HMCS Chicoutimi (SSK 879)
Encyclopedia
HMCS Chicoutimi is a Victoria-class long-range hunter-killer (SSK) submarine
of the Royal Canadian Navy
, originally built and operated by the Royal Navy
as HMS Upholder.
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, the accident was later proven to be the result of an error in operational procedure.
as HMS
Upholder (S40), the lead ship of the Upholder (2400) class of submarines, named after the original Upholder
. She was laid down by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd
(VSEL) in February 1986, launched on 2 December 1986, and commissioned into the Royal Navy on 7 December 1990. Her commissioning was delayed because of a potential problem with the operation of the torpedo tubes.
Problems were discovered with the piping welds on all four submarines, which delayed the reactivation of Upholder and her three sisters. Upholder was the last to be restored. When work commenced on the submarine, internal steelwork was found to be corroded, hull valves were cracked, air turbine pumps were defective, and equipment used to refit sister boat HMCS Corner Brook (the former HMS Ursula) was missing.
Upholder was commissioned as HMCS
Chicoutimi (named for the city of Chicoutimi, Quebec
, now a borough of the city of Saguenay
).
in Nova Scotia
.
On 5 October, Chicoutimi was apparently surfaced and running through heavy seas 100 miles (160.9 km) north-west of County Mayo
, Ireland
. Both hatches in the bridge fin lock-out chamber were left open and an estimated 2,000 litres of seawater entered the vessel. The seawater caused an electrical panel to short out, which in turn started a major fire and caused all power to cut out, leaving the submarine adrift. Nine crewmembers were affected by smoke inhalation and the ship was left drifting without power in heavy seas.
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 Navy ship, the LÉ Róisín
, responded to the submarine's mayday signal and set out to assist it, but was seriously damaged by the rough seas and forced to return to harbour. The only other Irish Navy ships 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 coordination of the rescue and salvage efforts. Other British ships dispatched to assist the submarine 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 efforts 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."
Three of the crew were airlifted by a Royal Navy helicopter for medical treatment after their condition deteriorated. Its original destination was Derry
, Northern Ireland
, but the helicopter diverted to Sligo
, Ireland after one crewman, Lieutenant Chris Saunders, 32, became severely ill. The three crewmen were taken to Sligo General Hospital, where Saunders was pronounced dead. The other two were admitted to the hospital, where one was listed in "critical" condition and placed in the intensive care unit
, while another was reported as being in "stable" condition.
By the evening of 7 October, the weather had abated, and the Chicoutimi was taken in tow by the British Coast Guard
tugboat Anglian Prince to return to Faslane Naval Base in Scotland
. Towing was later taken over by the United States 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 10 October. Chicoutimi was escorted into the Royal Navy base by HMCS St. John's
, a Canadian frigate which rushed across the Atlantic after the navy learned of the fire.
Following 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. As well as promoting speculation regarding problems with the Victoria class, the incident also sparked debate in Ireland over the country's search and rescue capabilities.
After some repairs were made at Faslane, Chicoutimi was loaded onto a heavy lift ship
and transported to Halifax, where she was drydocked for further work. In April 2006, it was announced that repair priorities had shifted; Chicoutimi would remain in drydock until at least 2010, and would likely not be seaworthy again until 2012.
. In 1941 the Upholder (P37) was granted a badge which contained a caryatid
. The ship's captain, lieutenant commander
Wanklyn
, described the badge as "an armless Greek bint standing in a dustbin"; and designed his own unofficial badge for the ship. The Upholder (S40) originally sailed under the original Upholders official badge, yet was allowed to sail under the badge designed by Wanklyn.
The badge's blue and white "V" is in reference to the Victoria class submarines and the colours of Quebec
. The bear represents the bears which are indigenous to the Chicoutimi area. The bear protects a fleur-de-lis and stands upon waves; representing the lakes in rivers in the Chicoutimi as well as the maritime environment in which the submarine operates.
The colours of the Chicoutimi are blue and white. The motto
of the Chicoutimi is MAÎTRE DU DOMAINE, which translates into English as "master of the domain".
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
of the Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
, originally built and operated by the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
as HMS Upholder.
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, the accident was later proven to be the result of an error in operational procedure.
Construction
This submarine was built for the Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
as HMS
Her Majesty's Ship
Her or His Majesty's Ship is the ship prefix used for ships of the navy in some monarchies, either formally or informally.-HMS:* In the British Royal Navy, it refers to the king or queen of the United Kingdom as appropriate at the time...
Upholder (S40), the lead ship of the Upholder (2400) class of submarines, named after the original Upholder
HMS Upholder (P37)
HMS Upholder was a Royal Navy U-class submarine built by Vickers-Armstrong at Barrow-in-Furness. She was laid down on 30 October 1939, launched on 8 July 1940 by Mrs. Doris Thompson, wife of a director of the builders. The submarine was commissioned on 31 October 1940...
. She was laid down by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd
Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd
In 1994 VSEL was subject to two takeover proposals, one from GEC and another from British Aerospace . VSEL was willing to participate in a merger with a larger company to reduce its exposure to cycles in warship production, particularly following the "Options for Change" defence review after the...
(VSEL) in February 1986, launched on 2 December 1986, and commissioned into the Royal Navy on 7 December 1990. Her commissioning was delayed because of a potential problem with the operation of the torpedo tubes.
Royal Navy
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 on 29 April 1994, amidst some controversy, as a financial measure.Transfer to the Royal Canadian Navy
Looking to discontinue the operation of diesel-electric boats, the British government offered to sell Upholder and her sister submarines to Canada in 1993. The offer was accepted in 1998. The four boats were leased to the Canadians for US$427 million (plus US$98 million for upgrades and alteration to Canadian standards), with the lease to run for eight years; after this, the submarines would be sold for £1.Problems were discovered with the piping welds on all four submarines, which delayed the reactivation of Upholder and her three sisters. Upholder was the last to be restored. When work commenced on the submarine, internal steelwork was found to be corroded, hull valves were cracked, air turbine pumps were defective, and equipment used to refit sister boat HMCS Corner Brook (the former HMS Ursula) was missing.
Upholder was commissioned as HMCS
Her Majesty's Canadian Ship
The designation Her Majesty's Canadian Ship , is applied as a prefix to any Canadian Forces warship. In the reign of a king, the designation changes to His Majesty's Canadian Ship; the French version of the title remains unchanged in this instance...
Chicoutimi (named for the city of Chicoutimi, Quebec
Chicoutimi, Quebec
Chicoutimi is one of the three boroughs of Saguenay, Quebec, Canada, and was a separate city in its own right until 2002. Chicoutimi had a population of 59,764 in the Canada 2001 Census, the last census in which Chicoutimi was counted as a separate city....
, now a borough of the city of Saguenay
Saguenay, Quebec
Saguenay is a city in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada, on the Saguenay River, about north of Quebec City....
).
Fire
Chicoutimi was the last of the newly renamed Victoria-class vessels to be completed, and was handed over to the Canadians on 2 October 2004 at Faslane Naval Base. Two days later, Chicoutimi set sail for her new home port at CFB HalifaxCFB Halifax
Canadian Forces Base Halifax is Canada's east coast navy base and home port to the Atlantic fleet, known as Maritime Forces Atlantic....
in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
.
On 5 October, Chicoutimi was apparently surfaced and running through heavy seas 100 miles (160.9 km) north-west of County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. Both hatches in the bridge fin lock-out chamber were left open and an estimated 2,000 litres of seawater entered the vessel. The seawater caused an electrical panel to short out, which in turn started a major fire and caused all power to cut out, leaving the submarine adrift. Nine crewmembers were affected by smoke inhalation and the ship was left drifting without power in heavy seas.
The RNLI lifeboat
Lifeboat (rescue)
A rescue lifeboat is a boat rescue craft which is used to attend a vessel in distress, or its survivors, to rescue crewmen and passengers. It can be hand pulled, sail powered or powered by an engine...
stationed on Achill Island
Achill Island
Achill Island in County Mayo is the largest island off the coast of Ireland, and is situated off the west coast. It has a population of 2,700. Its area is . Achill is attached to the mainland by Michael Davitt Bridge, between the villages of Gob an Choire and Poll Raithní . A bridge was first...
, County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
(the "Sam and Ada Moody") was put on standby to assist, but was later stood down. An Irish Navy ship, the LÉ Róisín
LÉ Róisín (P51)
LÉ Róisín is the lead ship of her class of offshore patrol vessel in the Irish Naval Service.-History:Róisín was built by Appledore Shipbuilders in Devon, entered service with the Irish Naval Service in September 1999 and is based at the Haulbowline Island, Cork Harbour Headquarters and...
, responded to the submarine's mayday signal and set out to assist it, but was seriously damaged by the rough seas and forced to return to harbour. The only other Irish Navy ships available to help, the LÉ Aoife
LÉ Aoife (P22)
LÉ Aoife is a ship in the Irish Naval Service. The ship is named after Aoife, stepmother to the children of Lir, whom she turned into swans...
and LÉ Niamh
LÉ Niamh (P52)
LÉ Niamh is a in the Irish Naval Service. It is the youngest ship in service in the Irish fleet, and is named after Niamh, queen of Tír na nÓg, from Irish mythology.-History:...
were patrolling off Ireland's southern coast. At 2 p.m. local time, the Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose
HMS Montrose (F236)
The second and current HMS Montrose is the eighth of a sixteen ship class of frigates, known as Type 23 or the 'Duke' class, of the Royal Navy. She was laid down in November 1989 by Yarrow Shipbuilders on the Clyde...
and the auxiliary vessel RFA Wave Knight
RFA Wave Knight (A389)
RFA Wave Knight is a Wave-class fast fleet tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary of the United Kingdom tasked with providing fuel, food, ammunition and other supplies to Royal Navy vessels around the world....
reached the crippled Chicoutimi, with an additional three British ships en route. The LÉ Aoife later reached the area and took over coordination of the rescue and salvage efforts. Other British ships dispatched to assist the submarine were HMS Marlborough
HMS Marlborough (F233)
HMS Marlborough was a 'Duke'-class Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy, and the sixth ship to bear the name. She was named after John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough.-History:...
and RFA Argus
RFA Argus (A135)
RFA Argus is a ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, part of the Royal Navy. Italian-built, Argus was formerly the container ship MV Contender Bezant. The ship was requisitioned in 1982 for service in the Falklands War and purchased outright in 1984 for use as an Aviation Training Ship, replacing RFA...
, as well as a number of specialist vessels to handle the situation. The rough conditions in the North Atlantic were impeding efforts 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."
Three of the crew were airlifted by a Royal Navy helicopter for medical treatment after their condition deteriorated. Its original destination was Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, but the helicopter diverted to Sligo
Sligo
Sligo is the county town of County Sligo in Ireland. The town is a borough and has a charter and a town mayor. It is sometimes referred to as a city, and sometimes as a town, and is the second largest urban area in Connacht...
, Ireland after one crewman, Lieutenant Chris Saunders, 32, became severely ill. The three crewmen were taken to Sligo General Hospital, where Saunders was pronounced dead. The other two were admitted to the hospital, where one was listed in "critical" condition and placed in the intensive care unit
Intensive Care Unit
thumb|220px|ICU roomAn intensive-care unit , critical-care unit , intensive-therapy unit/intensive-treatment unit is a specialized department in a hospital that provides intensive-care medicine...
, while another was reported as being in "stable" condition.
By the evening of 7 October, the weather had abated, and the Chicoutimi was taken in tow by the British Coast Guard
Her Majesty's Coastguard
Her Majesty's Coastguard is the service of the government of the United Kingdom concerned with co-ordinating air-sea rescue.HM Coastguard is a section of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency responsible for the initiation and co-ordination of all civilian maritime Search and Rescue within the UK...
tugboat Anglian Prince to return to Faslane Naval Base in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Towing was later taken over by the United States Submarine Support Vessel MV Carolyn Chouest
MV Carolyn Chouest
MV Carolyn Chouest is a chartered submarine support ship for the U.S. Navy assigned to the Special Missions Program to support the NR-1 Deep Submergence Craft...
, 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 10 October. Chicoutimi was escorted into the Royal Navy base by HMCS St. John's
HMCS St. John's (FFH 340)
HMCS St. John's is a that has served in the Royal Canadian Navy since 1996.St. John's is the eleventh ship in her class which is based on the Canadian Patrol Frigate Project. She is the first vessel to carry the designation ....
, a Canadian frigate which rushed across the Atlantic after the navy learned of the fire.
Following 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
Secretary of State for Defence
The Secretary of State for Defence, popularly known as the Defence Secretary, is the senior Government of the United Kingdom minister in charge of the Ministry of Defence, chairing the Defence Council. It is a Cabinet position...
Geoff Hoon
Geoff Hoon
Geoffrey "Geoff" William Hoon is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament for Ashfield from 1992 to 2010...
. 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
Caveat emptor
Caveat emptor is Latin for "Let the buyer beware". Generally, caveat emptor is the property law doctrine that controls the sale of real property after the date of closing.- Explanation :...
. In Canada, many World War II veterans were outraged by his comments. As well as promoting speculation regarding problems with the Victoria class, the incident also sparked debate in Ireland over the country's search and rescue capabilities.
After some repairs were made at Faslane, Chicoutimi was loaded onto a heavy lift ship
Heavy lift ship
A heavy lift ship is a vessel designed to move very large loads that cannot be handled by normally equipped ships. They are of two types: semi-submerging capable of lifting another ship out of the water and transporting it; and vessels that augment unloading facilities at inadequately equipped...
and transported to Halifax, where she was drydocked for further work. In April 2006, it was announced that repair priorities had shifted; Chicoutimi would remain in drydock until at least 2010, and would likely not be seaworthy again until 2012.
Heraldry
HMS Upholder (S40)
The precursor of the Upholder (S40) was the Upholder (P37)HMS Upholder (P37)
HMS Upholder was a Royal Navy U-class submarine built by Vickers-Armstrong at Barrow-in-Furness. She was laid down on 30 October 1939, launched on 8 July 1940 by Mrs. Doris Thompson, wife of a director of the builders. The submarine was commissioned on 31 October 1940...
. In 1941 the Upholder (P37) was granted a badge which contained a caryatid
Caryatid
A caryatid is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head. The Greek term karyatides literally means "maidens of Karyai", an ancient town of Peloponnese...
. The ship's captain, lieutenant commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
Wanklyn
Malcolm David Wanklyn
Lieutenant Commander Malcolm David Wanklyn VC, DSO & Two Bars was the Allies' most successful submariner in the Second World War in terms of tonnage sunk, and received the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British...
, described the badge as "an armless Greek bint standing in a dustbin"; and designed his own unofficial badge for the ship. The Upholder (S40) originally sailed under the original Upholders official badge, yet was allowed to sail under the badge designed by Wanklyn.
HMCS Chicoutimi (SSK 879)
The badge of the Chicoutimi is blazoned:AzureAzureIn heraldry, azure is the tincture with the colour blue, and belongs to the class of tinctures called "colours". In engraving, it is sometimes depicted as a region of horizontal lines or else marked with either az. or b. as an abbreviation....
in front of a pile argentArgentIn heraldry, argent is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures, called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it...
bordered throughout by a letter "VVV is the twenty-second letter in the basic modern Latin alphabet.-Letter:The letter V comes from the Semitic letter Waw, as do the modern letters F, U, W, and Y. See F for details....
" also argent fimbriated azure surmounting three bars wavy in base argent a bearBears in heraldryThe bear is a common charge in heraldry, perhaps inherited from its totemic use among Germanic peoples and by some interpreted as symbolizing strength, cunning and ferocity in the protection of one's kindred. Numerous cities around the world have adopted the bear in their arms, notably the Swiss...
rampant sableSable (heraldry)In heraldry, sable is the tincture black, and belongs to the class of dark tinctures, called "colours". In engravings and line drawings, it is sometimes depicted as a region of crossed horizontal and vertical lines or else marked with sa. as an abbreviation.The name derives from the black fur of...
holding in the forepaws a fleur-de-lisFleur-de-lisThe fleur-de-lis or fleur-de-lys is a stylized lily or iris that is used as a decorative design or symbol. It may be "at one and the same time, political, dynastic, artistic, emblematic, and symbolic", especially in heraldry...
azure.
The badge's blue and white "V" is in reference to the Victoria class submarines and the colours of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. The bear represents the bears which are indigenous to the Chicoutimi area. The bear protects a fleur-de-lis and stands upon waves; representing the lakes in rivers in the Chicoutimi as well as the maritime environment in which the submarine operates.
The colours of the Chicoutimi are blue and white. The motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
of the Chicoutimi is MAÎTRE DU DOMAINE, which translates into English as "master of the domain".
See also
- Major submarine incidents since 2000Major submarine incidents since 2000Since the year 2000, there have been twenty major naval incidents involving twenty-two submarines: nine American submarines, five Russian, four British, one Chinese, one Canadian, one Australian, and one French.-Kursk explosion:...