Canada - Needy subs help economy

Canada's submarines might not be doing much for the country's defence, but they are boosting the economy, at least locally.

The federal government bought the four submarines from Britain in 1998 for $750 million, perhaps believing the used-sub salesman's pitch of "these won't last" referred to the imminent possibility of another sale, rather than the prospects of staying afloat.

Known as Upholder-class submarines to the Brits, the vessels were renamed Victoria-class subs and christened in honour of four Canadian cities: Chicoutimi, Windsor, Corner Brook and Victoria.

The idea was to spend another $750 million retrofitting the subs for Canadian use and upgrading them to operational standards. That cost has grown to more than $1 billion, and the vessels have yet to be brought to what the navy describes as "fully operational capability."

HMCS Corner Brook struck bottom in Nootka Sound in June 2011, damaging the boat's nose. The extent of the damage was revealed this week in leaked photos obtained as the submarine was moved from Esquimalt Harbour to drydock for repair by Victoria Shipyards. While there's a gaping hole in the fibreglass that covers sonar equipment, the vessel's pressure hull was apparently not affected by the accident.

It's just another of a series of problems and incidents affecting the fleet almost from the day of purchase. After upgrading at a Scottish shipyard, HMCS Chicoutimi sailed for Canada in October 2004.

One day into the voyage, it caught fire, resulting in nine casualties - including the death of one sailor - and had to be towed back to Scotland. It was eventually shipped to Halifax on a freighter. In 2009, it was moved to Victoria to be brought up to operational condition, a project employing some 200 workers.

HMCS Victoria, which has dents in its hull and is restricted from deep diving, has been at sea for only 115 days between 2000 and 2010. The repair bill for HMCS Windsor in 2010 alone was $45 million. It still sits in drydock in Halifax where the navy has spent thousands of dollars trying to keep pigeons from roosting in the submarine.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay says the submarines will be at full operational capacity in 2013, with three of the four continuously available to defend the nation's coasts.

MacKay says the vessels were bought for a quarter of their value, and that the upfront savings are being used for maintenance and repair.

Submarines are costly - they need to be drydocked periodically for extended maintenance periods. At the time of the Nootka Sound accident, HMCS Corner Brook was almost due for scheduled maintenance that will last until 2016.

Still, the next time Canada goes shopping for submarines, it might pay to do some test drives and ask for a warranty before the deal is signed.

On a brighter side, those Liberals who were in government when the subs were purchased don't need to hang their heads in shame. Rather than getting stung on some floating (or not) lemons, they can say they were simply embarking on a long-lasting job-creation program that has been of benefit to Greater Victoria's economy.