of its second-hand submarine fleet
David Pugliese, The Ottawa Citizen (http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/story.html?id=bb8d0e7a-6fff-412a-89ad-a264bdab4d7d)
Published: Saturday, November 18, 2006
ABOARD HMCS WINDSOR - It's early morning and a team of Canadian army commandos are swimming in the Atlantic Ocean, making their way towards a submarine periscope just barely visible in the water.
Inside the sub, its captain, Lt.-Cmdr. Christopher Ellis is trying to manoeuvre the 70-metre long vessel as close as he can to the men. About a metre of HMCS Windsor's conning tower starts to emerge from the grey but calm waters off the coast of Nova Scotia and as the sub glides by them, the commandos hook on to cables installed on the outside of boat.
They are gently pulled along behind the Victoria-class submarine and Lt.-Cmdr. Ellis can see through the periscope that the men are now attached to the vessel. "Surface now, surface now," he orders.
With a blast of air escaping from vents in its hull, Windsor rises from the ocean. The soldiers, members of an elite army group known as Pathfinders, who seconds ago were floating in the ocean, are now standing on top of the boat's casing, the naval term for the sub's deck.
The joint army-navy exercise is part of the ongoing work in support of Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier's plan to create a new amphibious assault force capable of going into action anywhere around the world. If the general has his way, the techniques being developed by the Pathfinders and the Windsor's crew could be how Canadian special forces, army reconnaissance teams and spies covertly slip into, or out of, war zones in the future.
It's been more than a decade since the Canadian military has practised with submarines for such missions and this year marks the first time it has done so with its Victoria-class boats. With Canadian Forces and a chief of the defence staff increasingly focused on joint operations -- having the army, navy and air force working closely together -- navy brass see any way the service can support that as a plus.
The navy has high hopes its submarines can play a key role in Gen. Hillier's plan to transform the Canadian Forces for the future. "From the submarine perspective we clearly see that is a critical role for us," says Cmdr. Randy Truscott, the officer responsible for submarine operations on the East Coast. "We're working hard at developing the joint capability with Pathfinders and there's an air force piece in there, too. We're looking at doing more exercises in the joint context next year."
There is also an unspoken reason for the interest in supporting Gen. Hillier's transformation plans. The navy is keen to embrace such operations as yet another way to prove the worth of its submarine fleet, purchased second-hand from Britain.
It's been a little more than two years since a major fire crippled HMCS Chicoutimi, killing Navy Lieut. Chris Saunders and injuring eight. The incident set off a parliamentary investigation into the purchase of the boats and the ongoing problems with the underwater force.
Over the last six years, news headlines have chronicled a host of technical issues plaguing the Victoria-class subs. The navy has had to replace high-pressure welds in three of the vessels and major cracks were found in some of the valves of the subs. There were issues with rust and unsafe electrical wiring and general concerns about the quality of air in the vessels while operating underwater. The ongoing repairs have caused the sub fleet's $750 million price tag to creep upwards to just under $1 billion, as well putting the program years behind schedule.