The Upholder/Victoria-class submarines, also known as the Type 2400 (due to their displacement of 2,400 tonnes), are a class of diesel-electric submarines built in the United Kingdom in the 1980s to supplement the nuclear submarines in the Submarine Service of the British Royal Navy.
The boats were originally named the Upholder class, after the most renowned vessel of the former U class. Their British service life was short, with the vessels being decommissioned in 1994. After an unsuccessful bid to transfer these submarines to the Pakistan Navy in 1993–1994, the Canadian government eventually purchased the submarines and a suite of trainers from the Royal Navy for Canadian Forces Maritime Command (renamed to Royal Canadian Navy in 2011) to replace their decommissioned s in 1998.
In Canadian service, the submarines are classified as the Victoria class. These submarines initially suffered from serious electrical problems and were beset by mechanical operational incidents that limited their active service and the scope of their deployments. These problems have largely been overcome and the subs have achieved full operational capability.
Design and development
thumb|A cross-section of an Upholder-class submarine
In the late 1970s the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (MoD) proposed a diesel-electric submarine design to replace the Oberon class. The new submarine class was intended to provide a more cost-effective alternative for training and in coastal defence. The announcement for the new design took place in September 1979. Five designs were put forward, with the MoD selecting the 1,960-ton design. However, the need for export potential upped the displacement limit to 2,400 tons to allow for flexibility in construction if the need for alternative machinery and systems arose. The submarines are long overall with a beam of and a draught of . The submarines had a complement between 44 and 47 with the Royal Navy. The batteries have a 90-hour endurance at . This gave the submarines the ability to fire the Gould Mk 48 Mod 4 torpedo.
Sensors and countermeasures
As built, the Upholder class was equipped with the Kelvin Hughes Type 1007 I-band radar for navigational purposes. The submarines were fitted with the Type 2040 Thompson Sintra ARGONAUTE hull mounted sonar, installed in the bow and Type 2026 GEC Avionics passive towed array. The submarines had the Type 2019 Thompson Sintra PARIS passive sonar for active and intercept purposes. They also had the Type 2041 passive ranging sonar and the Type 2004 expendable bathythermograph. The class was fitted with Type 2008 underwater telephone. Unicorn was paid off on 16 October 1994 and laid up.
Sale to Canada
Following the cancellation of the Canadian nuclear-powered submarine program, the Canadian navy sought to acquire conventionally-powered submarines again. The Canadian National Defence White Paper of 1994 stated the intent to explore the purchase of the Upholder class from the UK. The choice faced opposition and the price of $1 billion that the MoD demanded stalled the decision by the Cabinet of Canada to go ahead with the purchase. In the meantime, the subs were offered to Portugal and Chile. In 1996, another attempt to purchase the subs by Canada was stopped soon after starting. In the meantime, the UK spent millions maintaining the submarines.
On 3 July 1998, the deal was ratified and two contracts were signed simultaneously. The first was an eight-year interest-free lease-to-purchase agreement for the four submarines, five training simulators and assorted training and data packages. The lease payments were part of a barter agreement for the continued access by the UK to Canadian Forces bases Wainwright, Suffield, and Goose Bay. procurement as a bargain, there have been arguments over the quality of the submarines with some suggestions that the purchase price will be at least spent again putting things right. Some Canadian opposition parties demanded that the British government fund any further costs, since it is widely believed that the submarines deteriorated while in storage and the Royal Navy was not completely forthcoming on their condition during the sale. However, Stephen Saunders, editor of Jane's Fighting Ships, argued that "there is not something inherently wrong with the class of submarines."
In 2008, Babcock Canada was awarded the contract to support the Victoria class in Canadian service in the period up to 2023. The potential value of the contract was over CAD $3.6 billion and required establishing a supply chain in Canada to support and sustain the submarines. Every six to nine years each Victoria-class boat undergoes an extended docking work period (EDWP) involving comprehensive maintenance, repair, overhaul or upgrading of over 200 systems including sonar upgrades, mast upgrades and combat system upgrades.
Trainers
Victoria-class submarines use eight Submarine Command Team Trainers built for the Royal Navy. These were moved from the UK to Canada by CAE, Computing Devices Canada, General Dynamics Canada and Irving Shipbuilding. These devices are land-based systems using simulators and other training devices. Victoria-class submarines also use a Canadian Submarine Escape Trainer, attached to a real submarine escape hatch to simulate escape procedures.
Canadian service
Upon acquiring the subs, Maritime Command suggested that the subs would be operational by 2000. This included an 18-month systems check. Each sub would undergo a six-month Canadian Work Period (CWP). During the CWP, Canadian communications and fire control systems were installed.
The first ship on the scene was the Irish patrol vessel , which suffered damage in the heavy seas and was forced to return to port. The British frigate arrived the following day to provide aid. Rescue efforts had been hampered by the poor weather. The three seriously injured crewmen were evacuated by Montroses helicopter and flown directly to Sligo, Ireland. One sailor died of his injuries shortly after arrival. Chicoutimi was taken in tow on 7 October and arrived back at Faslane on 9 October.
thumb|HMCS Chicoutimi aboard the heavy-lift ship Tern, April 2009
Chicoutimi was transported to Halifax aboard the submersible heavy-lift vessel Eide Transporter, arriving on 1 February 2005. The commissioning of the submarine was delayed until the assessment of the damage could take place. Following the assessment, Chicoutimi was carried to Esquimalt aboard the submersible heavy-lift ship Tern, arriving on 29 April 2009 to undergo a major refit. The submarine surfaced and made port without requiring aid. Repairs and a major refit kept the sub out of operational service until 2018. Victoria emerged from the EDWP at the end of 2011. During the cruise, Windsor was deployed to track five submarines from another nation that had entered the North Atlantic. Canada announced plans for a major life extension for the class on 7 April 2015, possibly to start in 2020. The estimated cost for the program would be between $1.5 and $2 billion CAN.
thumb|HMCS Chicoutimi being assisted by a tugboat after her arrival at [[United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka, October 2017]]
On 3 September 2015, Chicoutimi was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy at Esquimalt. However, the sub was restricted to shallow-water diving. In October 2015, Chicoutimi was among the Canadian vessels sent to participate in a joint exercise with the United States Navy. Chicoutimi and Victoria were taken out of active service in 2016 after hundreds of welds were found to not meet quality standards, affecting the ability of the subs to dive. They were docked at Esquimalt for several months. Chicoutimi was repaired first, followed by Victoria. Victoria was used for training purposes until repairs were effected. In September 2017, Canada deployed Chicoutimi on patrol in Asian waters, the first such deployment by a Victoria-class submarine. During the deployment, Chicoutimi marked the first visit to Japan by a Canadian submarine since 1968. The vessel returned to Canada on 21 March 2018 spending 197 days at sea, the longest deployment by a Victoria-class submarine in Canadian service.
Life extension and replacement
Under the Justin Trudeau government's defence policy paper, Strong Secure Engaged (2017), the operational life of each Victoria-class boat was to be extended by one additional "life-cycle" (or by about eight years). This was designed to permit the operation of the fleet into about the early to mid-2030s. As of 2020 no decision had been taken on the actual replacement of Canada's submarines which were then already thirty years old. Analysis by the Naval Association of Canada indicated that the lead times, technical challenges and costs involved in submarine replacement would be significant were such a program to be initiated.
According to John Ivison, Royal Canadian Navy personnel assessed six submarines that could be a potential replacement. They consist of the conventional , the Type 212CD, the , the KSS-III class, the Isaac Peral class and the . On 10 July 2024, the Government of Canada announced the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP). Up to 12 conventionally powered submarines are to be acquired for the RCN. An RFI was issued by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) in September 2024. On 21 November, it was reported that the Taigei class was no longer being considered. In August 2025, the government narrowed the choice down to the Type 212CD and the KSS-III.
David Pugliese in the Ottawa Citizen reported that former navy officers estimated the program costs would be around $100 billion with the first new submarines estimated to be ready by 2037.
Boats in class
{| border="1" class="wikitable collapsible"
|+ Upholder/Victoria class construction data
|-valign="top"
! rowspan = 2 | British name
! rowspan = 2 | Pennant no.
! rowspan = 2 | Builder
! rowspan = 2 width = 72| Laid down
! rowspan = 2 width = 72| Launched
! colspan = 2 | British service
! rowspan = 2 | Canadian name
! rowspan = 2 width = 72 | Hull no.
! colspan = 2 | Canadian service
|--valign="top"
! width = 72| Commissioned
! width = 72| Paid off
! width = 72| Commissioned
! width = 72| Status
|--valign="top"
|-
|scope="row"| Upholder
| S 40
| VSEL, Barrow-in-Furness
| November 1983
| 2 December 1986
| 9 June 1990
| 29 April 1994
|
| SSK 879
| 3 September 2015
| In active service
|-
|scope="row"| Unseen
| S 41
| rowspan=3 | Cammell Laird, Birkenhead
| 12 August 1987
| 14 November 1989
| 20 July 1991
| 6 April 1994
|
| SSK 876
| 2 December 2000
| In active service
|-
|scope="row"| Ursula
| S 42
| 28 August 1987
| 22 February 1991
| 8 May 1992
| 16 June 1994
|
| SSK 878
| 29 June 2003
| In active service
|-
|scope="row"| Unicorn
| S 43
| 13 March 1989
| 16 April 1992
| 25 June 1993
| 16 October 1994
|
| SSK 877
| 4 October 2003
| In active service
|-
|}
See also
- List of submarine classes in service
- , a 1987 proposal for a class of nuclear-powered attack submarines that was cancelled in 1989
Equivalent submarines of the same era
- Project 636
Notes
Citations
Sources
Further reading
External links
- HMCS Victoria Website
- Canadian Navy of Yesterday & Today
- RN Subs 1990 – 1994: Upholder Class