April 28, 200620 yr DND Defers HMCS Chicoutimi Repair article (Source: Canadian Department of National Defence; issued April 27, 2006) OTTAWA --- The Department of National Defence today announced that repairs to Her Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Chicoutimi, damaged by fire in 2004, will be deferred until 2010 when a two-year refit on the submarine is conducted. This decision means that repairs caused by the 2004 fire incident will be conducted at the same time as the two-year refit process known as the Extended Dock Work Period, which is scheduled for 2010. If the repair process had begun immediately, HMCS Chicoutimi would have been back in service for less than two years before going back for the scheduled refit in 2010. The decision has the potential to save the department millions of dollars through a more effective allocation of resources. The Victoria-class fleet's operational capability will not be negatively impacted because of the deferral. Deferring these repairs will allow the Navy to focus its resources on other vessels and the surface fleet. This decision is the most cost effective method to address other competing priorities on current naval resources. "This will improve our ability to get Victoria and Corner Brook back into service and better position the Navy to have two boats fully operational in 2009," said Vice-Admiral Drew Robertson, Chief of the Maritime Staff. HMCS Chicoutimi is currently located at Halifax Shipyards Ltd. and will be placed in an extended limited maintenance period until the Extended Dock Work Period begins in 2010. With the application of skills, knowledge, and efficiencies gained from work on other Victoria-class submarines HMCS Chicoutimi is expected to rejoin the fleet in 2012.
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