Career
Type:	Long-range diesel-electric hunter-killer (SSK) submarine
Builder:	VSEL, Barrow-in-Furness
Laid down:	November 1983
Launched:	2 December 1986
Commissioned:	2 June 1990 (RN) October 2004 (CN)
Decommissioned:	April 1994 (RN)
Fate:	in active service
General Characteristics
Displacement:	2,260 tons surfaced 2,500 tons submerged
Length:	230 ft 7 in (70.3 m) overall
Beam:	23 ft 7 in (7.2 m)
Draught:	24 ft 11 in (7.6 m)
Speed:	12 knots (22 km/h) maximum surfaced 20 knots (37 km/h) maximum submerged
Complement:	48 officers and crew, plus 7 trainees
Armament:	6 x 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes, 18 Mark 48 torpedoes

HMCS Chicoutimi is a Victoria-class long-range hunter-killer (SSK) submarine of the Canadian Navy. 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, (HMCS Chicoutimi Board of Enquiry website). Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (770x622, 120 KB) Summary HMCS Chicoutimi (SSK 879) Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Upholder/Victoria class submarine HMCS Chicoutimi (SSK 879) Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used... Royal Canadian Navy jack, adapted from Flags of the World. ... Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd (VSEL), based at Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. ... Barrow-in-Furness is a town in Cumbria, England. ... Look up November in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 2 is the 336th day (337th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2 June is the 153rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (154th in leap years), with 212 days remaining. ... This article is about the year. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ... Look up October in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Flag ship HMCS Algonquin, HMCS , and HMCS Protecteur. ... Look up April in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ... Testing of the Mark 48: The Australian Collins class submarine, HMAS Farncomb, fired a Mark-48 torpedo at the 28-year-old destroyer escort Torrens. ... The Victoria class consists of four diesel-powered Canadian Navy submarines acquired from the Royal Navy (formerly known as the Upholder class) and replacing the old Oberon-class subs. ... HMS Vanguard, a Vanguard-class nuclear ballistic missile (SSBN) submarine HMCS Windsor, a Victoria-class diesel-electric hunter-killer (SSK) submarine HMAS Rankin, a Collins-class diesel-electric guided missile (SSG) submarine USS Virginia, a Virginia-class nuclear attack (SSN) submarine A submarine is a specialized watercraft that can operate... Flag ship HMCS Algonquin, HMCS , and HMCS Protecteur. ...

History

Decommissioning

This submarine was built for the Royal Navy as HMS Upholder (S40), the lead ship of the Upholder (2400) class of submarines, and served in that capacity from 1990 to 1994. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ... His or Her Majestys Ship (HMS) is the title of any commissioned ship in the British Royal Navy, and refers to the King or Queen of the United Kingdom as appropriate at the time. ... The second HMS Upholder, pennant S-40, was the lead ship of the Upholder (2400) class of submarines, named after the original Upholder. ... The Upholder-class submarines (now known as the Victoria class in Canada, and also known as the Type 2400 due to their displacement of 2,400t) were diesel-electric hunter-killer (SSK) submarines designed in Britain the late 1970s to supplement the Royal Navys nuclear submarine force. ... This article is about the year. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ...

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. 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... Her Majestys Canadian Ship (HMCS) is the English designation of any Canadian warship. ... Chicoutimi (from Shkoutimeou , meaning the end of the deep water in the Montagnais dialect) is situated at the confluence of Chicoutimi river and Saguenay River. ... Saguenay (officially Ville de Saguenay) is a city (2001 pop. ...

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 CDN$750 million on a 'lease-to-own' plan for the four submarines that would extend until 2006, and which included a six-year maintenance contract. After the lease period ended, Canada would have the option to purchase the four submarines for only one British pound. The Canadian dollar, CAD or C$, is the unit of currency of Canada. ... For details of notes and coins, see British coinage and British banknotes. ...

Repair costs

The Upholder had been mothballed in April of 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 useable 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 of 2004.[1]

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 CDN$2 billion, 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: Her Majestys Loyal Opposition (French: LOpposition Loyale de Sa Majesté) in Canada is usually the largest parliamentary opposition party in the Canadian House of Commons that is not in government either on its own or as part of a governing coalition. ... William D. Casey (born February 19, 1945 in Amherst, Nova Scotia) is a Canadian politician. ...

"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."

Rusted cars The rusting can completely eat away iron Rusted bolt A blacksmith removing rust with sand prior to welding Rust is the substance formed when iron compounds corrode in the presence of oxygen and water. ... For the computer software/games company, see Valve Software A valve is a device that regulates the flow of fluids (either gases, fluidised solids, slurries or liquids) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. ...

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 Halifax, Nova Scotia and on October 5, following an incident in heavy seas, where in excess of 20 tonnes of seawater entered the vessel through the bridge fin lockout chamber, (both hatches were open in contravention of SOPs), an electrical fire, due to water shorting, later broke out on board while she was some 100 miles north-west of County Mayo, Ireland. Nine crewmembers were affected by smoke inhalation and the ship was left drifting without power in heavy seas.[2] 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.[3] October 2 is the 275th day (276th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 90 days remaining. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Faslane Naval Base, officially HMS Neptune, is a Royal Navy base situated on Gare Loch, which connects to the River Clyde in Scotland. ... Please read first: This article is about the Nova Scotia community. ... Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit (Latin: One defends and the other conquers) Official languages English Capital Halifax Largest city Halifax Lieutenant-Governor Myra Freeman Premier John Hamm (PC) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 11 10 Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 12th 55,283 km² 3. ... October 5 is the 278th day of the year (279th in Leap years). ... County Mayo (Irish: Contae Mhaigh Eo, the plain of the yews) is a county on the west coast of Ireland. ... Sligo (Sligeach in Irish) is the county town of County Sligo in the Republic of Ireland. ... Paul Edgar Philippe Martin, PC, MP, BA, LLB, sometimes incorrectly referred to as Paul Martin, Jr. ...

Fire damage aboard HMCS Chicoutimi

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 Royal and Irish 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." [4] Fire damage aboard HMCS Chicoutimi Image by MCpl Paul MacGregor, Canadian Navy Original caption: IS2004-1122a. ... Fire damage aboard HMCS Chicoutimi Image by MCpl Paul MacGregor, Canadian Navy Original caption: IS2004-1122a. ... RNLI Lifeboat at Calshot Spit The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a charity dedicated to saving lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. ... For the 1944 movie, see Lifeboat (film). ... Keem bay on Achill island is said to be one of the most beautiful beaches in Ireland. ... County Mayo (Irish: Contae Mhaigh Eo, the plain of the yews) is a county on the west coast of Ireland. ... Irish Naval Jack The Irish Naval Service is the navy of the Republic of Ireland and is one of the three standing branches of the Irish Defence Forces (Óglaigh na hÉireann). ... LÉ Róisín (P51) is a ship in the Irish Naval Service. ... LÉ Aoife (P22) is a ship in the Irish Naval Service. ... LÉ Niamh (P52) is a ship in the Irish Naval Service. ... The second and current HMS Montrose (F236) is the eighth of a sixteen ship class of frigates, known as Type 23 or the Duke class, of the Royal Navy. ... Categories: Stub | Royal Navy ships ... HMS Marlborough (F233) is a Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy. ... RFA Argus (A135) is an aviation training ship with a secondary role of primary casualty receiving ship in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. ...

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. October 7 is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years). ... Her Majestys Coastguard is the agency of the government of the United Kingdom concerned with co-ordinating rescue at sea. ... This article is about the boat. ... Faslane Naval Base, officially HMS Neptune, is a Royal Navy base situated on Gare Loch, which connects to the River Clyde in Scotland. ... Royal motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (English: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within the UK Languages English, Gaelic, Scots Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ... Motto: Official (Latin): E pluribus unum (1789 to 1956) (Translated: Out of Many, One) In God We Trust (1956 to present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at federal level; English de facto Government  â€¢ President  â€¢ Vice President Federal... A knot is a unit of bullshit, abbreviated kt or kn. ... October 10 is the 283rd day of the year (284th in Leap years). ...

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 incorrect 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. HMCS Chicoutimi Board of Enquiry website The Secretary of State for Defence is the senior United Kingdom government minister in charge of the Ministry of Defence. ... Geoff Hoon (right) at Pentagon briefing The Right Honourable Geoffrey William Geoff Hoon (born December 6, 1953) is a British politician and is the Labour Member of Parliament for Ashfield, and is the Lord Privy Seal and the Leader of the House of Commons. ... Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 7 million military deaths {{{notes}}} World War II, also known as the Second World War (sometimes WW2 or WWII or World War Two), was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the...

See also

• Major submarine incidents since 2000

USS San Francisco in Dry Dock after running aground 350 miles south of Guam Since the year 2000, there have been eight major naval incidents involving submarines: three Russian submarine incidents, three incidents involving submarines from the United States , a Chinese incident, and a Canadian incident. ...

External links

• HMCS Chicoutimi Board of Enquiry website
• Canadian Navy fleet
• "U.S. Submarine Support Ship Assists Canadian Submarine", Navy Newstand, October 13, 2004.

October 13 is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...