BlackRain
05-04-2005, 07:34 PM
Sub repairs draining navy funds: report
Stephen Thorne
Canadian Press
May 4, 2005
OTTAWA - Costly repairs to fire-ravaged HMCS Chicoutimi and Canada's other three submarines are draining money away from vital maintenance for the rest of the navy's vessels, says a report obtained by The Canadian Press.
"I cannot overstate that the Chicoutimi incident, coupled with other necessary recovery-repair strategies, has impacted the navy to its very core,'' Vice-Admiral Bruce MacLean says in an internal report on the state of the navy.
The estimated $150-million bill to salvage the newly acquired submarine fleet will mean delayed work on the navy's aging fleet of frigates, destroyers and support vessels, says the report, released under the Access to Information Act.
On Thursday in Halifax, MacLean will release the results of a board of inquiry investigation into an Oct. 5 fire aboard Chicoutimi. Lieut. Chris Saunders, a combat systems engineer, later died from smoke inhalation.
The admiral is expected to blame the fire on a design quirk. MacLean will also announce that the underwater fleet could begin sea trials by next week, navy spokesman Capt. Chris Henderson said Wednesday.
The four boats, acquired from the British navy for $850 million, have been docked since the incident.
Chicoutimi is in Halifax Shipyard, still undergoing a damage assessment. The insides have been stripped and cleaned, and officials are reviewing the structural damage, said Henderson.
Repairs will take at least a year, depending on what replacement parts are required, he said.
In his internal report, prepared in December, MacLean cites $419 million in total funding shortfalls across the navy. He says the unplanned expense for Chicoutimi will compound an already strained maintenance program.
"The current efforts to undertake HMCS Chicoutimi contingency repairs and address the remainder of the delayed Victoria (submarine) program intensify the challenge of prioritizing dwindling resources against a growing demand,'' he writes.
"The available capacity both in terms of ... funding and manpower volume could not address fully the planned regular maintenance requirements, let alone deal with an unforeseen increase in demand such as this one.''
MacLean notes overall maintenance funding meets less than 62 per cent of requirements. He says the submarine work will have to come at the expense of surface vessels, whose rusting innards are pictured in his report.
The situation clearly illustrates "the degenerative effects of several years of cutbacks,'' he adds.
While February's federal budget promises $500 million this year and $600 million next year, mainly for defence repair and maintenance, MacLean warns the problems "cannot be corrected by a simple injection of funds.''
The navy requires a long-term capital investment to boost manpower, repair and maintenance, he says. Past funding reallocations by the Defence Department, designed to address concerns raised in assessments like MacLean's, have only met six to nine per cent of demand.
A recent Commons committee report, separate from the navy board, found the political concerns of former prime minister Jean Chretien delayed the sub acquisition for several years after cabinet approved it in the mid-1990s.
The panel concluded the additional time the subs spent neglected in British docks contributed to their decay. The boats have been plagued by leaks, equipment glitches and electrical problems since the first delivery in 2000.
Henderson said crews will begin dockside training by Friday. They will go to sea once their
Rest of article: http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=7c5bd834-ae20-4393-ba73-1f322ee43835
Stephen Thorne
Canadian Press
May 4, 2005
OTTAWA - Costly repairs to fire-ravaged HMCS Chicoutimi and Canada's other three submarines are draining money away from vital maintenance for the rest of the navy's vessels, says a report obtained by The Canadian Press.
"I cannot overstate that the Chicoutimi incident, coupled with other necessary recovery-repair strategies, has impacted the navy to its very core,'' Vice-Admiral Bruce MacLean says in an internal report on the state of the navy.
The estimated $150-million bill to salvage the newly acquired submarine fleet will mean delayed work on the navy's aging fleet of frigates, destroyers and support vessels, says the report, released under the Access to Information Act.
On Thursday in Halifax, MacLean will release the results of a board of inquiry investigation into an Oct. 5 fire aboard Chicoutimi. Lieut. Chris Saunders, a combat systems engineer, later died from smoke inhalation.
The admiral is expected to blame the fire on a design quirk. MacLean will also announce that the underwater fleet could begin sea trials by next week, navy spokesman Capt. Chris Henderson said Wednesday.
The four boats, acquired from the British navy for $850 million, have been docked since the incident.
Chicoutimi is in Halifax Shipyard, still undergoing a damage assessment. The insides have been stripped and cleaned, and officials are reviewing the structural damage, said Henderson.
Repairs will take at least a year, depending on what replacement parts are required, he said.
In his internal report, prepared in December, MacLean cites $419 million in total funding shortfalls across the navy. He says the unplanned expense for Chicoutimi will compound an already strained maintenance program.
"The current efforts to undertake HMCS Chicoutimi contingency repairs and address the remainder of the delayed Victoria (submarine) program intensify the challenge of prioritizing dwindling resources against a growing demand,'' he writes.
"The available capacity both in terms of ... funding and manpower volume could not address fully the planned regular maintenance requirements, let alone deal with an unforeseen increase in demand such as this one.''
MacLean notes overall maintenance funding meets less than 62 per cent of requirements. He says the submarine work will have to come at the expense of surface vessels, whose rusting innards are pictured in his report.
The situation clearly illustrates "the degenerative effects of several years of cutbacks,'' he adds.
While February's federal budget promises $500 million this year and $600 million next year, mainly for defence repair and maintenance, MacLean warns the problems "cannot be corrected by a simple injection of funds.''
The navy requires a long-term capital investment to boost manpower, repair and maintenance, he says. Past funding reallocations by the Defence Department, designed to address concerns raised in assessments like MacLean's, have only met six to nine per cent of demand.
A recent Commons committee report, separate from the navy board, found the political concerns of former prime minister Jean Chretien delayed the sub acquisition for several years after cabinet approved it in the mid-1990s.
The panel concluded the additional time the subs spent neglected in British docks contributed to their decay. The boats have been plagued by leaks, equipment glitches and electrical problems since the first delivery in 2000.
Henderson said crews will begin dockside training by Friday. They will go to sea once their
Rest of article: http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=7c5bd834-ae20-4393-ba73-1f322ee43835