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The Saga Of This Long-Busted Submarine Is An Example Of How Sad Canada's Tiny Sub Fleet Is

Canada's four Victoria class submarines have been plagued with problems and haven't gone on an operational cruise in two years.
BY JOSEPH TREVITHICK DECEMBER 22, 2020
THE WAR ZONE

The Royal Canadian Navy's Victoria class diesel-electric submarine HMCS Corner Brook will be out of commission until at least next summer after a recent leak caused damage to the boat, which has already been undergoing maintenance for some six years. The plight of the Corner Brook in many ways reflects the at best disappointing service career of all four of the Victorias, which Canada first agreed to acquire second-hand from the United Kingdom more than two decades ago and that have spent far more time laid up than at sea.

The Canadian Department of Defense confirmed the leak aboard Corner Brook, which is presently at Victoria Shipyards in British Columbia, on Dec. 21, 2020. The incident occurred during a test back in March by personnel from Babcock Canada, which has been under contract to support the Victoria class submarines since 2008.
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Navy submarine suffered long-term damage to ballast tank from errant test: Report
6 mins ago
OTTAWA — An internal Defence Department report has pulled back the curtain on the damage caused by an errant test on one of Canada’s four submarines last year, suggesting some of the damage is permanent and could continue to pose a risk over the long term.
Obtained by The Canadian Press through Access to Information, the report represents another setback for Canada's four submarines, which have spent more time in repairs than at sea since being bought second-hand from Britain in 1998.
HMCS Corner Brook has been hit particularly hard, with the vessel docked for extensive repairs and maintenance for the past six years after striking the bottom of the ocean off B.C. in 2011. A fire also broke out while it was docked in Victoria in August 2019.
The report confirms that one of Corner Brook’s main ballast tanks ruptured last March during a test by Babcock Canada, which has been contracted to maintain and repair the sub fleet since 2008. The government recently extended Babcock’s contract to 2023.
“The test consisted of the tank being largely filled by water with air added to apply the required test pressure,” reads the Aug. 6, 2020 report prepared for the deputy minister of the Department of National Defence.
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