HMCS Windsor back at sea after engine woes

By: BRUCE CAMPION-SMITH  Ottawa Bureau, The Toronto Star 

OTTAWA—The Canadian sub HMCS Windsor is back at sea following engine repairs and navy commanders are confident the maintenance woes won’t imperil its participation in NATO exercises later this month.

The sub had embarked on its trans Atlantic crossing just over a week ago when problems with an engine supercharger forced areturn to port in Halifax for repairs.

Rear-Adm. John Newton, commander of Maritime Forces Atlantic, praised maintenance crews for the quick turnaround and said the cause of the supercharger failure remains under investigation.

“It is not like other failure modes we have witnessed over the years,” Newton told the Star in an email Sunday.

But he said in the repair and engine trials, crews took a “hard look” at related equipment to assure themselves that there were not other problems with the sub before heading back to sea.

HMCS Windsor departs from a Halifax port on May 26. The sub is bound for the North Sea to join “Dynamic Mongoose,” the annual anti-submarine warfare exercise organized by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. (ANDREW VAUGHAN / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILE PHOTO)

The sub is bound for the North Sea to join “Dynamic Mongoose,” the annual anti-submarine warfare exercise organized by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. That exercise is set to run June 20 to July 1 and will involve some 5,000 personnel from nations within the military alliance.

Because of the slow pace of the ocean crossing, it’s not certain that Windsor will arrive in time for the start of the exercise but Newton expressed confidence that the sub would not miss much.

“Most of the boat’s planned program will be recovered,” Newton said.

“The submarine will be interacting with NATO forces as one would expect whenever our fleet sails east into European waters. It will be exercising and patrolling,” Newton said.

He said that military planners are accustomed to adjusting exercises to accommodate the comings and goings of naval assets.

“Everybody who plans and executes submarine operations in an alliance structure works to adjust their parts to accommodate boats, ships and aircraft arrivals, departures ‎and changes as necessitated by national arisings,” Newton said.

At the moment, HMCS Windsor is Canada’s lone operational sub. The three other Victoria-class subs are in dock for maintenance work.

HMCS Windsor recalled to Port following engine problems

By: David Pugliese, Defence Watch 

HMCS Windsor is expected to return to Halifax sometime on Monday, Royal Canadian Navy officers tell Defence Watch.

Canada’s only submarine currently at sea has to return to port to deal with mechanical problems.

After a week of sea training work-ups off the eastern seaboard, HMCS Windsor experienced a mechanical issue June 3 involving a component associated with one of the submarine’s two diesel engines, the Royal Canadian Navy says.

“What broke is a super-charger,” Navy Capt. Jamie Clarke, commander Canadian Submarine Force, told Defence Watch.

The sub has two engines and two super-chargers.

“What a super-charger does is that it blows air into the engine to make it more powerful,” Clarke explained. “With more air you can put in more fuel and you get more power and more efficiency.”

“As a matter of precaution that engine isn’t being used,” he added. “The submarine is returning to Halifax so the experts can look at it and fix it. The intention is to fix it as soon as possible and get back to sea.”

Clarke said the navy won’t have a timeline on the repairs until specialists can look at the system.

The sub was on its way to Norway for a NATO exercise. Once fixed, it will return to sea and continue to the exercise as planned.

“It’s unfortunate,” Clarke said of the mechanical issue. “We’re getting her fixed and will get her back to sea.”

“They (the crew) operate a complex machine in an unforgiving environment and they do it really well,” he added. “I’m incredibly proud of the team on board Windsor.”

Fleet Maintenance Facility personnel will conduct an inspection and repairs, the navy noted.

HMCS Windsor has sailed over 200 days over the past year conducting surveillance operations and other missions.

Engineers and technicians aboard HMCS Windsor have addressed the immediate issue and the submarine is able to continue sailing, the RCN noted.

The RCN’s other three submarines are in various stages of maintenance.

In February, Defence Watch reported that HMCS Windsor docked at the Norfolk naval base in Virginia after it ran into mechanical issues while at sea.

The submarine was heading towards Halifax when an issue emerged with its battery. Royal Canadian Navy officers ordered the sub to Norfolk.

The RCN noted the problem started when crew members found that a battery cell was leaking. The submarine’s battery is around five years old and has an expected lifespan of up to six years, according to the RCN.

The batteries were to be replaced by the end of the year.

In December 2012, a defect was identified with one of HMCS Windsor’s two diesel generators during sea trials, according to the RCN. These diesel generators are part of the main submarine battery-charging system.