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
- HMCS CC 2
- HMCS CH 14
- HMCS CH 15
- HMCS U-190
- HMCS U-889
- HMCS Grilse
- HMCS Ojibwa
- HMCS Onondaga
- HMCS Okanagan
- HMCS Rainbow
- HMCS Victoria
- HMCS Corner Brook,
- HMCS Windsor
- HMCS Chicoutimi
HMCS CC 1 and CC 2, 1914 to 1918
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
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
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
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
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
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
- History of HMCS Victoria (SSK-876)
- History of HMCS Windsor (SSK-877)
- History of Corner Brook (SSK-878)
- History of Chicoutimi (SSK-879)
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
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