Canada to deploy submarine to U.S. military exercise after 12-year absence

HMCS Corner Brook leaves dry dock in Esquimalt, B.C., on June 13, 2021. (DND/MARPAC Imaging Services)

Canada will deploy a military submarine to this year’s Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise off Hawaii — a surprise late addition that marks the country’s first undersea presence at the multinational war games in over a decade.

HMCS Corner Brook is expected to depart Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt in the coming days after completing an estimated 90,000 hours of maintenance and upgrades at the British Columbia naval base.

The submarine will join two Canadian frigates at RIMPAC, the world’s largest naval exercise, which is expected to bring together more than 25,000 military personnel from more than two dozen countries.

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HMCS Corner Brook is currently the only operational submarine in Canada’s four-vessel fleet.

The sub initially returned to service last year after 14 years of repairs and upgrades that were required after the vessel ran aground off Vancouver Island in 2011.

The work included approximately $20 million in repairs to address the immediate damage from the accident, plus a further $695 million in maintenance, upgrades and life-extension work as part of a long-term refit cycle.

Earlier this month, the sub conducted combat exercises off Vancouver Island alongside the Dosan Ahn Chang-ho, a Korean KSS-III submarine that manufacturer Hanwha Ocean is pitching as the future platform for the Canadian sub force.

Among the more recent upgrades completed on HMCS Corner Brook was the installation of a modernized electronic warfare system that enhances the vessel’s ability to detect and identify nearby ships and other potential threats, according to Lt.-Cmdr. Linda Coleman, a spokesperson for Maritime Forces Pacific.

The vessel also sports a new battery and an upgraded battery-monitoring system to allow crew members to track charge levels remotely.

Coleman said that while Canada’s Victoria-class subs are admittedly “an older platform,” the fleet has been outfitted with “modern capabilities needed to address evolving threats in the current and future operating environment.”

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Canada has not sent a submarine to the biennial RIMPAC exercise since 2014, when HMCS Victoria participated in the U.S.-led war games co-ordinated from Pearl Harbor.

The same submarine was scheduled to return in 2020, but its deployment was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year’s exercise will see Canadian ships and sailors take part in torpedo and missile firings, ship-boarding drills and anti-submarine warfare training alongside partner nations.

HMCS Regina, one of the two Canadian frigates destined for RIMPAC, will conduct a live firing of the Evolved Sea Sparrow Block II missile, the navy’s most advanced air-defence weapon.

The second frigate, HMCS Ottawa, will showcase its upgraded submarine detection system, which includes a suite of new sensors expected to be installed across the Halifax-class fleet by 2034.

The navy will also deploy the replenishment ship Asterix and a team of clearance divers to the exercise, which runs from June 24 to July 31 in and around the Hawaiian Islands.

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The Royal Canadian Air Force, meanwhile, will contribute a CP-140 Aurora patrol aircraft and two CH-148 Cyclone helicopters. The Aurora will provide long-range reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare capabilities across vast stretches of ocean, while the Cyclones will operate from the deployed frigates to extend their surveillance and strike range.

Additional Canadian Armed Forces members, including a fleet cyber-protection group and medical emergency response teams, are also scheduled to attend, bringing Canada’s total contribution to the exercise to approximately 800 personnel.

This year marks the 30^th iteration of RIMPAC, which began as a multinational training exercise in 1971. Canada has participated in every edition as a founding member alongside the United States and Australia.

This year’s event is expected to involve approximately 40 warships, five submarines and 140 aircraft from 31 partner nations.

The U.S. Pacific Fleet, which hosts the exercise, says the war games will reinforce collective security in and around the Pacific Ocean.

Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, announced in 2022, committed $2.3-billion over five years to expand the country’s defence presence and deepen security ties with partner countries across the region.