Canadian submarine history facts and figures

In just over 100 years of submarine service, the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) has commissioned 15 submarines.

Here are the details on each one. They are listed in order of year commissioned. Dates refer to the time each submarine or group of submarines was in service.

HMCS CC 1 and CC 2, 1914 to 1918

HMCS CC 1 and CC 2 submarines

Displacement:

  • CC 1 surfaced, 313 tonnes – submerged, 421 tonnes
  • CC 2 surfaced, 313 tonnes – submerged, 421 tonnes

Dimensions:

  • CC 1 length 144 ft 6 in - beam 15 ft 6 in - draught 11 ft
  • CC 2 length 151 ft 6 in - beam 15 ft 6 in - draught 11 ft

Propulsion: twin screw, direct diesel drive and electric motor

Engines: 300 horsepower, 6 cylinders MAN reversible

Main Motors: 130 horsepower, Electro-dynamic

Speed: surfaced, 13 knots – submerged, 10 knots

Maximum Diving Depth: 200 ft

Crew: 20

Torpedo Tubes:

  • CC 1: 4 x 18 in. forward - 1 x 18 in. aft
  • CC 2: 2 x 18 in. forward - 1 x 18 in. aft

HMCS CH-14 and CH-15, 1921 to 1922

HMCS CH-14 and CH-15 submarines

Displacement:

  • surfaced, 364 tonnes
  • submerged, 434 tonnes

Dimensions:

  • length 15 ft 3.5 in
  • beam 15 ft 9 in
  • draught 12 ft 4 in

Propulsion: twin screw, direct diesel drive and electric motors

Engines: 480 horsepower, 8 cylinders, 4 cycle Nlseco

Main Motors: Electro dynamic, 640 horsepower

Speed: surfaced, 13 knots  – submerged, 10 knots

Range: surfaced, 2,800 nautical miles at 11 knots – submerged, 130 nautical miles at 2 knots

Maximum Diving Depth: 200 ft

Torpedo Tubes: bow 4 x 18 in. - torpedo reloads: 4 x bow

Crew: 19-23

HMCS U-889 and U-190, 1945 to 1947

HMCS U-889 and U-190 submarines

Displacement:

  • surfaced, 1,120 tonnes
  • submerged, 1,232 tonnes
  • Total, 1,545 tonnes

Dimensions:

  • length 253 ft
  • beam 23 ft
  • draft 15 ft 6 in
  • height 32 ft

Propulsion: Twin screw, direct diesel drive and electric motors

Diesel engines: 4,400 horsepower

Main motors: 1,000 horsepower

Speed:

  • surfaced, 19 knots
  • submerged, 7.3 knots

Range: 11,000 nautical miles at 10 knots

Diving depth: 750 ft

Torpedo tubes: 4 bow, 2 stern tubes

Deck Gun: Utof 105/45 with 110 rounds

Crew: 48 to 56

HMCS Grilse (S71), 1961 to 1969

HMCS Grilse submarine

Displacement:

  • surfaced, 1,800 tonnes
  • submerged, 2,425 tonnes

Dimensions:

  • length, 311 ft 6 in
  • beam, 27 ft 3 in

draught, 16 ft 10 in

Propulsion: diesel-electric (electric main motors powered by diesel generators and a main battery)

Main Motors: 2 General Electric 2,700 horsepower

Diesel Generators: 4 X 9 cylinder 1,600 horsepower Fairbanks-Morse diesel and 1 X 1,100 kilowatt Elliot diesel generator

Auxiliary Generator: 450-horsepower Elliot 300-kilowatt diesel generator

Speed:

  • surfaced, 20.25 knots
  • submerged, 8.75 knots - submerged while snorkeling (running diesel generators while submerged with snorkel mast up), 10 knots (with diesel generators running)

Range:

  • surfaced 12,000 nautical miles at 10 knots
  • submerged 96 nautical miles at 2 knots

Torpedo Tubes:

  • bow 6 x 21 in
  • stern 4 x 21 in
  • torpedo reloads 14

Crew: 72

HMCS Ojibwa (S72), Onondaga (S73) and Okanagan (S74), 1965 to 2000

HMCS Ojibwa, Onondaga and Okanagan submarines

Displacement:

  • surfaced, 2,007 tonnes
  • submerged, 2,406 tonnes

Overall Dimensions:

  • length 295 ft 3 in
  • beam 26 ft 6 in
  • draught 18 ft

Maximum Diving Depth: 600 ft

Propulsion: diesel-electric (electric main motors powered by diesel generators and a main battery)

Main Motors: 2 x 3,000 horsepower electric motors

Diesel Generators: 2 x 3,680 horsepower, V16 Admiralty Standard Range 1

Battery: 448 cells in two sections, 7420 amp hour

Speed:

  • surfaced, 12 knots
  • submerged, 17 knots
  • submerged while snorting (running diesel generators while submerged with snort mast up), 10 knots

Range: surfaced 10,000 nm at 10 knots

Torpedo Tubes: Bow 6 x 21 in - Stern 2 x 21 in (removed as part of SOUP: Submarine Operational Update Program)

Crew: 65

Rainbow (S75), 1968 to 1974

HMCS Rainbow submarine

Displacement:

  • surfaced, 1,526 tonnes
  • submerged, 2,391 tonnes

Dimensions:

  • length 311 ft 6 in
  • beam 27 ft 4 in
  • draught 16 ft 10 in

Maximum Diving Depth: 400 ft

Propulsion: diesel-electric (electric main motors powered by diesel generators and a main battery).

Main Motors: 2 x 2,700 horsepower Elliot motors

Diesel Generators: 4 x 1,600 horsepower 9-cylinder Fairbanks-Morse diesel linked to 1,100 kilowatt Generators

Main Battery: 252 cells, Gould

Speed:

  • surfaced, 20.25knots
  • submerged, 10 knots
  • submerged while snorkeling (running diesel generators while submerged with snorkel mast up), 10 knots

Range: surfaced, 8,000 nautical miles at 12 knots

Torpedo Tubes: bow, 6 x 21 in – stern, 4 x 21 in – torpedo reloads, 14
Crew: 75

HMCS Victoria (SSK-876), Windsor (SSK-877), Corner Brook (SSK-878) and Chicoutimi (SSK-879), 2000 to present

HMCS Victoria, Windsor, Corner Brook and Chicoutimisubmarines

Displacement:

  • surfaced, 2,221 tonnes
  • submerged, 2,475 tonnes

Dimensions:

  • length, 232 ft
  • beam, 25 ft
  • draught 18 ft

Propulsion:

Main Motor: 86.36 ton General Electric Company 4.028 megawatt dual armature electric motor

Diesel Generators: 2 x 2,035 horsepower Paxman Valenta 1600 RPA SZ

Main Battery: 8800 amp-hour battery divided between 2 compartments

Maximum Diving Depth: in excess of 660 ft

Speed:

  • surfaced, 12 knots
  • submerged, 20 knots
  • submerged while snorting (running diesel generators while submerged with snort mast up), 12 knots

Range: 8,000 nautical miles at 8 knots

Torpedo Tubes: 6 x 21 inch bow torpedo tubes

Crew: 48

Submarine history and images

Page details

Date modified: