Replacing the Subs

[Colin Parkinson]

Wouldn’t the same also apply to 212CD?

I think so, but I worry about Germany actually fulfilling all of it's commitments and providing enough spare parts as well. Was not so long ago the German navy 6 subs were all tied up awaiting spare parts and maintenance.

 

[Nvlgzr]

I think so, but I worry about Germany actually fulfilling all of it's commitments and providing enough spare parts as well. Was not so long ago the German navy 6 subs were all tied up awaiting spare parts and maintenance.

I’m assuming that wasn’t a TKMS/HDW but a German navy issue since the Italians didn’t have this issue.

 

[Stoker]

As I mentioned awhile ago, (assuming SK wins) I think it might be a good idea to keep the first boat there and having training and support start there, it's likley the sub will be completed prior to the Esquimalt base being fully modified and equipped to deal with it. Perhaps when the 2nd boat is launched it stays there and works up and warranty issues dealt with as well. The first sub sails to the West coast. Possibly the 3 and 4th move to the East coast once facilities and shore crews are ready there.

I suspect that we may keep the Vics running till the 2nd boat is worked up. It will depend on operational demand, crew availability, shoreside space and money. Not to mention if you retire the Vics, where are you going to store them and with the incoming subs needing the docking space as well? I still think if we go KSS, the government will sell the Vics to a friendly nation. That gets rid of a problem quickly.

As soon as the announcement is official, the first groups of sailors already identified will be sent to S Korea to start learning, this will take the form of DL, classroom instruction, alongside training and at sea experience. There is a good possibility that S Korea may lend us a boat in their waters to use. At some point some members of the crew will be sent to the shipyard and as the build progresses the first crew along with some members of the 2nd will bring the first boat into service. At some point the first boat will come to Canada to be shown off for recruitment purposes and at the same time train new submariners. Some members of the first couple of crews will be selected for training cadre.

 

[Kanuck34]

Apologies if this has already been posted but an interesting discussion on the subs; CDA Experts Series - Canada’s Next Submarine

 

[oldcpu]

Apologies if this has already been posted but an interesting discussion on the subs; CDA Experts Series - Canada’s Next Submarine

That is an interesting podcast. The comments under the podcast in the Youtube video comments section is also of interest. There are a lot of misinformed statements in the comments, but regardless, its an interesting debate.

Reference Dr. Paul T. Mitchell's talk in the podcast, I don't know how much time he had to prepare before participating in the podcast, as likely he had other things going on in his life. While he may not have stated every aspect 100% correct, he did explore some aspects which are not talked about much, ... which are aspects needing to be considered ... so I enjoyed listening to his opinion.

 

[oldcpu]

Where I work is in close proximity to the submariners and had more than a few in my departments on ship over the years. As soon as the trigger is pulled you'll see a very large recruiting program for the boats. I can't speak specifically but there is some out of the box ideas for recruiting for boats being developed with potential international exchanges. Despite the naysayers we are recruiting more in the RCN these days and in a few years it should start to payoff.

I like your optimism regarding potential recruitment and retention, and I think that it is encouraging, but I believe we must remain cautious about assuming the recent uptick in Canadian Forces numbers translates directly into a sustained, long-term solution for the Royal Canadian Navy.

Given the recent hemorrhaging of trained sailors, and given the massive scale of the RCN's projected expansion — which includes manning the new submarines, the River-class destroyers, possibly new corvettes, the Harry de Wolf class, supply ships, smaller training vessels, and the additional essential shore fleet requirements to train and maintain (and manage new ship/boat procurements) — the challenge of not only recruiting but also training and retaining our sailor specialists is immense.

I too do hope the "Field of Dreams" "build it and they will come" approach will work, ... I too hope the salary adjustments will help reduce the hemorrhaging of personnel of trained sailors. However, I fear they alone will fall short of the requirement. The RCN is competing against the comforts of life ashore, where an enterprising individual can earn more money ashore.

I believe to truly succeed, we need a robust, sustained media campaign that justifies the strategic necessity of the RCN to the public and enables more recruitment, beyond the current high-quality factual RCN documentaries already produced. ie one such idea is an approach that encourages Canadian film studios to produce compelling fictionalized narratives (directly based on RCN history) that draw on our rich naval history to foster a stronger sense of purpose, identity and a desire to serve - and a desire to support the navy.