Underscoring the threat posed by non-nuclear submarines, the Canadian navy has released a photo taken through the periscope of HMCS Corner Brook, one of the service's four Victoria-class SSKs.
That's the British carrier HMS Illustrious, one of the Royal Navy's key warships. “The picture represents hard evidence that the submarine was well within attack parameters and would have been successful in an attack,” comments Commander Luc Cassivi, commander Submarine Division in Halifax.
That is to say, had Corner Brook been a hostile, rather than a participant in NATO's exercise Noble Mariner, taking place in the North Sea and Baltic in May, "Lusty" would have been a matter of seconds away from taking a Mk 48 heavyweight torpedo in what British naval folk technically describe as the Khyber Pass.
This came after the RN had issued a press release praising the ship's ability to dominate the battlespace. It is doubly ironic in that Corner Brook is the former HMS Ursula, one of four Upholder-class SSKs built at great trouble and expense by the UK and then sold to Canada when the UK government decided to standardize on nuclear boats.
Credits: Canadian navy, Rick Anthony, Royal Australian Navy
Merlins (only 3) were aboard RFA Fort George. There was
also a fairly useless surface escort group, but it's
unlikely that the force ASW guys had more than one Merlin
to play with at any given time. And the scenario was hardly
one designed to include a serious, first-rate navy sub
threat.
All in all, a win against an almost unarmed opponent in a
very unlikely scenario. Not so massive an underscore for
an almost nonexistent 'threat,' though lord knows there
are many in the Western navies who'd love to believe it.