HMCS Victoria (SSK-876)

History of HMCS Victoria (SSK-876)

The

Upholder class was the last class of diesel ships built for the Royal Navy for a number of reasons. First, they are cheaper to manufacture than nuclear fuel, and second, they can be built in less time.

The Royal Navy needs ships to protect the gap between Greenland, Iceland and the UK, where Russian submarines will explore and try to enter the larger Atlantic. The Upholder class entered service in 1990 and operated until the end of the Cold War in 1993. The British government then concluded that it could not finance and maintain conventionally powered submarines alongside nuclear submarines. As a result, four Upholder-class submarines were placed in reserve status.

During her brief service, the class operated primarily in the Atlantic, Mediterranean and British waters.

This recall was not an easy decision due to the large amount of money spent on the new course. The Upholder class is the most complex and advanced diesel-electric submarine ever built. Her hull design looks like a short, sturdy "teardrop" designed nuclear submarine.

The ship can accommodate 41 sailors and 7 officers. The design provides living space for an additional 5 crew members. This is a new concept that allows OPS mission specialists, trainers or non-military mission personnel to board. The lower crew size is due to the increased automation built into these new ships. These boats have three decks, and the pressure hull is a single-layer hull made of No.

1 high-strength steel covered with elastic panels. Her sonar and radar are top-notch, rivaling even Her Majesty's nuclear submarines. For some reason, they are not equipped with the British-developed pump-jet propulsion system that has been installed in all SSNs since the early 1980s. The decision to provide a conventional seven-bladed hatchback propeller was likely forced by project cost overruns as additional funding was required to correct the torpedo launch system.

All ships had to replace their original launch tubes in dry dock.

Four Victoria-class submarines (former Royal Navy supporters) were forced to sell to the Canadian Maritime Forces (CMF), with the first submarine of the class - Victoria HMCS - delivered in May 2000. The HMCS Windsor and HMCS Corner Brook arrived in 2003, and the HMCS Chicoutimi was the last to be delivered sometime in 2004. The planned delay is due to a major overhaul in preparation for the purchase.

While transiting from the UK, the Chikoutimi's electrical system caught fire and she had to be towed the rest of the way. The fire claimed the life of a crew member. Chicoutimi finally arrived in Halifax in 2005 and conducted a lengthy investigation into the cause of the fire. For security reasons, the Canadian Navy has decided to keep all other ships in place until the overhaul is complete. Stubborn questions temporarily plagued the class.

Repairs to Chicoutimi have been delayed until 2010 and are expected to last another two years. Meanwhile, the Victoria was briefly returned to service, but the Windsor and Corner Brook remained in dry dock for extended periods of time.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

ARMAMENT

AIR WING