HMCS Corner Brook Sinks Decommissioned USS Mobile Bay in RIMPAC Exercise
Six days after the federal government announced that only one of Canada’s four submarines was seaworthy, that vessel – HMCS Corner Brook – fired a Mark 48 heavyweight torpedo that sank the decommissioned cruiser USS Mobile Bay off the coast of Hawaii on July 12.
The shot marked the first time a Canadian submarine took part in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise since 2012, a span of twelve years.
Capt. Landon Creasy, commander of the Canadian task force, said live‑fire target practice “is invaluable for our submarines,” underscoring the strategic value of the demonstration.
USS Mobile Bay, commissioned in February 1987 and decommissioned in August 2023 after more than thirty‑six years of service, went down in roughly 15,000 feet of water, about fifty nautical miles north of Kauai’s shoreline. A second target, the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu, was also scuttled in the same area on July 17.
Participating nations included Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, as well as the U.S. Navy, Air Force and Army, all gaining experience in tactics, targeting and live fire against surface ships.
Vice Adm. Jeffrey Jablon, commander of Combined Task Force RIMPAC, described the scuttling drills as “a prime example of the strength and readiness our partnerships create.”
Lieut.-Cmdr. Linda Coleman, a Hawaii‑based spokesperson for the Royal Canadian Navy, added that the submarine has proven its ability to maintain “precision strike capability” in complex marine environments.
Paul Mitchell, a professor at the Canadian Forces College and author of a forthcoming book on the Victoria‑class submarines, noted that a boat often serves as a “clockwork mouse,” moving predictably so surface ships can track it. He said submariners “don’t want to be a clockwork mouse because it’s boring and there’s no glory.”
Corner Brook, Canada’s sole operational submarine, was returned to service in 2023 after running aground off Vancouver Island in 2011. The repairs, together with a $695 million programme of maintenance, upgrades and life‑extension work, brought the total cost to roughly $715 million.
Canada’s Submarine Fleet: Aging Vessels and a New Procurement Plan
Maintaining the Current Submarine
Canada continues to rely on the aging Corner Brook for another decade, as the navy needs the vessel to train crews for the upcoming German‑built submarine fleet.
In a July 6 press release, the Prime Minister’s Office highlighted that the submarine force is aging, with only one in four boats currently seaworthy, and named Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems as the preferred supplier to begin negotiations for up to twelve new submarines – the largest defence procurement in Canadian history.
The planned acquisition aims to replace the aging fleet while ensuring that Canada can sustain undersea operations for the next ten years, bridging the gap until the new vessels enter service.
The 30th edition of RIMPAC, running through July 31, involves thirty nations, thirty surface ships, five submarines, more than one hundred ninety aircraft and approximately thirty thousand personnel, reaffirming Canada’s long‑standing role as a founding participant since the exercise began in 1971.
